Youth club on the boath
01 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
There are more things that I like about the Youth club “Saloon” in Brugge. One is, off course, the fact that it’s on the very old boath, renovated and addopted so that it could become a safe place for young people to hang out, spend time together, play, have fun and learn. The other is that it’s very youth friendly equiped and coloured (which would be visible on the pictures). And the third, and probably the most important, is visible in the community based approach aimed at targeting young people (with fewer opportunities mostly), inviting them to the Saloon, providing different kind of opportunities for them, spend time with them, introduce them to different people and services they can use, and so make their lives safer, easier and funnier. In practise it starts with street youth worker who is hanging with the youngsters at the street, getting to know them and earning their trust after what he invites them to the youth club. Unusual look of this youth place is also helping as being attractive by utself. In the Saloon, youngsters are wellcomed by youth workers and youth cauncellers from cooperating organization – Youth Information and Advice center. This is as they say, ” to give a face to the organization”. Youth advicer would also spend a day or two in the Saloon, hanging out with young people and being there in case of a need.
Again a simple approach but created with a lot of care for young people’s wellbeing.
