Banishing boredom

Efforts are being made to tempt more young people off Southwell’s streets and into the town’s youth club during the week.

It is hoped that providing regular activities for young people at the Core Youth Centre on King Street will keep them off the streets and reduce anti-social behaviour.

The youth centre manager, Ann Robinson, said although young people sometimes went into the centre under the influence of alcohol, anti-social behaviour was not a problem but they were concerned about young people drinking around the town.

She said: “If we can provide alternatives that young people can get involved in then that will deter them from drinking on the streets.

“But there is no easy solution. This is something which is happening across Britain.

“We want to protect young people but we also want to provide some alternatives for them.”

Around 15 people use the Core Youth Centre on King Street on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, compared with 40 on Fridays.

The figures were revealed at a Southwell Town Council meeting by Mr Robin Packer, Nottinghamshire County Council’s officer responsible for youth services in Newark and Sherwood.

He said: “I think all of us would agree that we could do with some more activities in the building.

“We are not happy when we have quiet nights because we want young people to use the building.”

A questionnaire asking what activities are wanted was completed by 106 young people at various venues in the town.

Ann Robinson said the results were being collated but an interest had been expressed in urban music and graffiti artists.

She said: “We will look through the results and see what the majority opinion is. We want to offer activities young people actually want to see.”

Ann Robinson said staff had contacted young people directly for their opinions and had continued their outreach work of going out to meet youths around the town.

She said the centre planned to work more closely with the Minster School and start lunchtime and after school clubs, and they were also looking to work with the Young Farmers’ Club and church youth groups.

The youth service also has a bus taking youth workers to communities around Southwell but volunteers are needed to drive it.

Ann Robinson said: “If we have a quiet night then we put a sign on the door and go out on to the streets to try and make contact with young people and get them involved.”

Other suggestions included setting up a young persons’ forum to increase support for the young people, regular meetings between councillors and young people and launching a coffee bar at the centre.

The centre has also invested in some new DJ equipment and Ann Robinson said she was looking to get some funding to allow instructors to come and teach the children how to use it correctly.

She is also planning to start a Rock School where children can play their musical instrument with the intention of forming a band.