Happy Valley-Goose Bay youth centre a reality

A long anticipated youth centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is just weeks away from opening.

"It's honestly probably one of the best things that's going to be happening in our community," said 16-year-old James Earle, a member of Youth Supports Collective.

The centre, located on Grenfell Street, adjacent to the Labrador Friendship Centre, contains a lounge area, a large open space with a kitchenette, three offices, washrooms, and storage space. 

Committee members have deliberately refrained from decorating the space or moving in furniture and equipment because they want youth to decide what the centre will look like and what services should be available.

"Right now it's going to be sort of bare bones until we get youth in there. We want them to make the space their own,"  said Denise Cole, who remembers talk of having a youth centre when she was a teenager.

"The walls will be bare because we want youth to create the art work that will go in there, and we're hoping that also that they're going to name the youth centre.  There's no name on this centre… they'll be the ones who get to be the ones to do that." 

'We need more somebodies'

The new centre was kickstarted with $65,000 that was raised by Labrador Grenfell Health several years ago and members of the committee say they hope different community agencies would be willing to contribute and offer support to the centre.

The committee also says it needs volunteers to help staff the centre efficiently.

"In this community we're hearing it all that time, that our young people need a place to go, that somebody needs to do something for the youth that are here, so this was really the community, and agencies, and young people involved who said 'Ok, we're going to be those somebodies — we're going to make this happen' ... but we need more somebodies," said Cole.

Though no exact date has been set, committee members hope the centre will open in September.