A practical need for more Christians to meet and befriend young offenders has emerged as Anglicare appeals for prayer and support of its chaplains.
Three times a week, Anglicare chaplain Lynn Pickersgill makes her way to the Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre in the Sydney suburb of Lidcombe. There, she enters another world " one populated by 40 or so young women detained at anyone time.
Most of the time the girls know little about the Jesus of the bible and carry a distorted understanding of what Christians and the church represent.
"Some struggle with God and what prayer really is," says Lynn. "For instance, one girl said - I prayed to get out and I'm still here. God doesn't answer my prayers."
As Anglicare makes an appeal for prayer and the financial support of its chaplains, a practical need for more Christians to meet and befriend young offenders has emerged.
According to Lynn, many of the young female offenders arrive in detention with no positive Christian connections in their lives, either to demonstrate God's love or a different way of living.
"The reality is, some of the girls here end up in prison as adults: they just don't have the coping mechanisms to live well in the world outside. This is why I would love to see more female volunteers running life skills programs and to have visits by Christian youth groups. It's great having another example of how to live from your own peer group."
Lynn understands the barriers some Christians feel when it comes to entering a world such as Juniperina.
"These girls carry a lot of emotional burdens," Lynn says.
"With low self esteem and no positive role models to follow, most have messed around on the streets, blocked out their pain with alcohol and drugs and dropped out of school. Dominant girls do what they want to do, yet while they may be in their teens, angry and acting out, emotionally they are still that scared, four or five-year-old who was abused."
She admits working with teenagers can be more difficult than working with adults. "They observe you" they judge you as an adult or another "church person'. It's a difficult life stage and teenagers are often in a different emotional state. It takes a while to build trust, but they will approach you once they see that you will accept them," says Lynn.
Lynn says her main goal is to accept where they are at; build bridges and to plant seeds of truth that God can use later in their lives.
She tries to encourage the girls to learn from their situation and become mature women in society.
"Those who have had some Christian connection in their lives, either through grandparents or friends, are more willing to come to church. I run chapel services where we focus on the bible, especially the life of Jesus, explaining what happened between Christmas and Easter.”
"One of the challenges is the difficulty these girls have in accepting that God loves them and I get excited when the Gospel is explained " to see it resonate in their hearts."
However, a new-found faith and identity can only be the start which is why Lynn would like to see more Christians volunteering their time at Juniperina.
"These girls love being visited by Christian youth groups."
Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre was opened in 2005 " the only centre in Australia exclusively accommodating young women who are either on remand (waiting for their hearing or sentencing); or serving a sentence, known as a control order.
The centre provides individual case management, specialised counselling services, training in job, living and parenting skills, as well as the option of spiritual support. It also offers Department of Education programs including OTen, Tafe and HSC courses.
Lynn Pickersgill is a member of St Philips Caringbah and has served as the Anglicare Chaplain at Juniperina for three years. She has a total of ten years' experience in NSW prisons, as a chaplain and as a volunteer with Kairos.
