Hope UK
Encyclopedia
Hope UK is a national Christian
charity
located at 25(f) Copperfield Street, London
, England
which educates children and young people about drug
and alcohol
abuse.
, to teach children the importance and principles of sobriety and teetotalism
. In 1855, a national organisation was formed amidst an explosion of Band of Hope work. Meetings were held in churches throughout the UK and included Christian teaching.
Set up in an era when hard liquor was generally viewed as a necessity of life, next only to food and water, the Band of Hope and other temperance organisations fought to counteract the influence of pubs
and brewer
s, with the specific intention of rescuing 'unfortunates' whose lives had been blighted by drink and teach complete abstinence.
Christians and Temperance Societies
saw this as a way of providing activities for children that encouraged them to avoid alcohol problems. Alcohol-free premises were established, rallies, marches and demonstrations were mounted to oppose the "evils" of hard liquor that were attended by thousands of supporters, and coffee taverns were established to keep teetotalers on the straight and narrow path.
"Signing the pledge" was one of the innovative features. The pledge was a promise not to drink alcohol and millions of people signed up. There were also lecture
s that were illustrated by magic lantern
, the technological equivalent to present day computerised PowerPoint displays, and noted personalities were invited to speak at public meetings in support of the cause. Guy Aldred
, the boy preacher was an active propagandist for the Band of Hope, before focussing his activities on Anarchist-Communist politics.
The movement steadily grew to nearly 3,000,000 members by 1935. By the early 1950s, however, the temperance movement had all but succumbed to a changing society and cultural habits. Lack of support for the Band of Hope eventually brought about their transformation into Hope UK.
Hope UK remains concerned with children's welfare, giving priority to the development of resources and training for parents and children's workers of many kinds. The charity also attempts to persuade churches and other Christian organisations to include drugs awareness work within their programmes and play their part in helping to reduce the UK's alcohol and other drugs problems. Hope UK is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS). and is affiliated to the International Federation of the Blue Cross
.
the harm related to alcohol
, tobacco
or illegal drug use.
Hope UK does this by encouraging individuals – especially children and young people – to choose to make healthy choices about using substances. This is called "Primary Prevention" because the aim is to stop drug use before it starts.
The majority of young people are not part of the illegal drug culture, although many more smoke and/or drink. Hope UK’s values lead to a strong emphasis on peer influence and role modelling. What each person does affects those around them. "Significant" adults like parents, children’s and youth leaders have an impact on children as they grow up by what they do and say.
There is debate about the effectiveness of prevention and there are no easy answers. The charity provides a positive education that celebrates life and promotes good health. Activities which help children and young people to improve their decision-making ability and knowledge are also part of the charity's prevention work.
Hope UK’s Drug Educators undergo a 120-hour OCN accredited course to prepare them for leading drug awareness sessions and training courses. This course is also available for those who want to provide drug education as part of their own work.
The charity provides a two-day OCN-accredited "Young People, Drugs and the Role of the Youth Worker" course for people that work with children and young people. It also provides "Drug Prevention for Family Workers", a two-day course for those working in family centres, with parents, or for Children’s or Community Development workers.
Sessions for Church Workers include the application of faith principles to drug issues; Church drug policies and practice; and suggested action by churches for and with their communities. Hope UK’s Church Leaders’ Pack is also available as a paper resource.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
located at 25(f) Copperfield Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which educates children and young people about drug
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
and alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
abuse.
Band of Hope
It began as the Band of Hope in 1847 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, to teach children the importance and principles of sobriety and teetotalism
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
. In 1855, a national organisation was formed amidst an explosion of Band of Hope work. Meetings were held in churches throughout the UK and included Christian teaching.
Set up in an era when hard liquor was generally viewed as a necessity of life, next only to food and water, the Band of Hope and other temperance organisations fought to counteract the influence of pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and brewer
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
s, with the specific intention of rescuing 'unfortunates' whose lives had been blighted by drink and teach complete abstinence.
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
saw this as a way of providing activities for children that encouraged them to avoid alcohol problems. Alcohol-free premises were established, rallies, marches and demonstrations were mounted to oppose the "evils" of hard liquor that were attended by thousands of supporters, and coffee taverns were established to keep teetotalers on the straight and narrow path.
"Signing the pledge" was one of the innovative features. The pledge was a promise not to drink alcohol and millions of people signed up. There were also lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s that were illustrated by magic lantern
Magic lantern
The magic lantern or Laterna Magica is an early type of image projector developed in the 17th century.-Operation:The magic lantern has a concave mirror in front of a light source that gathers light and projects it through a slide with an image scanned onto it. The light rays cross an aperture , and...
, the technological equivalent to present day computerised PowerPoint displays, and noted personalities were invited to speak at public meetings in support of the cause. Guy Aldred
Guy Aldred
Guy Alfred Aldred - often Guy A. Aldred - was a British anarchist communist and a prominent member of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation...
, the boy preacher was an active propagandist for the Band of Hope, before focussing his activities on Anarchist-Communist politics.
Hope UK
Hope UK remains concerned with children's welfare, giving priority to the development of resources and training for parents and children's workers of many kinds. The charity also attempts to persuade churches and other Christian organisations to include drugs awareness work within their programmes and play their part in helping to reduce the UK's alcohol and other drugs problems. Hope UK is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS). and is affiliated to the International Federation of the Blue Cross
International Federation of the Blue Cross
The International Federation of the Blue Cross is a politically and denominationally independent Christian organization consisting of about 40 member organizations engaged in the prevention, treatment and after care of problems related to alcohol and other drugs.It was founded in 1877 in Geneva by...
.
Prevention
Hope UK’s aim is to preventPreventive medicine
Preventive medicine or preventive care refers to measures taken to prevent diseases, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms...
the harm related to alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
or illegal drug use.
Hope UK does this by encouraging individuals – especially children and young people – to choose to make healthy choices about using substances. This is called "Primary Prevention" because the aim is to stop drug use before it starts.
The majority of young people are not part of the illegal drug culture, although many more smoke and/or drink. Hope UK’s values lead to a strong emphasis on peer influence and role modelling. What each person does affects those around them. "Significant" adults like parents, children’s and youth leaders have an impact on children as they grow up by what they do and say.
There is debate about the effectiveness of prevention and there are no easy answers. The charity provides a positive education that celebrates life and promotes good health. Activities which help children and young people to improve their decision-making ability and knowledge are also part of the charity's prevention work.
Training
The charity provides training courses across the UK, ranging from short workshops to two-day Open College Network (OCN) accredited courses.Hope UK’s Drug Educators undergo a 120-hour OCN accredited course to prepare them for leading drug awareness sessions and training courses. This course is also available for those who want to provide drug education as part of their own work.
The charity provides a two-day OCN-accredited "Young People, Drugs and the Role of the Youth Worker" course for people that work with children and young people. It also provides "Drug Prevention for Family Workers", a two-day course for those working in family centres, with parents, or for Children’s or Community Development workers.
Sessions for Church Workers include the application of faith principles to drug issues; Church drug policies and practice; and suggested action by churches for and with their communities. Hope UK’s Church Leaders’ Pack is also available as a paper resource.