Congratulations to TEAM JVC for

GREAT Manchester Run!

Six members of JVC ran on Sunday May 15th to raise funds for JVC. Their fastest time was 41m 51s (well done, Mako!) and they all crossed the finish in very respectable times.

We are very grateful to the runners, and to everyone who sponsored them.

The fundraising page for this event is now closed, but you can still support JVC by clicking on the “Donate Online” buttons.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Jesuit Provincial visits JVC

Fr Michael Holman SJ, the Provincial of the British Jesuits, visited JVC’s Manchester office recently, to chat to the staff team and volunteers.

Hannah Lucas, from the Manchester community, told Fr Michael what it’s like being a JVC volunteer, and staff presented a slide-show of some of JVC’s memorable moments, featuring volunteers past and present .

JVC volunteers raise money for asylum-seekers project

Hannah and Marianne from our Manchester community work with asylum seekers, and together with Siobhan and Maria in our Birmingham community, they took on the challenge of living on the meagre food-parcels given to people who are refused asylum.

Hannah and Marianne encouraged people to sponsor them, and raised over £600 to provide more food parcels for destitute people.

Read HANNAH’S BLOG .

JVC & livesimply demonstrate solidarity at March 26 March

Along with our friends in the livesimply movement, JVC staff and volunteers marched for an alternative to the cuts that we see falling most heavily on those who are already struggling.

After an inspiring service commemorating Oscar Romero at St Martin in the Fields, we joined Pax Christi, the Salesians, SCM, Young Christian Workers and the National Justice and Peace Network on the walk to Hyde Park.

JVC Year Programme ends at the seaside

Our final event of the JVC year was held as usual by the sea, at Blundellsands, near Liverpool.

It was sad to see everyone go, but we all had a great year, and made life-long friends.

Good luck, love, and every blessing to JVC 2010-11!

JVC welcomes Summer Programme Volunteers

Volunteers from 7 different countries gathered in the leafy part of Salford - yes, there is one - to begin their month with JVC.

We wish them every success, and lots of fun, as they build their communities and work with marginalised people in Liverpool. Manchester and Birmingham.

Farewell to the old JVC Towers

JVC volunteers, our Facebook friends and Twitter followers will be familiar with the name “JVC Towers”, but many have never seen it.

It’s a bit late now, as we left and moved to an office close by on 29th July, but here are some pictures anyway!

”Visions of the Unseen City” Exhibition launches in Manchester

JVC was very fortunate in getting funding from the European Union Youth in Action Programme, Youth Initiatives, to enable us to send volunteers out in their cities with cameras, to capture the parts of Manchester and Birmingham that most people don’t see. There images range from the surprisingly beautiful to the shockingly derelict, and interviews with local people show the strength and spirit of their neighbours in each city. The exhibition launched at Inspire, Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, in August.

See the project website at: www.visionsoftheunseencity.org.uk

November residential - by the sea

It may look as if we’re just having fun by the sea (or in the sea, for the hardy few!) but we all worked really hard on our Community and Simple Lifestyle residential at Barmouth in Wales.

Meet our 2011-12 volunteers!

This year’s volunteers joined us on 10th September.

They come from Sweden, France, Lithuania, Germany, Romania and the UK.

Aren’t they lovely-bubbly?

Summer goes too fast!

We really miss our summer 2011 volunteers - how about coming back for the year?

Link Weekend - 2010-11 Year

JVC’s Link Weekends are the final event of each Year programme, when the previous year’s volunteers return to catch up, reflect on the year they shared and how it’s affected their lives 9 months on, enjoy being together again, and explore how they are living the values in life beyond JVC.

Former volunteers from the 2010-11 Year Programme travelled from Germany, France, Romania and various parts of the UK, to meet up at Katherine House FCJ in Salford for the weekend of Palm Sunday. Those who couldn’t make it were very much in our thoughts and prayers.