Youth forum asks youth for ideas on sport and recreation

The new pump track at Springvale Park is proving popular with young people.

Young people are being encouraged to share their ideas - whether they're wild and wacky or sensible - about sport and recreation facilities and activities they want in Whanganui.

Whanganui District councillors Josh Chandulal-Mackay, who is the council representative on the Youth Committee, and Helen Craig have organised a youth recreation forum to give young people an opportunity to tell the council what they want.

They are inviting Year 7s to 24-year-olds to take part in a format based on previous arts forums where people have shared ideas and made connections.

"We wanted to do the same thing for youth and recreation and particular activities related to that cohort of people," Mr Chandulal-Mackay said.

"The first meeting is for people to dump any ideas on paper. They can be wacky, weird and wild or sensible.

"The forum was essentially prompted because we're about to kick off on our 10-Year Plan process.

"The Youth Committee, as part of its business plan for the coming financial year, has drafted a proposal for a youth hub that would be a safe space for young people to hang out, do their homework, get careers advice, have a counsellor come in a couple of days a week, with a pool table and couches and that sort of thing.

"The Youth Committee is putting together a proposal for the 10-Year Plan process and we are hoping to link the ideas from the youth forum into that.

"We will not be trying to prompt people. We will have different sections for various areas of activity and we want young people to come along and give us their ideas."

There will be a follow-up meeting after the information from the forum has been compiled.

The forum will be in the Pioneer Room at the War Memorial Centre from 5.30pm to 7pm on Thursday, August 24.