By Community Correspondent Tom Hill

With over 11.6 million under-16 year olds in Britain today, newspaper headlines often highlight the less than positive face of adolescent youths: be it related to crime or purely anti-social behaviour. Both of which can have a financial and, in many cases, destructive impact on a local community. But why have teenagers been branded with an incredibly negative stereotype – and, it seems, all positive attributes forgotten?

Being a teenager is a phase which we all go through – some passing through more successfully than others! It may (or may not) surprise you that not all young people are knife-wielding, drug taking, alcoholic, teenage parents! And for this reason, young people can sometimes feel quite defensive as a result of being mistakenly categorised in this way. So, make way for a safe haven where young people can get together and are respected for who they really are: The Youth Group.

A safe, fun, and cost effective meeting place open to all, the local Youth Group should not be confused with any thoughts of a ‘rehabilitation’ centre used as part of a community ‘clean–up scheme’ to entice errant teenagers off the streets. Many are at the centre of local communities and regularly attended by quite normal (read responsible and educated) youths. (For future reference, normal teenagers, and I speak for many, would rather be at home watching Top Gear, than loitering around street corners in their hoodies).

And with currently over 7,000 Youth Groups in the UK, it cannot be said that the demand for such teenager-friendly facilities is anything other than positive. My own Youth Group, run by St. Christopher’s Church in Hinchley Wood, is a prime example of a thriving organisation amply supported by its many local ‘members’, many of whom are also actively involved with the Church Choir or Band, but this is by no means a prerequisite. Activities range from cooking to bowling and film nights, to trips out and often a wild and wacky activity thrown in for good measure! This, I am sure, is reflective of many others around the country, and the variety of activities on offer will be limited only by the imagination of those who run and attend them.

But let’s just pause for a moment and also look at the growing competition that the traditional Youth Group faces. Maybe, for example, the gaming Phenomena of Xbox 360 or PS3 have captured teenagers’ hearts in recent years, and the appeal of a virtual world is threatening the ideology of socialising. Whilst some teenagers might prefer to be taken on a fantasy journey, not even the thrill of battling cybermen, racing super cars or fighting street gangsters, will adequately substitute for the opportunity to ‘hang out’ and play pool!

So can well run and respectable Youth Groups really change the perception of local teenagers? Can this shape the impression people have? Well, yes. However, the acid test will undoubtedly be the next time you see a group of teenagers aimlessly wandering the streets, with seemingly nowhere to go. Will you think ‘here comes trouble’ or, as I would prefer, ‘local champions leading the way?!’