Here & Now Issue 35 | August 2019

STUFF THAT MATTERS
How to (still) be young
in Worthing
Yo yo yo! It’s Eden Green back on the
mike! Only this time she’s 16 and much
wiser.
IF YOU’VE NO IDEA WHAT I’M ON ABOUT, I shall enlighten
you dear reader: in March 2018, I completed my work experience
at Here & Now magazine where I wrote a sensational (if slightly
pessimistic) piece on activities for young persons in our wonderful
region. In fact, it was so sensational that the kind folk at the
magazine have asked me to write a follow-up to see if any real
change has been observed by yours truly. Before I bless you all with
my new insight, perhaps you should first give the original a little
eyeball:
How to be young in Worthing
bored of 2p machines
very quickly.
Bowling? Expensive.
Restaurants? Even
more expensive.
WORTHING
PRIDE 2019
I decided a different
approach was needed, and thought I’d
take advantage of Here & Now’s connections by asking people
in the office (because the entire magazine is dedicated to things
going on in Worthing, so someone was bound to know) and via
Facebook. I got a plethora of responses: I learned of RSOPA, who
offer theatrical classes to teens, I was told about Blueprint 22,
with projects for young people along the South Coast, and I heard
about the #Scratchpad project. However, there was one notable
theme: none of these things were permanent fixtures.
I CAN REALLY
SEE WORTHING
MAKING THE
EFFORT TO
INCLUDE THE
YOUTH
Worthing is renowned for its elderly population, and there are
many places that cater to their needs – so what is there for the
youth to do? Now when I say youth, I don’t mean four-year-olds at
arts and crafts sessions or nine-year-olds who go to roller-skating
parties: I mean the teenagers of Worthing, who make up 9% of its
population.
“Oh, get off your phone, play outside,” say the
parents, followed by, “Don’t be out after dark
though, and let me know where you are at all
times, and don’t go out alone, and don’t wear
that, and...”
Well, do you want me to go out or not? Telling
me to go out is not helpful when there’s
nothing to do. My trips to town consist of a
traipse round the shops, a nondescript piece
of sugary dough from Greggs and, because
you can only go to the cinema so many times,
I’ve now taken to untangling the slinkies in
Hawkins Bazaar as a source of entertainment,
or playing hide and seek in Debenhams, or
looking at the pictures of dogs in the dog books in Waterstones,
or just seeing who can drink a bottle of water the fastest (these
are all very real things we actually do). As fun as these things are,
they’re not the same as heading down to Brighton and hitting the
laser tag, or the fair on the pier, or walking round the Lanes. Why
is there nothing teenagers travel to Worthing for?
I made it my mission at Here & Now to find fun things for people
my age to do in Worthing. I considered the various venues in
the town: the leisure centres were alright, but if I ask someone
to come to town with me, the last thing they want to be doing
is exercise. The mini golf was something I enjoyed, but it wasn’t
always open. The Pier amusements? Well, yes, but you can get
What the town needs is a venue open all hours (or at least until
curfew) just for teens. A place with everything: table tennis,
football table, vending machine, pool table, pinball machine,
music, mocktails - even some beanbags would do! A place for
young people to socialise (or not), an escape room where parents
aren’t allowed.
This seems like a pipe dream, but it really is achievable, with areas
like Teville Gate, Union Place and the Lido in need of renovation
and the council taking suggestions. Think of the tourism it would
bring in; young people would travel into Worthing instead of out!
A youth club you don’t have to join but can just turn up to; let’s
face it, a £2 entry fee is better than a £20 bowling lane, and it
would keep your darn teenagers off their darn phones (for a while
at least).
Here endeth the old article.
So there’s that, and I must say, a year and a half on there’s still
a significant lack of youth centre, and Teville Gate remains
very much a fenced-off mystery. This said, I’ve observed some
differences in youth activities; it is possible that it is because I am
now 16 and all of a sudden these activities are no longer forbidden,
or that now I’m ‘more mature’ *cough* my parents have allowed
me a little more independence, but I must say, my post-GCSEthree-month-summer
hasn’t had a dull moment yet! A quick visit
to the Here & Now website and I’ve learned of at least five things
I could be doing to fill up my August, from music workshops to a
weekly quiz. I can really see Worthing making the effort to include
the youth; I managed to attend Worthing Pride, and the all-ages
atmosphere only reinforced my conclusion. I hope this attitude
continues to grow, as we are not where we need to be yet, but it’s
safe to say that Year 10 Eden would be happy. n
Eden Green
46 | August 2019 | HERE & NOW ADVERTISE NOW 01903 686100