Spurgeons partners in young offender school pilot scheme

Spurgeons is bringing it's celebrated Boys2Men programme to a new young offender rehabilitation scheme in Kent. 

Oasis Restore, the UK's only secure school, is the first facility of its kind and looks to cure youth offending through rehabilitation. 

A community environment

Youth offender institutions like HMP Feltham, where Boys2Men is also operating, are traditional correctional facilities. 

Oasis Restore has no bars on the windows or cells and instead offers a community setting with therapists and counsellors on hand. The school looks to assist with past traumas that the children have experienced, and address those issues in a nurturing environment. The children will also learn new skills and build towards a positive future, with the intention of avoiding reoffending. 

Staff look to create a trusting environment where children feel supported and understood. No traditional prison attire is worn, and the staff are known as 'Restore Practitioners'.

The role of Boys2Men

Boys2Men, our youth intervention programme, currently runs in HMP Feltham and in family centres as well as Oasis Restore. The aim of the course is to help the youths reflect on their past, their experiences, and their role in society with a view to a brighter, productive future. 

Spurgeons have partnered with Oasis Restore to bring the Boys2Men programme to the children there, who are aged from 12-18. The content of the course aligns with the ethos of the school to rehabilitate and support young people. 

Many young offenders haven't had positive role models in their lives, and this is where Boys2Men steps in and aims to empower them onto a positive path.

Young men who have graduated from the HMP Feltham programme have found their lives changed by the course- change which may not have happened had they not attended the sessions. One graduate said that 'Spurgeons actually saves lives. With the same old mindset you come out of jail, you go back into jail, you come out of jail, you go back into jail, you come out of jail, you die.' 

The work of our Boys2Men staff alongside the Restore Practitioners at Oasis will aim to bring the same hope to many others.