The Editor,
I will be turning 16 in March and I am a grade 10 student at Terry Fox Secondary School. I recently found out the Offside Youth Centre in Port Coquitlam will have its hours reduced due to budget cuts.
I believe the Offside is a great place to go to learn how to make better choices. If they shorten the Offside's time, the teens who go there regularly won't have a place to go. As a teen who went to the Offside, it gave us a chance to go down the right road. It showed us right from wrong. It keeps kids off the streets and really helps a lot of us.
The staff always make everyone feel welcome and appreciated. They give support in any way they can, even if it's a small problem. They are always there to help. I just don't see any reason to not have Offside stay the way it is.
My own personal experience at Offside has given me a better look at what choices I was making, even if they were poor choices. A few years ago, I started making some bad choices. The staff pulled me out of it. I know they have done the same thing for other youths as well.
I have met friends at the Offside. It's a place where we can talk about some of the problems we have at home, at school, with friends or even relationships. It just wouldn't be good for any of us to have no place to go and feel safe. I really hope that the city takes all these details into their thoughts and change their decision.
Natasha Waack
Port Coquitlam
A safe place
The Editor,
I am a 20-year-old student of Douglas College living in Port Coquitlam. Many people, including myself, disagree with the cities proposal to cut the hours of the Offside Youth Centre.
The centre is a place where kids go after school and on weekends to feel safe. They aren't judged there. Instead, they are surrounded by a group of incredible staff and amazing volunteers that support these teens with everything from homework to video games.
I know this because I attended the youth centre many times when I was younger, whether I was bored and needed a friend or because I was being bullied in school. I am currently volunteering at the youth centre now as well.
The youth centre has great programs for our community like the dinner nights on Wednesdays to name one. The youth come together to learn to cook and do basic things in the kitchen, then sit together and eat dinner in a friendly environment.
It isn't just about the teens though. We also have some of the seniors and other adults from the community join us. At the end of the day the youth centre is a safe place for teens to hang out free from bullying and issues at home - or just to make some friends.
Cutting the teen centre's hours is wrong because it takes away a place for our youth to come together and not have to worry about being judged.
Michael Hucal
Port Coquitlam
