New Place To Hang
Local teens will have a new place to hang on Friday nights, with the launch of Rec Connect.
Beginning on Friday 1 November, the Margaret River Recreation Centre will open exclusively for high school students every Friday night from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm to provide a dedicated, safe space for young people to socialize, connect, enjoy a variety of activities, or simply chill out with friends.
Shire of Augusta Margaret River CEO, Andrea Selvey said the new FREE initiative had been developed by the Shire’s Community Development and Recreational Services teams in response to the needs of young people in our community, following consultation with local teens and youth support workers.
“We’ve been listening to our community’s young people, and they’ve told us they want a regular, safe space to hang out,” she said.
“We know they all love the Rec Centre, so we thought why not utilise the facility to create a place where our teens can come together, relax, have fun, and feel a sense of belonging”
The Rec Connect program will run for 6-weeks with the potential to implement a long-term version of the program.
“We’re going to start with a 6-week program and see where it takes us. Every Monday we’ll consider what worked well, and not so well, then adapt the program for the following week because we want Rec Connect to evolve and become something that’s really valued by our community.”
“We’ll start by offering a chill out space plus a variety of activities such as basketball, pickleball and table tennis. We will also look into gaming, an art zone or even roller skating. It really depends on what the teens tell us they want and if it’s working. All going well, we hope to resume the program when school goes back next year”
Ms Selvey said attendance at Rec Connect would be limited to young people aged 12 to 18 with the Shire’s Rec Centre and Community Development staff overseeing the program at the rear of the building.
“The pool and gym areas will be off-limits so we’re going to make access via the rear doors, and all attendees will need to register on arrival. We’re also hoping some of our local youth support workers might be able to attend and the local police may pop in to shoot some hoops on a couple of the nights.”
The Rec Centre will close an hour earlier on Friday nights to accommodate the new initiative which was not expected to impact many regular patrons.
“We’re lucky there aren’t too many people who normally go to the gym or pool between 7 and 8pm on a Friday night, and we’re confident everyone will appreciate the huge benefit Rec Connect will make to young people in our community.”