Our Community Programmes Across London

That a church would involve itself in charitable works and community betterment is both natural and traditional. For if it can be said that all great religions sprang from what is decent and humanitarian in man, then it follows that charity and social responsibility are logical extensions of spiritual values. Thus it is no surprise that the Church of Scientology of London has become a vital force for community improvement.

To address what is arguably the most destructive influence in our society, the Church of Scientology of London has actively campaigned against drug abuse under the banner of “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life.” Working with like-minded groups and individuals to effectively deal with the problem, the Church has distributed hundreds of thousands of booklets in the local community and, as a result, countless young people have decided not to take drugs.

For each drug, the booklets describe the true nature of the drug and its history and the short and long-term side effects — both mental and physical. The net result: innumerable drug users who read one or more of the booklets and assert they will never touch drugs again. Moreover, there are the millions who never go near drugs in the first place because they know the truth about drugs.

For that reason, the programme is also about massive distribution, and particularly across Europe and the UK, where drugs hit hard in the late 1960s. For example, here in Great Britain, well over 800,000 booklets have been handed out in the streets, and not only as a deterrent to kids, but to parents, teachers, shopkeepers — and more. By way of example of results, in the wake of broad handouts in Brighton, the city is now reporting a drop in drug-related crime.

While the impact across England is impressive, a look at the international picture shows that the Scientology anti-drug campaign has included distribution of some 8 million educational booklets and more than 50 million drug education fliers, not to mention the presentation of nearly 90,000 public awareness events and lectures in schools.

Then there is the Criminon criminal rehabilitation programme, which has 84 groups operating in 30 countries in 1,900 prisons internationally, including 67 prisons in the UK. While the programme is secular, it is based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard and is supported by many Scientologists, for good reason: recidivism amongst inmates undertaking Criminon courses commonly drops from an average of 70% or more, to less than 5%.

There are other major social programmes conducted by this church which are detailed further in the pages that follow. They encompass drug rehabilitation, literacy, morality and human rights, amongst other areas, and all of them serve Greater London. Full information on all of these programmes is available in our new Church of Scientology of London, which has a public information centre with high-definition visual and audio aids to answer all common questions concerning the Scientology religion and the various programmes outlined above.

Although the Church has received awards and commendations for its work within the community, these are incidental to both the intention and the deed. Scientologists help because help is part of the fabric of the religion, and L. Ron Hubbard has always stressed the importance of taking responsibility for one’s fellows.

You can contact us here for more information on any of these areas.