New youth centre to be unveiled in Narrabri

Narrabri and District Community Aid Service Inc (NDCAS) has been hard at work, preparing to open a new youth centre in town.

Located at 30 Maitland Street, the new location is central to both NDCAS’s offices and Narrabri High School, allowing ease of access for both attendees and facilitators.

The centre plans on opening in late April, servicing local teens with free educational and leisure-based initiatives, in the home diagonally across from the Narrabri RSL.

The NDCAS team is currently in the process of making over the rental property.

“We hope to have it all ready to unveil for NSW Youth Week, which runs from April 16 to 24,” NDCAS community development worker Kayla Nehrkorn explained.

But setting up the new youth centre has been no easy feat.

After the Narrabri Shire Youth Shack shut down, due to COVID-19 and a reduction in staff, the town was left without a space for young people to call their own.

While Panton Cottage remained closed, it looked like the ground floor of The Crossing Theatre would be the new location for the facility.

NSW government funding of $62,397 was provided to develop the band room, with hopes that NDCAS could possibly facilitate the youth centre from the space.

Unfortunately, this option never came to fruition.

Seeing a clear need for a youth support-focused space in the town, NDCAS has rented a space to make this happen.

With trained facilitators ready to start work at the centre, and an abundance of resources suited to young people, the new location will offer much more than just a place for youth to hang out.

“We still want it to be a fun place youth can make their own, but our services also extend beyond that into other aspects of youth welfare,” NDCAS families and youth service team leader Joshua Pattison said.

“NDCAS is in the early intervention and prevention space, so we can also offer case management programs and learning opportunities for those who want or need it.”

Such offerings may take the form of educational assistance, like study advice and life skills classes.

“We plan on supporting young people with everything from setting up a budget and maintaining a garden, right through to preparing meals, learning to take care of yourself and preparing for the future,” Mr Pattison said.

That means that, in addition to a dedicated games room and chill out zone, the house will also feature a roomy kitchen to learn in, a study room with desks and computers, a meeting room, a seated outdoor area, and a spacious backyard.

When the centre opens, it will match the business hours practiced at the NDCAS offices, 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

“We’ll start with just weekdays, as this meets the needs we’ve seen expressed in the area,” Mr Pattison said.

“But there’s potential to extend those hours in the future, as the youth might need.”

Collaborations are in the works with the high school, neighbouring towns’ PCYCs, local police and other community groups within the Narrabri Shire, to maximise the space’s potential.

“It’s primarily a youth centre but, since NDCAS services so many groups in Narrabri, we also want to open the centre up to others who might need it,” Mr Pattison said.

“So, for example, we might run some of our parenting workshops from the house during school hours.”

“There’s also potential for us to hold events in the space,” Ms Nehrkorn added.

The first of which will be the centre’s open day, which will provide attendees with a free barbecue lunch and a chance to get to know the space.

As the year progresses, NDCAS will be hosting a variety of other community events for all ages, including a colour run in late May.