Youth Club and Youth Centre Week is about to begin
The work of youth clubs and centres will be in the spotlight in Hafnarfjörður from 13th to 17th October. The week is an annual event that highlights the excellent work being done there. „The week is always great fun,“ says Jón Leví Steinsson, project manager for Vitan at Lækjarskóli.
A good week to get to know the work
Youth centre and youth club work will take place in Hafnarfjörður next week. The week aims to highlight the importance and value of this platform for children and young people. Parents, guardians, siblings, friends and other family members are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the activities of the centres in their local area and the many events on offer.
„Yes, we're going to celebrate youth clubs and youth centres next week,“ says Jón Leví Steinsson, project manager of the youth club Vitan at Lækjarskóli and one of the many who works with the kids at the town's youth clubs. We get a little insight into Vitan's upcoming week.
A fun week to get to know the work.
„Yes, the week is once a year. It's always great fun and a good way to get to know our work,“ says Jón Leví, for example, adding that the young people at Vitan will be holding an open house for friends and family on Wednesday.
„The students are then going to serve pancakes and coffee; invite relatives and friends and show them the youth club, discuss the work and what they are doing here.“ The kids spend several evenings a week at the youth club, so it's interesting for everyone close to them to see how the work is done.
„They discussed whether to fry Icelandic or American pancakes. It sounds to me like the American ones won out. Less work than rolling everything up,“ he says, laughing. „On Monday we're going to have a football tournament in the sports hall, and on Friday we're planning to have a speed-friending event.“
Jón Leví says that on average, 50 teenagers attend The Lighthouse each time, not all of them from Lækjarskóli. „We get a lot of kids from other schools, as we're centrally located here in Hafnarfjörður. The sports hall is also a draw,“ he says, where the youngsters often play football and basketball.
The role of youth centres
The role of youth centres is to offer children and teenagers leisure activities that have a preventative, educational and developmental value, and are appropriate for their age and level of development. It is important to provide facilities for recreation and socialising with peers in a safe environment.
Emphasis is placed on involving children and teenagers in the activities and running of the work. The youth club's activities are varied, and the programme is developed with the young people. They also organise larger events such as the Primary School Festival, a singing competition, Hafnarfjarðarstíl, and the quiz 'Do You Know the Answer', to name but a few. They also take part in major national events such as the Samfés Singing Competition, Samfestingnum, and Rímnaflæði.
Youth clubs are run in all neighbourhoods, linked to all nine of the council's primary schools. There is also a youth centre at the Innovation Centre by Lækinn and Kletturinn at 14 Suðurgata. The latter offers a wide range of leisure activities for children and young people with disabilities. See the weekly programme:
Young people are keen to attend youth clubs.
Jón Leví says that staff at Hafnarfjörður's youth clubs agree that the young people are keen to attend the clubs and enjoy themselves. „We are, for example, good at advertising the programme here at Lækjarskóli and getting our student council to promote it. They are our cheerleaders within the schools.“
He says the best part of working as a project manager in a youth centre is when the teenagers make time to play games and chat. „Yes, those are my favourite shifts,“ he says. „We offer the kids a safe space where they can be themselves and meet their friends.“
Jón Leví himself has been involved with the youth centres since he was a teenager, now, of course, as a member of staff. „We who work here get to hear it all the time: “Are you really getting paid for this?' I always encourage young people to apply for a job like this when they get older. It never gets old. No two days are the same and it's all about having fun here. Enjoying life."
Please take a look at your youth centre and find out about the work!