Posted On: 21st Oct 2014
Fixer Andy Parsons
Young people gather at the Armadillo Youth Venue and Café
A scene from the Fixers film
Keen to convince others their age that their home town of Yate is great, a group of young people are highlighting some of the amenities it has to offer.
Led by 16-year-old Andy Parsons, the team want their peers to make the most of facilities like those at their local youth club.
They hope that by encouraging young people off the streets, they can also improve the way teenagers are perceived by older generations.
‘We wanted to raise awareness of youth services in Yate, including those at the Armadillo Youth Venue and Café, explains Andy.
‘Our aim is to show young people that it’s a safe place to go.
‘On the whole, we’ve found that the community are quite scared of young people and see us as a threat. We want to change that opinion.’
With Fixers, the group from South Gloucestershire have helped create a film to promote activities available in Yate.
Introducing viewers to the Armadillo Youth Café, Kingsgate Park, Urbie bus and Peg Hill Skate Park, they want to challenge the misconception that all young people in their area are anti-social or lazy.
Instead, they’re suggesting that they just need to be made aware of what there is to do and where there is to go.
Watch the group’s film ‘Yate Is Great’ at the top of this page.
The Fixers are planning to show their film in schools and want to talk about their own experiences of local youth services in assemblies.
‘I hope the project will increase numbers at the youth club and make young people aware that Yate does have good facilities,’ Andy adds.
‘The Armadillo has helped me over the last three years and I want the same for other people.’
Believing in the value of youth services, George Downs is using a special
machine to campaign against cuts. Click here to see it in action.