You don’t need a large team to run a Prayer Spaces in Schools week. We usually describe Prayer Space team members as ‘guides’, because it seems to fit their role better. We would recommend a minimum team of four competent Prayer Space guides, with a team leader who has an ongoing relationship with the school (either a teacher, or a local youth worker or schools worker). You will also need capable and practical team members who know what they’re doing to set up and take down. The ideal number of guides will also be related to the size of your Prayer Space and whether there are any stations that need supervising to help pupils engage with them. Be aware that too many team members can tend to swamp the room and make pupils feel ‘crowded’.

One of the primary aims of the Prayer Space is to facilitate simple, creative experiences and to provide opportunities to reflect on these experiences, rather than to teach new ideas. There’s always a mixture of the two, of course, but the emphasis is on guiding participants through the process of experience and reflection.

So, Prayer Space guides need to hospitable and welcoming, encouraging and friendly, confident and caring. They need to be good listeners and good questioners, and good at making space for children and young people to explore and experience at their own pace. (Download the full role description for a Prayer Spaces in Schools guide here.)

In a mixed school, you will need at least one male and one female guide in the Prayer Space at all times. Having two of each means that you can cover when unexpected things take someone out of the room. Your team will need to be made up of people who are safe, competent and confident working amongst children, students and teachers. They will also all need to be CRB checked (see Resources/Policies section).

If you don’t already have a team of willing and able staff, volunteers and/or helpers, we would recommend the following;

• If you’re a teacher, you could contact a local church children’s or youth worker - maybe some of your students could point you towards a good one? - and ask if they’d like to help you host a Prayer Space in your school, or perhaps even take it on under your guidance. There may also be a local Christian schools work project, or a Scripture Union worker, that you could talk with. Of course, you can contact Mandy at mandy@prayerspacesinschools.com and she’ll do her best to connect you with local workers.

• If you’re a local schools worker or a children’s/youth worker, and you’re keen to develop Prayer Spaces in Schools in your area, the best place to begin is with the schools where you already have a good relationship, where you’re already serving in some way, or the schools that the members of your church groups attend. Talk with the relevant staff there first, and then perhaps recruit your team from within your own and other local churches. Collaboration across churches can work really well in these Prayer Spaces and can help reassure a school that this represents the church as a whole, not just one churches agenda. Do contact Mandy at mandy@prayerspacesinschools.com for Prayer Spaces team training ideas or opportunities.

• If you’re a student you could ask your R.E. teacher, or your Head of Year, or even the school Head Teacher for permission to organise a Prayer Space in your school. And then, given that it takes a lot of time and effort, and some particular skills and experience (not to mention the financial cost of materials, etc.), to host a Prayer Space in a school, we would recommend that you persuade a local schools worker or children’s/youth worker to help you organise it. That’s what they’re there for! If there’s anything we can do to help, you know who to contact by now...