XLP is a London based youth charity which arose in response to a stabbing in a school playground in 1996. The headmaster asked Patrick Reagan a local church based youth worker to come into the school and work with students and teachers to help out with difficult behavioural issues. This was the beginning of XLP a charity that has an emphasis on being faith based but not faith biased, working equally with young people of all faiths and none. All workers share a passion to serve the community by meeting the social educational and behavioural needs of young people and empowering them to make wise lifestyle choices and to realize their potential.
Over the years XLP has grown from working in a single school to operating in over 60 schools and communities across Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Islington, and Camden. Patrick began by hosting a lunchtime club on school premises that taught the young people more about their heroes and in particular about how those heroes behaved which stimulated discussion around a whole host of issues These included Drugs awareness, Anger management, Violence, Poverty, Fairtrade, Prejudice and Racism, Sex and Relationships and Image and Identity. XLP have also developed an Arts showcase programme that is focused on encouraging pupils particularly those who struggle academically to express themselves in their own unique way through Dance, Comedy, Drama, Rap and Singing. The arts programme focuses on showcase rather than competition encouraging pupils to raise self-esteem, the sense of their own potential and help them to set goals and achieve them.
The programmes run throughout the year with the assistance of teaching in arts and music. XLP also runs a mentoring project where somebody will work closely with a young person giving whatever help and guidance is needed. Many activities are organised including sport and summer camps which includes taking urban youngsters from London to live under canvas in Dorset. XLP staff and volunteers constantly confront many of the issues facing young people in their lives such as Bullying, Intimidation, Weapons, Boredom, Lack of organised activities, Parental absence and living in areas with high crime rates. Over the past decade. XLP has collected stories of the positive effect of the programme of young people whose lives have been transformed from going nowhere to having hope and focus. These stories keep the staff motivated and the vision alive.
XLP’s founder Patrick Raegan has travelled to over 30 countries working with and on behalf of some of the poorest communities. His passion is to see children and young people from the most deprived and challenging backgrounds succeed in life and realize their amazing potential. He has laid down clear aims for the organisation. 1- To transform attitudes and behaviours of young people toward their families peers and teachers. 2- Raise the sense of self-worth, improve educational achievement and help young people contribute to their communities. 3- Encourage goal setting and hard work to achieve them. The values of the organisation ensure a focus on the grass roots. The work is relational, team orientated and inclusive. Embraces Diversity, Multi-culture and is most relevant and radical for the poor and marginalized. The aim is to give people power and vision with a strong emphasis on the biblical principle of hope.
Hope for people who have been put down by everyone else. Hope for areas that are stigmatized in the media for all the wrong reasons. Hope for all young people XLP simply refuses to believe that this is a lost generation. As part of his work Patrick has engaged with politicians and gang members, victims and perpetrators, Police councils and housing associations and most importantly the young people themselves and their families. He is the author of three books and is on the advisory board of the Centre for Social Justice. Patrick is married with four children and lives in South East London in the community whom he serves.