Emily Graves spoke with CARE about the new Current website and their leadership programme.

James: Absolutely we need to be talking to one another, helping one another, building one another up and we need to be challenging each other. The whole basis of this is that as we read and think, we get inspired and enthused by a particular topic. You don't have to have that desire to stand up and to campaign on every single topic that CARE advocates on, but rather we're hoping that you'll find a particular topic, a particular niche within our areas that we're interested in, that you'll get particularly enthused by and creativity will flow. We would encourage anybody who has any questions about how they can take on some of their ideas to get in contact with us and we have a function on the website that allows you to do that and we will do everything we can to help you.

Emily: How do these conversations fit into the multicultural society that we live in today?

James: I think that it's important to have this dialogue, because we want to be discussing some of the challenges that a multicultural society raises. You're absolutely right, the fact is we've moved on in a whole variety of ways and one of the great things about the United Kingdom is that we're a country who have welcomed so many different people, from so many different backgrounds and we want to respect that. However we also want to communicate Christian truths and compassion to the environment we now find ourselves in. We need to be talking to one another and discussing the particular challenges that come from a multicultural society and we need to be talking about how Christian truths can be applied to that society.

Emily: CARE also runs a leadership programme. Tell us a little bit more about this.

James: CARE's leadership programme is a jewel in the crown of the work that CARE does. The leadership programme is an opportunity for graduates to apply, then to come together and they will be placed into the offices of various parliamentarians. They might be placed in the offices of NGOs and have opportunities to go on placement in the media as well. Then on a Friday, they'll come together and they'll do an intense period of study with a look at how faith should impact in the public square.

It was really exciting to look back over the, I think it's just over 250 different people who have gone through the leadership programme over the last 15 or so years. It's so encouraging to see the number of them who have gone on and have made a real impact in public life, but who constantly refer back to the experiences and the enjoyment that they had from CARE's leadership programme. We're hoping that Current will compliment and add to our drive to reach out to a rising generation.

CARE have always viewed it as a really important part of what we are doing that we should be seeking to equip the rising generation. There's a whole biblical principle here; that we want the next generation to praise God as we have praised Him and one of the ways in which we can do that is by reaching out to them proactively and CARE's leadership programme and Current are two ways in which we're doing that.

Emily: And what outcomes has the leadership programme seen so far?

James: We've seen graduates in the leadership programme go on to take up divisions in government; we've seen graduates in the leadership programme go on to work for other Christian organisations as policy officers and media officers and we've seen graduates in the leadership programme go on and work at high levels in the media as well. All of them have stressed in various meetings that have happened subsequently, in various alumni gatherings, how important and helpful the leadership programme has been. Often just helping Christians to think about how our faith is and always should have a public dimension to it; that it's not simply a private matter and it should impact the society around us; that we do want to be those who are going out with our faith to make a difference wherever we possibly can. It's so exciting to think that some of these Christian leaders and influential public figures who have gone through CAREs leadership programme were equipped and helped and inspired by these experiences they had on that programme.

Emily: So if anybody wants to find out more about Current, or the leadership programme, how can they do so?

James: If you want to find out more then we would encourage you to visit the Current website, wearecurrent.co.uk. We'd also advise you to go to our brand new CARE website, which was recently re-designed and launched. We'd also advise you to contact us! You'll find functions on both websites that makes it very easy for you to get in contact with us. Come to us and we'll do everything we can to help you.