Description of organisation

SPEC is a residential retreat centre for youth and children's ministry, serving the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster (north London and Hertfordshire). SPEC’s role is to provide residential and day retreat programmes for children and young people in school years 5-13, i.e. 9-18 years of age.
The centre provides space for up to 64 young people (32 up to the 2016-17 academic year) to get away from daily pressures and provides the opportunity for reflection, large and small creative group work, well-structured recreational and social time and many indoor and outdoor activities. The centre welcomes many schools from the diocese either for day retreats or a 3-day residential retreat. Retreats are led by experienced resident staff supported by volunteer missionaries, aged between 18 and 25. All the volunteer missionaries undergo a process of induction, training and formation to provide them with the skills and the foundations required for this ministry. Volunteers and staff alike make a commitment to live in community with the other volunteers/ staff for a year and to share their journey of discovery with each other. This provides an exciting but challenging environment for personal development that adds value to the programme offered to volunteers.