Rachel Gardner

Rachel is co-founder and Creative Director of the Romance Academy, a relationships-positive project that builds young people’s self esteem enhanced by sexual delay. The very first Romance Academy was the subject of the BBC2 documentary ‘No sex please we’re teenagers.’ She trains Youth Workers and Peer Educators across the UK and Sweden to run Relationships Programmes in schools, churches and community centres. Rachel also runs Romance Academy projects in her local area and teaches PSHE in secondary schools in North London. She has a passion to see the church and wider society build wisdom, self-esteem and compassion for others into young people’s lives.

Rachel came to faith as a young person and after school, studied at London School of Theology. She married Jason  in 2001 and has lived and worked in Harrow, North London ever since.

She loves Music Festivals (as long as the loos are working!), flowery dresses from TopShop and chips with curry sauce

 

Dr Paul Miller

I read Medicine at the Queen's University of Belfast, qualifying in 1994. Subsequently I obtained a Diploma in Mental Health (QUB) and was elected to Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1999. My involvement with the Genetic Epidemiology of Mental Illness in Northern Ireland  (GEMINI) Research Project led to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 2006. I work in both General Adult Psychiatry and Old Age Psychiatry in the Private Sector (with a special interest in trauma work), having previously held Consultant posts in the NHS.

I have a special interest in the psychological impact of trauma and am an expert in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing. I am an EMDR Europe Approved Consultant and EMDR Institute Facilitator (USA).

I  am involved in university level education as an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the Queen’s University of Belfast and also teach on the specialist trauma module at the University of Ulster - Magee Campus.

In 2005-6 I developed and led a suicide prevention project for, a Northern Ireland charity. The project worked with young men in the 16 to 25-year-old age group delivering training and awareness in the area of positive mental health in workshop and residential settings.

I set up ABEO in 2007 as an organisation that works with men looking at areas such as sexuality, fathering and men's mental health.

 

Jonathan Berry

Jonathan Berry was involved in a long-term gay relationship from the age of 17 to 24, before being converted to faith in Christ. He later went on to study at Bible College and then served in a church in East London for 10 years, firstly as Assistant Minister and Youth Worker and subsequently as the Pastor. Jonathan is now the director of a UK-wide ministry called True Freedom Trust, which seeks to support people saved out of a gay lifestyle, and those already in the church who struggle with same-sex attractions and related issues. Jonathan describes himself as a 'contented single' and is a keen supporter of Arsenal Football Club.

 



Lindsey Holley

Lindsey Holley is the Public Policy Officer for Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland presenting a Christian voice to government and society on a wide range of issues. Lindsey has been married to Dawie for 7 years and they have two wee boys - JJ (b. 2006) & Seb (b. 2008). She moved over from England in 2005 after Dawie returned home to NI for work. She originally trained as a teacher, but prior to her move over the water she worked in London for the Churches Criminal Justice Forum as their Policy Officer and before that was an intern with Tearfund.

 

 

 

 

Nial McNally

Niall is a Husband and Father of 4 children, and is the director of Cast Ministries, which is a Youth Ministry that he and his wife founded 13 year ago. The ministry teaches on issues of personal, social & faith development. Niall's insights and life experience bring a real fresh and practical approach to the topic of Porn. Niall has consistently received the highest evaluations from both Students & Teachers a like for his input for the last 6 years on his Think Twice session on relationships - at the Life NI Schools Conferences, which tours 10 venues in 10 days to 4,000 students

 

 

 

Jasper Rutherford

I have been the youth worker at Willowfield Parish Church for over 6 years and have been married to my beautiful wife Lynne for nearly the same time - we have two gorgeous children. Elijah who will be 3 in January and Shannon who was born in June 2009. They are both amazing and Lynne and I feel so blessed to be their parents. We are still finding our feet with it all, but love every stage of it so far!  I love all sports, (seriously, if it's a competition I will watch it or try and play in it), but football is by far the greatest game on the planet. Favorite quote - "We can do no great thing. Only small things with great love." (Mother Teresa)

 

 

Dr Dickie Barr

 

Dickie is a GP and Medical Director of Love for Life, a relationships and sexuality education project that delivers programmes annually to over 20,000 young people. In the past he has been involved in Pastoral Care work and most specifically “crisis pregnancy support”. He is married to Janice and they have 6 children aged from 14 to 23. One of his daughters is waiting for a lung transplant and is fundraising to build a school in Uganda. See http://charlenesproject-theschool.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Olwyn Marks

Olwyn Mark is CEO of Love for Life, a Relationships and Sexuality Education project with the vision to influence change within society so that young people have a healthy respect for themselves, relationships and sex. Following a degree in European Business and further studies in Politics, Olwyn worked in Brussels for a few years before returning to Northern Ireland  to work for CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) as a public policy officer. She has been with Love for Life for 4 years, with a desire to encourage young people to reach their God-given potential and build healthy and lasting relationships. She loves spending quality time with people and is interested in all things political (!)