Street Pastors

Street Pastors are trained volunteers from local churches who provide support for young people, generally in town and city centres on Friday and Saturday nights. They patrol in teams of men and women, usually from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on a Friday and Saturday night, providing practical support and a listening ear to young people when they are frequently at their most vulnerable because of alcohol, drugs and their social environment.

Street Pastors are there to listen care and help non-judgementally. They are unpaid volunteers because as Christians they believe that everyone is valuable. There are 650 Street pastors in 22 areas across Scotland. They operate with the knowledge of the police but are not accountable to them, and do not report things, unless it would put the person or someone else at risk of serious harm.

As part of its Health and Well-Being and Community Links programmes, there our considerable advantages in a school reaching out to its local Street Pastors team. Street pastors are available to speak at school assemblies – and, on occasion Social Education classes. Attached is a guideline for its speakers, produced by Street Pastors.

There are now an increasing number of schools who accessed the parallel School Pastors Programme.

Street Pastors: Assembly Outline