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Around 15
Report to Horowhenua District Council on Youth Centre Development29 September 2004
A: BackgroundIn July 2004, the Library Trust submitted a proposal to Council that the council-owned building at 15 Durham Street be restored and serve as a Youth Library/Drop-in Centre. In response, Council resolved: That Horowhenua District Council invites the Horowhenua Library Trust to progress the formation of the proposed youth centre involving the input of other interested parties. The trustees of the Horowhenua Library Trust would like to thank councillors for their support and acknowledgement that a youth facility is needed, as reflected in Council's 2001 Youth Policy. This report is of the result of consultation with other interested parties and the establishment of a working party (described in Appendix 1), our thinking about a venue (Appendix 2), and indicative funding (Appendix 3). We perceive two alternative paths forward: they follow in section B.
B: Two ScenariosIt appears to the members of the working party that there are two alternative concepts to be decided by the Council and the community.
Scenario One: Youth Centre HorowhenuaYouth Centre Horowhenua would be a major project similar to the Events Centre in which a purpose built centre would offer young people the widest possible range of activities. It should include:
Costs would include the purchase of a suitable site, building a 500 square metre (or larger) structure, employing permanent and properly qualified staff and incurring on-going running costs. To set it up, there would be an investment of perhaps $1.5m to $2m, with annual running costs of around $100,000. It is expected that such an entity would be a Council initiative and run by Council. The benefits to the district would be immense; the blueprint for such a project can be found in Helensville. Such a bold venture could be justified on the grounds that
We are aware that a proposal on this scale is something that Council needs to treat as "significant" with all the attendant requirements for inclusion in long-term financial planning. It therefore seems likely that even if this scenario were preferred, there would be a considerable delay of years rather than months before any such centre opened its doors. Alternatively, if an independent Youth Trust were to be established to accomplish this task, with the need to raise very significant funds, the delay is likely to be at least as long, or even longer.
Scenario Two: A pilot Youth Centre/Teen LibraryThe Library Trust is willing to undertake the responsibility of setting up and the administration of a Youth Centre/Teen Library using the existing working party, or a group derived from it, as a subcommittee of the Library Trust. The pilot Youth Centre would offer a more limited range of activities (as suggested in Appendix 1) than above, but one which would be a cost effective means for the council and community to test whether and how much young people would use such a facility. The Youth Centre/Teen Library would be developed at 15 Durham Street for a pilot period of (it is suggested) 3 years, with possible right of renewal for a further period. During the initial three year period, the operation could be reviewed by Council, and a decision made as to its long term future. If Council wishes to settle a formal Youth Trust, this could be done during the 3 year period. By 2010-11, when, all else remaining the same, the proposed extensions to Levin library are completed, the Library Trust would expect to draw its teen library activity back to its main building, and to withdraw from day-to-day participation in the Youth Centre. The advantages of this option:
C: ActionA strong message we have received from the community is "How long?" The community has waited long enough. We have done what we can; the next steps require the confirmation of the venue before the serious fundraising can begin.
Action 1:The working party calls for Council to agree to the use of 15 Durham Street for a peppercorn rental for the purpose of running a Youth Centre.
Action 2:The working party also calls for Council to set aside moneys from the Contact grant to facilitate the establishment of the Youth Centre. This report is endorsed by the following signatories:
George Sue, Chair, Horowhenua Library Trust
Appendices
Appendix 1: Consultation
Public Meetings, 10 August and 14 SeptemberA public meeting was called for 10th August 2004. The meeting was publicly advertised thorough Council's newspaper column, and personal invitations were sent to all youth councillors, all members of Council's Youth sub-committee, and representatives of all organisations known to be working with youth in Levin. More than 54 people attended the first public meeting, among them Youth Councillors, other young people, representatives from various youth activities and organisations interested in, and serving youth, three councillors and library trustees. This meeting discussed a range of topics put to it by various speakers, and questions arising from the floor, and adjourned until a second meeting. The second public meeting was held 14th September 2004 and was attended by 35 people many of whom had also attended the first meeting. There was a general enthusiasm for a youth-focussed facility which would be exciting, safe, welcoming, accepting, supportive, educational, flexible, and with a strong youth component in the management and responsibility for the centre. The second public meeting expressed unanimous approval for such a centre.
Youth ConsultationWith the help of CAYAD (Community Action for Youth And Drugs), who provided the free lunches, the Youth Councillors held meetings at all three colleges, gaining feedback from young people. Consultation with other youth is continuing. The findings of Council's independent facilitator in a series of focus groups with young people conducted in 2001 were also considered (a copy of these findings was attached to the interim report of this project, presented to the September 1st Council meeting).
ResultsThe thinking resulting from all these sources distilled into the concept of a youth centre as a youth one stop shop or connection place, a youth centre that provides for all youth a place of connection with:
It is realised that a youth connection centre can start small, and grow by responding to suggestions, opportunities, demand, and as made possible by available resources and offers to help.
Working Party
The second public meeting asked for volunteers to join a working party to work with the Library Trustees to get such a centre up and running, and 13 people stepped forward, representing a wide variety of youth interests. This number does not include the youth Councillors, who are considered ex officio members of the working party. The members of the Working Party are:
joining ex officio members
Appendix 2: A Venue for the Youth CentreTrustees have looked at a number of possible venues for a youth connection centre. The key requirements are
There are various commercial properties available for rent in the right location, but with no opportunities for outdoor recreational pastimes. They tend also to be inadequate in terms of toilet and kitchen facilities, being set up to serve three or four staff, not 50 visitors. The Trust has not been able to identify any alternative site to 15 Durham Street which offers comparable matches of location, immediate availability and suitability for the purposes we have identified. A purpose-built centre would be wonderful, but it was not seen as achievable before the current group of teens is too old to enjoy it, apart from any question of cost. Over all, the working party came to the same conclusion as the Library Trust – 15 Durham Street might be a run-down old house, but it has a lot of potential. Builder Paul Tucker reported (presented to Council with last month's interim report) on the work necessary to bring this property up to standard and noted that with routine maintenance thereafter, the building would be serviceable for a further 20 years. He calculated that the sum required now should not exceed $50,000; it is the belief of the working party that this amount could be reduced considerably by seeking community involvement.
Appendix 3 FundingA proposal to develop 15 Durham Street as a Youth centre is dependent upon the Contact grant, earmarked by Council for Youth purposes, being made available to cover establishment and early running expenses. If, as we firmly believe, the building restoration can be done for considerably less than $50,000, we would anticipate the remainder of the grant to be available for equipment and staffing. For both setup and running expenses, funding will be sought, but it is prudent to state that there will be a funding shortfall in the future, even keeping the centre open only for the limited hours proposed initially for the pilot. Any extended activities will require significant volunteer input and or paid staff supervision. No work can be done on funding applications until the future of 15 Durham Street is resolved.
Costs
Set-up Costs$ Building and groundsEquipment , setup Up to $50,000 Up to $35,000
Operating CostsStaff salariesElectricity, gas, cleaning, rates, insurance Administration, communications 52,800 8,700 8,50070,000
Funding will be sought from the widest range of sources, including CYFS (OSCAR), Main Navigation: | About Us | Members | Searching | Maori Resources | Kid Space | Teen Zone | What's New
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