BY NUALA MCALOON
A positive meeting aimed at addressing the social needs of teenagers attending schools in Enniskillen was held this week in a bid to find suitable accommodation and activities for students to engage in during after school hours.
The meeting was initiated by a local parent, Dianne Ruckchati who said she recognised there was no suitable place within the town boundary for teenagers to 'hang out' in without being considered a distraction or pest to others.
She explained: "I started picking up my teenager in the evenings and I realised she and her pals were soaking wet and freezing cold, simply because they had nowhere suitable to go after school. So, that's when I decided to do something, and I hope now that something will be in operation before the Winter."
During Thursday's meeting at the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen, teenagers had the opportunity to voice their concerns to a group of adults, on what they felt was lacking for people their age within the town, and what they would like to see change.
Purely an initial listening and feedback exercise, the event was attended by a number of influencing adults as well as teenagers.
Among these were Kenny Fisher from Fermanagh College, Jason Donaghy who runs a consultancy firm, Niall Moore, a youth partnership officer with NICCY, a representative from LATCH, Police officer Gavin Huey, Elaine Irwin from the Prince's Trust, Maria Ellis, Women of the World, Tom Johnston, Scope, and Trevor Armstrong, the Ulster Young Farmers Club.
"We wanted to hear from teenagers what they wanted," Dianne explained. "A survey was conducted by the Fermanagh Shadow Youth Council in the past on teen needs which got 3,500 responses, but still nothing was done.
"Teenagers had said there was nothing going on. They missed the presence of a bowling alley, and felt they were turfed out of places like cafes after school.
"Similar issues were raised at the meeting. Teenagers want their own place to go to, to do their own thing. Some are interested in music and suggested the need for a band rehearsal room.
"There seems to be a lot of youth bands around. They want somewhere to host the occasional gig in an environment suitable for young people without alcohol.
"Or, somewhere to have discos. At the minute, a lot of our teenagers are taking buses to the South for discos."
As a result of the feedback obtained, Dianne reported that steps will now be taken to forward plans for the near future.
"The meeting went very well. The teenagers were absolutely excellent. They were very enthusiastic and came up with a number of creative and practical ideas, and ways to fund-raise.
"You never fail with a group of young people at that age, they just need a group of adults to work with".
She stated that 35 people volunteered to go forward and work with the adult group, and that she would be writing to their parents and considering things like insurance and funding.
"The kids are also keen to get a website up and running so that they so that they can network together.
"They also hope to have a survey in schools to negotiate a venue. So, we are looking and hoping to have something in place by the Autumn."
