We are committed to working with churches and youth groups. There is no point in creating a one week ?retreat' for teens without giving them a positive community to be part of throughout the year. We are especially concerned with the smaller, under-resourced churches and youth groups that will really benefit from the training, resourcing and connecting that happens at TeenStreet.

This is possibly one of the main differences between TeenStreet and other youth events in that the aim of TeenStreet is not just for teens but also for their leaders, equipping them to serve their teens well after the event has finished.

At TeenStreet we are not interested in talking at the teens, telling them what to believe. Rather we attempt to talk with them, helping them to make decisions based on convictions they have truly reached themselves. We have learned that this generation needs to ?experience' something to regard it as truth. Standing at the front and telling people what they should believe is really not effective. The programme is still an important part of TeenStreet, but the people up front connect with the Teens by explaining the message through stories and interaction.

Of course the experience does not end during the evening programme. It continues in various small group contexts throughout each day. We would almost be wasting our time motivating if we are not also equipping! To reflect Jesus the teens don't need to be equipped with a Theological degree... but they do need practical and real ways to go back into their world ready. Through programmes and workshops we help them to understand and use the gifts they have been given.

We often get asked whether Non-Christian or Nominal Christian teens can come along. We are really focused on building up Christians. Trying to please everybody can water-down TeenStreet's effectiveness. Having said that, if there is someone that is not quite sure about Christianity and you believe that TeenStreet would benefit them, we are willing to handle each person individually, talking with their leaders, and seeking to find the most appropriate group for them to join.

Many young people leave the church when they leave school. We believe that one of the key reasons for this is that they do not have a faith of their own. In fact many young people have been carrying someone else's relationship with Jesus. They have been told that ?this' is how to live and ?that' is what Christ means to you. We seek to create an environment and communicate with the teens in such a way to help them develop their own faith, and their own friendship with Jesus.

We desire to see teens reflecting Jesus in their world. This process begins at TeenStreet with the TeenStreet Outreach and the RAG Project.

The TeenStreet Outreach is a major highlight of our week together and helps us to share the love of God in the city. Each NET group will have the opportunity to choose from six creative ideas - things that can easily be done back at home with a youth group or church friends.

The RAG (Raise And Give) Project: Instead of running a sponsored race on one day (TNT) as we've done in the past, the Help! project allows teens to choose from different activities every day so that they can raise money to help needy people. RAG aims to raise funds for this year's special project using a range of fun activities, and to give teens creative ideas about how they can continue with Help! back at home