The intrepid Jo Herbert sat at a computer and chatted to Ant on his mobile on MSN while he froze in the snow at a bus stop in the depths of Manchester. This is the full interview. To find out more about the Eden project click here.
Jo: What's your name?
Ant: Anthony martindale
Jo: How old are you?
Ant: 18
Jo: What do you spend most of your time doing?
Ant: Im in college and im a part time dj and a part time builder
Jo: Wow, you stay busy then!
Jo: what are you studying in college?
Ant: Joinery and carpentry
Jo: Cool, what made you do that?
Ant: Iv bin a builder for bout 3 years so i just fort id get sum qualifications.
Jo: So how long have you been studying or how long do you have left?
Ant: I started studying in september and i have 1 year left
Jo: How much DJ'ing do you do? and where?
Ant: I have just got a weekly job so i work evry fri and sat nite
Jo: nice one! So how did you become a christian?
Ant: I used to have a allotment and Ian Hendeson [Eden staff worker] had just got 1 and i offered my help and i got talkin to him bout god and church so i came along and i became a christian
Jo: wow, all over having an allotment! that's great!
Jo: so was that quite quick or did it take you a while?
Ant: It was quick but i had bin finking bout god for a while
Jo: cool, so how long ago was that? how old were you?
Ant: It was bout 2 years ago i fink lol I just left school so i was prob 16
Jo: so how does being a Christian affect your life now?
Ant: It has affected my life a lot i love being a christian its dun so much for me
Jo: awesome! what are the main ways it's affected you? there might be loads of ways, but you could list lots of them if you like...
Ant: Iv become more caring for other people. I dont fite any more. Iv matured a lot. And its give me a future to luck forward 2
Jo: awesome, that's great!
Jo: What do you think it means to be a Christian living in Harpurhey? so like, do you think there are things God wants you to do because of your faith in the area you live?
Ant: I fink that god has put me in harpurhey for a reason and that reason was to work with youth and the community. Iv just started to apply for eden
Jo: wow that’s amazing!
Jo: so would you say that being a Christian there means you should get to know your neighbours or get involved in their lives? what other kind of stuff on a day-by-day basis?
Ant: Yup thats what its all about iv already started gettin involved with the neighbours
Jo: great. how have you started doing that?
Ant: Im leading a project with Sid called project joshua. What we do is take care of the community eg building homes and building home groups in harpurhey
Jo: oh cool, I remeber Sid - he's cool!
Jo: so do you think the choices you make in your life every day have an affect on other people? either people living in harphurhey or around the world?
Ant: Yup they do because if i make a wrong decision then it may affect other people what ever i do. I feel like being a christian means i have to be a gd role model and make the write decisions
Jo: can you give me an example of how a wrong choice might affect some around you?
Ant: Havin a bad attitude to fings and dealing with fings the wrong way like fiting because people look up at u and copy u because they fink its cool wen it aint
Jo: yeh, that's a good point. What do you think is the biggest issue facing the world today?
Ant: Crime, and alcohol abuse
Jo: do you think they are the biggest issues in your local area as well?
Ant: Yup
Jo: what are your hopes and dreams for the future?
Ant: To be on eden and to help change the lives of young people
Jo: cool! and do you want to stay in Harpurhey?
Ant: Yup
Jo: what do you want to see happen in Harpurhey in the future?
Ant: Les crime and violence and to stamp out drugs
Jo: and what about want you want to see for your peers in the future? how do you want them to change?
Ant: just that they get a proper life and stop turning to drugs as an answer – instead turn to god
Jo: so when Jesus says 'go make disciples of all nations...' in Matthew 28:19 what does that mean for you in harpurhey? what does that verse make you wanna do?
Ant: Talk more to people bout got and do more to show them that god is there
Jo: What would you say to anyone wanting to get more involved in their communities?
Ant: if i can do it u can!
Jo: is there anything else you would want to say about yourself or about what God's done for you or what he's put on your heart?
Ant: No. It was a pleasure. Im in the snow waiting for the bus lol
Jo: snow!!!!! wow, London is so boring, it hardly ever snows here!
Ant: Lol yup heavily!
Jo: Well thanks for chatting Ant! Hope you don't get too cold!