The Prayer Spaces in Schools movement started in Great Britain when Christians took the model of a 24-7 Prayer Room and adapted it to work in a school setting. Over the years people have contributed ideas and resources to the website which has inspired and equipped many others.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Great Britain is part of 24-7 Prayer GB.
Co Leader
Co Leader
Tim previously worked as Director of a charity working with schools in Colchester that was a pioneer of prayer spaces in secondary schools and also delivered or supported chaplaincy in nearly all of the schools and colleges of the city. He was a founder member of the Prayer Spaces in Schools national team.
Co Leader
Co Leader
Naomi brings over ten years’ experience of working with children in churches, Christian festivals and in local schools. She is passionate about children growing up knowing who they are, knowing who God is and how they can have a real living relationship with him right now.
Prayer spaces have been hosted in schools across Ireland – in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. They’ve been set up in classrooms and in other places in schools, as part of transition year programmes and Alpha courses, by church volunteers, SU workers and chaplains.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Ireland is part of 24-7 Prayer Ireland.
Coordinator / Northern Ireland
Coordinator / Northern Ireland
Emma lives in Northern Ireland with her husband Matthew and her 2 boys Ellis and Zane. She has been involved in youth and aspects of children’s ministry for the last 8 years and has recently joined the Prayer Spaces In Schools team. As well as her heart for children and young people, she is passionate about creativity and prayer, and is excited to bring all these things together in her new role.
Team Leader / Ireland
Team Leader / Ireland
Emma Thompson is wife to Pete and mummy to Micah and Selah. Originally from England, she has spent the last 10 years doing a bunch of youth work related activity and now works with 24-7 Prayer Ireland co-ordinating Prayer Spaces in Schools.
The first prayer space in Germany was hosted by a 14 year-old pupil, with the support of her local youth worker. Since then, many more prayer spaces have been hosted by Christian staff and schools-workers. Prayerspaces in Schulen was established as a charity in 2021.
Prayerspaces in Schulen is part of 24-7 Prayer Germany.
Coordinator / Germany
Coordinator / Germany
Jana lives in Marburg with her husband Johnny and their two children. After her training as an educator and child and youth deacon, she set up Prayer Spaces in Germany in 2010. In addition, she leads a congregation with her husband in Marburg in the Richtsberg district and inspires people with her open and cheerful manner. She is innovative and is passionate about faith and lived spirituality being expressed in a healthy way in society and especially in schools.
Communication
Communication
Caro has been part of Prayerspaces Germany since August 2023. She lives in Heidelberg and works in the educational field. Her goal is to invest in the vision of Prayerspaces to provide students with a space for communication and encounter with God through creative ways.
The first prayer spaces in schools in Switzerland were hosted in the city of Gossau, by friends from the Moms in Prayer network. Staff and pupils from other schools have visited these first prayer spaces, and the idea is spreading to other places around Switzerland.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Switzerland is part of 24-7 Prayer Switzerland.
Coordinator/ Switzerland
Coordinator/ Switzerland
Marita lives with her husband, Thomas, in the eastern part of Switzerland. They have four grown children. She has worked with children and young people in various settings and holds a deep passion for prayer. Marita serves as the regional coordinator for Moms in Prayer in Eastern Switzerland. Since leading her first Prayer Space at a high school with a team in 2021, she has been captivated by this creative approach, which allows children and young people to reflect deeply on themselves, others, and God.
For more than 10 years, the Spiritual Development in Schools (SDS) team have trained and equipped educators to host prayer spaces in Catholic schools and state schools across Malta. As a result, there have already been prayer spaces in more than two-thirds of all schools (and in lots of other places too).
Prayer Spaces in Schools Malta is a partnership between 24-7 Prayer International and SDS.
Coordinator / Malta
Coordinator / Malta
Fr Reuben Gauci lives in Siggiewi and is a Catholic priest serving in Malta. Since 2005, his ministry was mainly within a parish focusing on youth faith formation. From 2010, he started serving young people within an organisation called YCA and as a school chaplain with several primary, secondary and post-secondary schools. Working with Fr Paul Chetcuti, he introduced Prayer Spaces in Schools after participating in a training course by the Prayer Spaces in schools UK team in London. From 2015, Fr Reuben promoted Prayer Spaces in Schools around the Maltese islands. Fr Reuben enjoys travelling, walks in the countryside, video games, photography and producing videos.
Pastoral Worker / Malta
Pastoral Worker / Malta
Silvana lives in Pembroke, Malta, with her husband and four daughters. She has been an educator for thirty years and spent half teaching in centres for young people with challenging behaviour. Since 2015, Silvana coordinates the Prayer Spaces Team in Malta voluntarily alongside Fr Reuben and Fr Paul. In 2019, Silvana started working full time at the Archdiocese of Malta as a Pastoral Worker with the Spiritual Development in Schools. Silvana loves nature, especially the sea, capturing simple awe moments and writing a reflection upon them and being with her family.
The Youth in Transformation (YIT) team near Cape Town hosted the first few prayer spaces in schools. As their stories have spread, prayer spaces are being hosted in other parts of South Africa too, and by other partner organisations, e.g. Scripture Union.
Prayer Spaces in Schools SA is part of 24-7 Prayer South Africa.
Coordinator / South Africa
Coordinator / South Africa
Jason Stanier is married and has four children and they live in Cape Town, South Africa. Jason has worked with young people for more than 20 years. He currently leads Youth In Transformation (YIT), which equips young people with the resources to succeed in school (and beyond!) through various projects, including prayer spaces. Jason has been involved with 24-7 Prayer South Africa for many years.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Austria began in Vienna in 2013. Each region gives the prayer spaces its own project name, for example ‘SoulSpace.at’ in Vienna and ‘Alive!’ in Salzburg. Most prayer spaces in schools are implemented in cooperation with the “Katholischen Jugend Österreichs“ or a diocesan ‘young church’ in schools and parishes.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Austria is part of 24-7 Prayer.
Coordinator / Austria
Coordinator / Austria
Franz is the coordinator of Prayer Spaces in Schools Austria and is based in Salzburg. He is a catholic theologian and works as a religious education teacher in a secondary school. Between 2012 and 2018 he worked for the diocese of Salzburg with a focus on children and youth ministry. He helped to found Prayer Spaces in Schools Austria in 2013.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Australia officially launched at the start of 2025, with a new website and a national coordinator. A few prayer spaces had already taken place in primary and secondary schools across the country, and there have been many more since the launch.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Australia is part of 24-7 Prayer Australia.
Coordinator / Australia
Coordinator / Australia
Sue lives in Melbourne with her husband Grant. Over the years, she’s taught in both primary and secondary schools, she’s been a school chaplain and she’s pastored children and young people in a local church. And now, Sue serves on the 24-7 Prayer Australia team as our national Prayer Spaces in Schools coordinator. Sue enjoys beach holidays with her grand-children, where she loves searching for shells and crabs and paddling in the sea.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Netherlands launched at the start of 2025 with a training day in Rotterdam and a new national coordinator. The first couple of prayer spaces happened a few weeks later, and the feedback was very positive.
Prayer Spaces in Schools Netherlands is part of 24-7 Prayer Netherlands.
Coordinator / Netherlands
Coordinator / Netherlands
Arjo lives in Haarlem, and he is married with four daughters. He has worked as a youth worker inside and outside the church for many years. In 2019, he started a House of Prayer in Haarlem, and Prayer Spaces in Schools as the national coordinator in 2024.
The Oración 24-7 Perú (24-7 Prayer Peru) team have set up prayer rooms in churches and festivals, and in other places, such as schools. Interest in prayer spaces in schools has grown quickly around Peru, and in other South American countries.
Prayer spaces in schools in Peru is currently known as Oración 24-7 Perú.
Coordinator / Peru
Coordinator / Peru
Aurelia Delgado Ruiz lives in Cusco with her family and her dog. She is a psychologist with experience working with adolescents and families, supporting churches and organizations that want to strengthen the well-being of young people. Aurelia joined the 24-7 Prayer Peru team as the Prayer Spaces in Schools national coordinator in 2024.
Prayer spaces have been piloted in a couple of schools in France, and the interest is growing as people in different places have heard stories about the impact that these have had on children and young people.
Prayer Spaces in Schools France is part of 24-7 Prayer France.
Coordinator / France
Coordinator / France
Christine and Frederic and their two children live in Marseille, in the south of France. She first connected with the 24-7 Prayer movement in Kansas City, USA, more than 20 years ago, and she hosted her first prayer space in 2019. It was a huge success – pupils queued to get in, and ever since Christine has been encouraging others to get started with their own prayer spaces in schools. Christine has worked with children and teenagers in church and daycare centres for several years, and she currently works in a Catholic primary school, supporting pupils with disabilities.
After the success of their first prayer space in 2023, the Hope4Kids team hosted another 25 prayer spaces the following year. In the Czech Republic prayer spaces are known as Oáza, which means ‘oasis’.
Prayer Spaces in Schools in the Czech Republic is a partnership between Hope4Kids and 24-7 Prayer Czech (modlitby24-7).
