Youth centre convention

Press, 9 November 1988, Page 16

Youth centre convention

By

SUZANNE KEEN

The Cinerama Youth Centre, in Christchurch, is hoping to host the first national convention of youth centres next year.

The centre’s manager, Bridget Hanrahan, believes there is a need for a loose federation of the centres. She has written to centres throughout New Zealand with the idea of holding the convention in Christchurch this month, but not enough positive replies have been received.

“We are going to reconsider it for March. The timing now is not good for other people,” Bridget says.

In the meantime, the centre has asked the director of Youthtown in Auckland, Doug McConnell, to outline the development of youth centres in New Zealand at its annual general meeting on November 15. He recently attended a con-

ference of youth centres in Australia.

Bridget says the overall aim of the annual meeting is to discuss planning for the Cinerama Youth Centre during the next two years and how it can best serve the needs of Christchurch’s young people.

She adds that the centre has defied all odds by reaching the “grand age of three” this month.

“A report released in 1980 stated that usually youth centres close within the first two years of operation due to lack of funding, negative media exposure, vandalism, high staff turnover and lack of community support,” Bridget says. She says the centre experienced all these problems — almost to the point of closing its doors. It has overcome them, however, and during the last year, had adapted to

the needs of the city’s young people while working within its aims of fostering the development of youth through recreation, entertainment and. life skills. “More and more development of the youth centre and young people is taking place with young people sharing responsibility for policy making, events planning, daily operation, research and promotion ... at three-years-old the youth centre is in pretty good shape,” Bridget says. The centre is celebrating its birthday from 3 p.m. today with the Cinerama Youth Centre Band (Lester and Crew), Qantom Leap, Pauwai’s Fire Children, Romanov’s resident band (Crayon) and D. J., and the prize-win-ning lip syncher, Fenton Dalziel. Topping it off will be the cutting of a birthday cake.