Erith Deanery Youth Trust Association (EDYTa)
The Erith Deanery Youth Trust Association (EDYTA) [formerly the Erith Deanery Youth Trust] was established to promote the ministry to children and young people throughout the deanery and in particular through the funding and management of a Children’s and Youth Work Support Worker.
Our Most Recent Youth Trust Event
A youth music event featuring Vonte Grace and Feed’Em
Our next EDYTA Event/Meeting
No upcoming events
Check this page for more details of upcoming events and training.
A Short History of the Erith Deanery Youth Trust
The 13 Anglican churches comprising Erith Deanery received a grant in AD2000 to engage Christian Research in a Strategic Review of the Deanery. When the recommendations were considered it was agreed that supporting our ministry to children and young people should be the top priority. This led the Deanery Synod to set up a trust to ‘employ a Youth and Children’s Support Worker. Grants were sought from our parishes, and the trust became a registered charity in January 2005.
As raising sufficient funds was proving difficult, the trustees decided to engage a consultant for 3 months and Lisa Connor began work in September 2006. She visited each church, interviewed many young people, led a loud and lively Christian gig for young people in Bexleyheath Academy, and wrote a full report recommending the appointment of a Deanery Youth and Children’s Development Worker. This report went with an application for funding to the Diocese who used money from the Archbishop’s Fund for Mission to make a grant of £25,000/annum for 3 years. Along with other grants this enabled the trust to advertise a full-time post for 3 years.
Interviewing in January 2009 led to the Trust appointing Mrs. Alice Pettit to begin work in September. After visiting all 13 congregations Alice developed quarterly training events on Saturday mornings in different places around the Deanery. These were much appreciated for their content and for the friendships that were made across parish boundaries. At the same time Alice who was already a theology graduate was training for ordination. This led to a stipendiary curacy in Canterbury Diocese from July 2011. Her finale with us was a splendid Children’s Festival at St Augustine’s School in Belvedere.
Left with enough funds to employ someone full-time for only a year, the Synod agreed to employ a new person part-time. Following interviews in June 2011 Jono Erodotou was appointed. Jono left us towards the end of 2012. During 2013 the work continued without a support worker, with volunteers organising a Children’s Festival in May 2013 and meals were arranged bringing together small groups of people working with children and young people at our churches. This led to a more closely defined role being put together, and from January 2014 to November 2022 Laura Webster was our part time Support Worker. In April 2023 the Trustees appointed Lydia Fuller as the new support worker.
In 2020 the trustees following a review of the trust’s constitution took the decision to “convert” the trust to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) using the ‘Association’ model. This actually meant creating a new charity and passing all assets and responsibilities from the old to the new charity and then dissolving the old charity. There were two main reasons for this, which were 1) The constitution of the new CIO is based upon and follows closely one of the Charities Commission’s newer preferred/model constitutions, and 2) the ‘Association’ model allows a level of membership that the previous constitution did not permit. This process was completed in 2021.
All members of the Erith Deanery Synod that wish to further EDYT’s purposes may become members of the association, and so become more involved in the workings of the charity. Also there is the possibility of associate membership for members of the deanery parishes who wish to be more closely involved with the charity’s work.
