Picture above provided by Sam Belcher. More of his work can be found at Sam Belcher Photography.
Bono once said that “This is a time for bold measures. This is the country, you are the generation”, and I for one feel that young people are not valued enough in today’s age, constantly getting a bad reputation due to a small minority of anti-socials. Yes, the chav culture seems to be growing. Yes, violence and drinking amongst young people seems to be thrust much further into the spotlight. However, this should not be generalised to everyone that exists under the age of 21.
I am part of a youth group, during a time where the art of youth organisations seems to be declining in their growth, too often perceived as “uncool”. Every year we go away on a trip (known as ”Camp” to us) for a week to various activity centres, and for many of the children this is what they look forward to the most as part of the youth group.
I myself can vouch for this after being in it for twelve years, and even though I only went on five camps, I felt I missed a trick by not going on anymore. Three more camps have passed where I have become a young leader, and even though it was strange at first having to take a backseat in the activities, I very much enjoy the role I feel I have gradually been accustomed to.
This year our youth group was based in Norwich, a place we had previously visited in 2007, and so commenced 8 days full of wet and dry activities, days out, and the odd early morning. Rifle shooting, abseiling and climbing were some of the activities that were experienced on only the first full day, with some conquering their fear of heights, while others realising they probably shouldn’t be let loose with a gun again!
A day at the beach followed, where as a consequence of one of the games, my whole body up to my neck was submerged underneath a whole heap of sand, along with a few other leaders. We weren’t the only casualties however, with plastic ducks also being completely buried, one having to be left behind as it was obviously too difficult to find!
The next two days gave people the opportunity to get extremely damp with raft building, and some teams seemed to actually want to get soaked before even needing to, with some rafts collapsing before even half the people had clambered on! The above picture demonstrates how wet even the most successful of rafts got! Canoeing was also on the agenda, where everyone safely navigated themselves round a stretch of river, give or take a capsize or two.
Ice climbing did not meet a frosty reception either, as it’s uniqueness seemed to add an extra dimension to normal climbing. This unusual activity was taken on with aplomb, with ice picks and boots hammered into the ice-like substance to reach the top and give the wall a customary kiss before being lowered down. Not quite sure who they were pretending the wall was though as they hurled their picks towards it!
It is these sorts of activities that I feel most, if not all, children would jump at the chance to do if it was offered. My thinking is that they are oblivious to the many youth groups that provide these sorts of opportunities, or are peer pressured into not joining by their friends.
Couple these activities and the beach trip with another outing to a local theme park, and I think you have an activity holiday that represents very good value, and one that young people will enjoy. The young people that I was with all voiced a high opinion of the trip they had just been on, and enjoyed all the activities, even the ones not mentioned.
So, it is evident that children can enjoy themselves through such youth groups without hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons, which is indeed the exact motive as to why these clubs were set up in the first place. So for every chav that there is throwing a brick through a window, there is someone else hitting the gold in archery.
I am only 21 so I still feel I have to shoulder some of the blame that young people carry on a daily basis, but while these youth groups stay alive and hopefully grow, I feel there is a promising future for teenagers and youngsters alike.
So, you might ask, am I proud to be involved in such a movement?
Without a doubt, yes.
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