Youth clubs
Aim:
To think about the role and value of youth clubs.
You will need:
A large piece of paper and pens.
Duration:
20 minutes
A review of children's and young people's clubs in South Africa concluded that "clubs are an important vehicle in assisting children to claim their space and develop emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, intellectually and physically. The creation of opportunities for young people to meet with their peers and engage in issues that affect them is of paramount importance" ('Kids are making a difference', South African report)
Why do you think youth clubs and groups are important? What makes a good youth club? In small groups imagine that you are in a place that has no meeting point for young people. How would you feel? Would you want to organise a group? What sorts of activities would they do? How would you get it started?
Come back together as one group. Ask if anyone knows how your own youth group started up. If it was before your time, what do older members know of its history? Draw a 'timeline' on a piece of paper and mark all the main events in the recent history of the group. Have a discussion about what the strengths and weaknesses of the group are, and what could be done to make it better.
Leader note: This activity could be used as a review session of the group's activities over a term, and a way to build in some future ideas for the group's activities.