Youth Events Prove Major Success

Haughton Youth Club is preparing to transfer to the new £37.3m Darlington Education Village, in a move that will offer first-class facilities to local youngsters.

The club, set up in 1963, is currently based at Haughton Community School, but has been offered the chance to re-establish itself in the Education Village when it opens after the Easter holidays.

Darlington Borough Council’s Youth Service was keen to hear from young people about the kind of activities they wanted to see at the new site.

As a result, a series of “Give It A Go” sessions were organised, with youngsters invited to try out activities and workshops at the existing club. The most popular will form part of the club’s new programme.

So far, the sessions have proved a major success, with every available place having been taken.

About 50 youngsters have attended each session and more events are planned for the coming weeks.

Any young people who cannot be accommodated on an evening are being guaranteed places on the next available session.

All activities start between 6.45pm and 7pm. Entry is 50p.

The remaining sessions are:
· Thursday, March 9: Fitness training, survival training, photography tutorial, cooking on a budget
· Tuesday, March 14: Fitness training, pilates, drama, DJ and MC workshop
· Thursday, March 16: Fencing, photography – seeing the result, hair special, cooking on a budget
· Tuesday, March 21: DJ mix-off competition, graffiti workshop, hair special, make-up session
· Thursday, March 23: Team building, graffiti workshop, cooking on a budget
 
The club’s management committee will also be donating some of its equipment to a newly-established youth club in Hurworth.

Chris McEwan, Darlington Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “It is terrific to see that so many young people have taken an active interest in shaping the future of Haughton Youth Club. I hope the remaining sessions prove as popular as the first ones.”