GRAND BANK, N.L. — It’s been an emotional roller coaster for young people involved with the Community Youth Network, which is located in Grand Bank but also caters to youth from Fortune and Lamaline.
Following a break in and robbery of valuable video game equipment and petty cash from the centre in January, a group of residents got together and organized “Shag Dis” a fundraiser that exceeded all expectations, collecting $9,000 in donations. A stolen Playstation 4 video game console was replaced through a private donation as well.
Debbie Forsey, the centre’s executive director, said the response from the community was “overwhelming” and sorely needed, “I only started this job in December and I could tell our centre needed things but we just didn’t have the budget. A lot of things get worn down and broken but we didn’t have the money to repair them or buy new things.”
The $9,000 was a windfall, but then decisions on how to spend it had to be made. Forsey and Gary Evans, the centre’s other field worker, turned to the youth for ideas on how best to allocate the new funds. They held a meeting on April 20.
“Instead of us deciding what to buy and what to do, we wanted to bring them in because after all they’re going to be using it,” Forsey said. “We had about 18 kids show up to the meeting, all different age groups, Grades 8 to 12. A lot of them want to do active activities in the gym because we have a gym in the centre.
“They talked about buying pickle ball sets, plasma cars, scooters and bubble balls, a drum kit, a fire pit, a virtual reality set up and a sound system. They discussed doing more events like build your own pizza event or open mic nights. They discussed a place where they can come in and play music with the possibility of starting a band, which I thought was really awesome. We also talked about having girls nights and trips, like renting a taxi or bus and taking them on a ski trip or a day trip somewhere.”
Forsey maintained it’s not unusual to consult kids when devising plans that directly impact them.
“I think it’s fairly normal to engage the youth,” she said. “Whenever we talk about the centre we call it their centre, theirs to use and respect and come up with ideas for and we do have a youth board that we meet with every month to come up with ideas as well.”
The Community Youth Network is open most weeknights and two weekends per month. It offers a variety of programs including sports activities, crafting sessions, open mic nights, karaoke, geocaching trips and mental health awareness initiatives in conjunction with Eastern Health.
