Youth Voice – More fun in town

Let’s face it, as a young person there isn’t much to do around the Coast on a weekend night. Generally speaking, youth are either at home playing video games, out at a party, isolated in their room or some might even be causing mischief on the streets. It can be hard to get out and find some good fun around town!

The stereotypical weekend night youth culture isn’t one that is thriving on the Coast, and we think we can do better. Coast Community Trust has established two programmes, the Ballers Night Club and the Footy Night Club, to try and make for a more positive, fun and active weekend night. 

The game plan is simple. The majority of the night is spent participating in a social basketball scrimmage or football game. Youth are also supported by a team of volunteer leaders who provide informal mentoring.

For the Ballers Night Club, each Friday night session involves pizza (thanks Dominos Whangaparāoa) and a pep talk where positive role models from the community give a short talk to encourage youth in life/sport. It is all with the purpose of using sport as a vehicle to develop a sense of belonging, build community and prevent harm.

Since starting in 2022, the Ballers Night Club is used to having up to 50 youth join in on a Friday night. Coast Community Trust, in partnership with Harbour Sport and supported by CYC Trust, is running the Ballers Night Club at both Whangaparāoa and Ōrewa venues on a Friday night this year. 

On the other hand, the Footy Night Club is starting as a trial in Term One, running on Saturday nights. Coast Community Trust is teaming up with the Hibiscus Hockey Trust to bring some more fun for those who are keen on a bit of football. A big thanks to the generous support of the Red Beach Four Square for helping to get this programme up and running.

The bottom line is you don’t have to be Michael Jordan or Cristiano Ronaldo– anyone can give a bit of ball or footy a go, or just come to hang out. So, if you or a young person you know, are looking for a bit of fun around town on a Friday or a Saturday night, head down to the Ballers or Footy Night Club! The Ballers Night Club is on Friday nights at Whangaparāoa College and KingsWay School, 7.30pm-10pm and the Footy Night Club is on Saturday nights at the Millwater Hockey Turf in Millwater Parkway, 7pm-9pm. For more info visit www.coastcommunity.org.nz