Community & Business
8 June, 2022
Centre brings youth together
MOSSMAN’S youth centre has become a hive of activity over recent years as the centre’s programs and initiatives bring youth together, giving them lifelong essential skills and friends.
For the past two years, the centre’s youth program has been overseen by Mossman Support Services youth development coordinator Ashleigh Whyte.
The centre runs key programs encompassing recreation, culture, sport, intervention, education, life skills and more.
Kids have access to the internet, TV, pool tables, football, musical instruments, arts and crafts and a ‘help yourself’ kitchen while at the centre.
“We are a safe and supportive place for youth to come, it is like a drop-in centre but we do accept referrals from other services as well,” Ms Whyte said.
While numbers have dropped off since Covid’s landfall, Ms Whyte said the kids are starting to gradually return.
“We have always had quite a large number of kids coming in the afternoon but it kind of slowed down a little bit over the Covid period,” she said.
“Over the last couple of months we have seen numbers rise to 45 which is averaging to about 30 kids a day.”
The centre is not just a space to gather and play games, kids also have the chance to learn valuable life skills and develop connections with others.
“We teach them to wash up, cleaning up after themselves after cooking and we have a music program that teaches them to be more confident within themselves,” Ms Whyte said.
“Pretty much every youth that walked through the door when I first started talked about shame and the big shame factor of not being the loudest, not being seen, not being heard, they just want to quietly do their own thing.
“Recently the music teacher was away and we sat in the chill-out room and the kids grabbed guitars and started singing loudly and really build their confidence up so that was incredible.”
The kids also engage in school holiday programs with the centre which include all day activities nearly every day that encourages the youth to make community connections and learn about what is available outside the front door.
This can include beach days, road trips to the Tablelands, laser tag, sports or even mingling with other youth centres around the region.
While the kids are not too open about expressing their emotions about the centre, Ms Whyte said the fact they continued to come back day after day and are asking for the centre to open on Friday and over the weekend was a sign of their love and appreciation.
