Youth Research Qualitative Report - District Council of Mount Barker

More documents

Recommendations

Info

These were also the sentiments of young people who were in many ways disengaged from the mainstream activities and views of the community. They wanted to be proud of where they lived but admitted that boredom often led them or their peers to antisocial behaviour. Male 1 You don’t want people to think your town is a piece of scum. Okay, so you want to be proud of where you live. Male 1 Male 2 Of course we do, yeah. We actually live somewhere nice, we may as well keep it nice, do you know what I mean But some people just say, fuck you, who cares My life is screwed up anyway, who gives a shit They need more options because there's not that much to do in Barker for young people, you just see them hanging out in front of shops and things like that. A lot do graffiti because they’re bored (Young men, 16-18yrs) Another characteristic of Mt Barker believed to contribute to its negative reputation is increasing and ‘ugly’ housing development. Also the buildings that they build in Mount Barker, like the recent ones that they’re building are really really ugly. Like the hills are supposed to be a nice little country town, nice and green - like Mount Barker’s really dry, these buildings are so ugly. (Young man, 15 yrs) While one or two participants expressed the view that an increase in the population might lead to more retail variety and more recreation options, The majority felt that there was too much housing development in the area and that ‘facilities were going to struggle to cope’. This development was seen as a threat to many of the things young people value about the area, including the ‘country feel’. More detailed discussions highlighted associated congestion in the central business district of Mt Barker, poor roads, a lack of parking, reduced access for pedestrians and cyclists and the loss of arable land for growing food as contributing to young people’s objection to housing development in the area. Young people were also concerned about the lack of green spaces and trees in the town centre indicating that green space near food outlets would be a comfortable and pleasant place to hang out with friends. Like in the centre of Stirling, they’ve got heaps of trees whereas in the middle of Mount Barker, there’s just buildings and the road. (young woman, 16yrs) Where Macca’s is, they should have a whole line of trees and grass instead of just having dirt. (young woman, 16 yrs) 37 Needs assessment of young people in the Mt Barker Council District – November 2009
When a community does not meet the needs of young people, young people will disengage from the community. Most will become invisible as they retreat into the private space of the home; others will appropriate public spaces in unintended ways for lack of anywhere else to go. What young people value The ‘country’ character – open space, trees, clean air What young people said they want and need To spend time in the local environment – fishing, walking, using outdoor amenities Better public toilets – Toilets used mainly by young people are disgusting and some feel this reflects a disrespect for young people Better access to services and amenities that are essential for daily living such as a comfortable and safe place to hang out, with kitchen and laundry facilities; food outlets that sell cheap and healthy fast food – this is especially important for those young people who really do live much of their daily life in the public space of the community. These young people have fewer resources at home and rely on the resources available in the community to eat, socialise and care for themselves. More considered housing development, including adequate infrastructure to cope with increased population Better road infrastructure to reduce congestion More green space in the town centre More seating around the town centres so young people (and others) can gather and ‘be’ in the community 4.13 The future Many of these young people expressed a desire to remain living in the ‘hills’ environment. They enjoyed the space, the trees and country feel. However, there was a general concern that these attributes were being lost through over development (too much housing) and poor development (lack of infrastructure to accommodate increased population, and development of the Mt Barker town centre that excludes green spaces and plantings). When asked if they would choose to live here as young adults, many participants who already felt they had poor access to services and facilities said they would not. I hate it, especially because I live further out, I hate it so much...I want to live in the city. (young woman, 16 yrs) 38 Needs assessment of young people in the Mt Barker Council District – November 2009
Page 2 and 3: Project Report Young People Living
Page 4 and 5: Contents About the Author .........
Page 6 and 7: access to friends, sport, recreatio
Page 8 and 9: Encourage more retail that appeals
Page 10 and 11: 3. Desk top study of current servic
Page 12 and 13: 3.6 Limitations This study recruite
Page 14 and 15: I used to have drug problems and th
Page 16 and 17: young people living in the region d
Page 18 and 19: The majority of work available to y
Page 20 and 21: off my face and not realise. I slep
Page 22 and 23: a shortage of human resources requi
Page 24 and 25: comfortable or welcoming homes to w
Page 26 and 27: catch the 9:28 bus and sit there fo
Page 28 and 29: Male Yeah but that's already happen
Page 30 and 31: Centre, these amenities are not rea
Page 32 and 33: More entertainment as part of the c
Page 34 and 35: The Big lounge is cool. They play r
Page 36 and 37: was still a strong desire among the
Page 40 and 41: Other reasons for not choosing to l
Page 42 and 43: I am aware that there are 13-14 yea
Page 44 and 45: 6. Project conclusions and interim
Page 46 and 47: Avoid housing young people outside
Page 48 and 49: Facilitate the integration of activ

Youth Research Qualitative Report - District Council of Mount Barker

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?