Park nights giving teens 'safe spaces' expanded
SuppliedA project helping tackle anti-social behaviour and isolation is giving young people a "safe space" to be themselves, organisers say.
Park Nights offers free games, food and music for 11-16-year-olds on summer evenings in green spaces across Tyneside.
Walker Park in Newcastle has now been added to its weekly schedule, which includes South Shields skate park and Burradon Recreation Centre, after two years' worth of National Lottery funding was secured.
Power Through Sport director Johnny Tulip said: "As long as teenagers are engaged with us in the park for a couple of hours, they're not setting off fireworks, they're not setting fires to the bins or causing anti-social behaviour."
He said the team worked with local teenagers to find out "exactly what they wanted" from the project, now in its fourth year.
Last year, 260 youngsters took part across the holiday season.
"We're not the police, we're not the local schools, we're not the councils," Mr Tulip said.
"We're a youth service team and we build a trust with the young people."
SuppliedA live DJ is set up in the parks, along with sports and arts and crafts.
Mr Tulip said youth services had taken a "massive hit" over the past 15 years, and many facilities had disappeared.
He said one teenager had said the project had "given him a reason to come out of his bedroom" during the summer holidays.
"A lot of those young people that feel quite isolated actually feel part of something," Mr Tulip said.
Eleven-year-olds moving up to secondary school were able to make connections, Mr Tulip said.
"It's about young people being themselves, having a safe space so they can express themselves," he said.
"Not feeling like there's constantly a grown adult hovering over their shoulder."