Teenagers in Dublin commuter belt want more youth clubs

MORE THAN 90 per cent of teenage males who took part in a survey of youth attitudes in the Dublin commuter belt do not use music or drama facilities, according to a survey organised by the Labour Party.

In addition, about 40 per cent of girls who answered questionnaires and attended focus meetings did not want to take part in team sports.

Many teens of both sexes perceived little to do in commuter towns, with expensive and often unavailable travel limiting the range of options open to them.

The study, which involved up to 400 young people living in Louth, Meath, Wicklow and Kildare, found only one in five of the teens surveyed used a youth club. Many respondents said the key reason was that there was not a youth club in their area.

Older teens complained they did not have adequate time for after-school activities or youth clubs because of homework demands.

Teens said they wanted more youth clubs and “youth cafes”, as well as additional sports facilities and better public transport.

The survey also compared the responses of 150 teenagers living in Drogheda, Co Louth, with those of 150 teenagers living in Haslemere, a town 50km outside London. Both groups complained about largely the same issues, and both offered the view that lack of facilities lead to anti-social behaviour.

Irish teens appeared to get slightly more homework than their British counterparts. However, the survey revealed Irish teens get more then €15 per week pocket money compared to just €9 in Haslemere.

However, according to Labour Senator Dominic Hannigan who orchestrated the survey, the extra cash received by Irish teens may be explained by the higher admission prices and transport costs in Ireland.

Mr Hannigan said the study “highlights many issues, particularly in relation to access to facilities. As a nation we need to address these deficiencies to enable our teenagers develop their full potential.”

He called on the Government to deliver “a social dividend from Nama” using some of the empty buildings in towns across the State to house youth groups.

Labour Party TD Liz McManus, who jointly launched the survey,said that on the east coast where she lived, the nearest cinema to Co Dublin was in Arklow on the Wicklow-Wexford border.