A Green New Deal

A few years ago the council removed a bench from the side of the road because there had been too many complaints of young people sitting on it and gathering round it. So we also need to educate people not to be afraid when they see groups of young people gathering. And young people need to make sure that others do have no reason to be afraid.

Don't you remember what being young is like? The whole point is going to places where you're NOT supposed to gather. What exactly does an 'informal safe youth space' look like? What makes it safe? What makes it 'informal' if you've formalised it?

What if a vacant High St shop unit could be reimagined as a place for young people to drop in & hang out after school with discrete support services?

A place to meet other young people from different schools, a quiet space to do your homework & seek support or advice, a place to learn skills etc.

As youth clubs have all but disappeared (& perhaps a bit old fashioned as stand alone buildings on estates) & yet their ethos still desperately needed.

I'd envisage it like a cafe - where you could get healthy cheap food from different cultures & learn to cook or serve behind counter.

Where you could find help with homework, careers, mental health, troubled lives etc. Where you could pursue interests & make music etc.

A cafe with a recording studio, a catering kitchen, study spaces, access to internet, staffed by youth workers. Sort of mix between cafe & library & youth club...