Educación Plus clubs
Each week, we run nine Bible Clubs with an average weekly attendance of 300. In fact, there are actually around 500 youngsters on our books.

The age groups of the clubs are: under 9’s; 9 to 13’s; and the Youth Groups for 14’s and over. They meet in the three areas where we work: Los Guido, Pavas and San Felipe.

Junior schools in the shanty towns around San José are so overcrowded that they operate a three shift system, with students attending a different shift each day. Our children’s clubs are held on a day and at a time when the most children are not in school and so are free to attend. Our youth groups are held in the evenings, as some youngsters attend secondary school, where the hours are longer, while others work. It is also good to get the teenagers off the street in the evenings as the localities can be quite dangerous.

Activities
Educación Plus does not own buildings and the Clubs are usually held in local churches, (just larger tin shacks), which are lent to us by the pastors. They provide a focal point for our activities in each place and Mums often come, and even take part. The children enjoy Christian teaching, singing, games and dramas. We sometimes provide workshops on drug abuse or domestic violence, and other issues that are particularly relevant in the shanty towns. We also take the opportunity to give the children something to eat or drink, as many will otherwise go to school or return home with empty stomachs. As everybody knows the time and place we meet, the clubs are where both youngsters and adults come to talk about all sorts of problems. We often get called on to help resolve a family emergency at the end of a meeting.