Project:Summer increases the scale of Focus Weeks by working in several schools simultaneously, teaching on a central theme.

The focus of our 2008 mission was “HOPE”, and in the lesson we explored what hope meant for young people today and also what Christians put their hope in.

In 2009 we doubled the scale of Project:Summer and focussed on the theme of “TRUST”. During the last two weeks of the summer term (6th-16th July), we took a team of 8 YoYo workers, six youth workers and 17 volunteers into six different schools: Archbishop Holgate’s, Fulford, Huntington, Millthorpe, Canon Lee and Joseph Rowntree.

We also partnered with St Michael le Belfrey’s Summer Soul team in Huntington School, who ran lunchtime workshops and helped out in some of our classes.

Over these two weeks we taught 116 classes - a total of approximately 3000 pupils! In this time we worked with 21 teachers and several teaching assistants as we delivered the message of our “TRUST” lesson.

Following the success of the 2009 Project, in the summer term of 2010 (12th-23rd July) our 29 strong Project:Summer team (YoYo workers, youth workers and volunteers) went to 6 schools again: Canon Lee, All Saints, Manor, Archbishop Holgate's, Joseph Rowntree and Millthorpe. This year's theme was "IDENTITY" and the lesson discussed issues such as acceptance, value, what makes us who we are, and the identity Christians find through Jesus.

Project:Summer doesn’t just involve teaching classes; we also run a number of lunchtime activities. In addition to our usual Rock Solid lunchtime club, pupils come along to art, drama and dance workshops, fairground-style stalls, prayer rooms and Grill-a Christian sessions.

This programme is a great opportunity to serve the schools, spend time encouraging pupils and having fun with them outside of class time.