Are teen-age programmes of right type?

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 23

Are teen-age programmes of right type?

Recreational programmes in Christchurch for young people provide what adults consider is good for teen-agers rather than what they themselves want, a Young Women’s Christian Association research project has found. The Y.W.C.A.’s programme director, Ms R. L. Cooke, said the research project, which was started about four months ago, aimed to investigate the recreation activities available for youngsters aged 13 to 18.

The first part of the project, which surveys activities now available for young people, has been finished.

The second part, looking at what young Christchurch people themselves want, will be finished in about two months. The third part will be the development of recreational programmes based on the information researched.

“One of the things we found was that an awful lot of things are happening because they are thought to be good for teen-agers. But we are very keen to give teenagers a chance to express themselves,” said Ms Cooke. "We want to meet the needs of this group, not our conception of their needs.”

As about 16,000 young people were in Christchurch, the Y.W.C.A. thought it was time to

keep up with what they wanted.

Ms Cooke said it was hoped that the Y.W.C.A. could provide better programmes for those aged 13 to 18 within the existing structure. It could also seek the appointment of a youth worker if this proved necessary. A 54-page report, compiled by workers under the temporary employment programme, is the result of the first part of the project. Among ’ conclusions in the report is that some recreational activities do not have relevance for young people. Expectations of people running the programmes were sometimes too high. The report suggested that the success of activities often depended on the personality of the programme leader rather than on the activity itself. It said that some young people might prefer smaller and less structured organisations. Leisure skills needed to be taught in schools, if young people were to take advantage of existing facilities and make better use of increased leisure time. Ms Cooke said that this type of research was a new development for the Y.W.C.A., but it was important if the organisation was to keep up with the times. The report, which would be available to other groups, would have much wider implications than just for the Y.W.C.A.