Wakefield teenagers get their own hangout

Wakefield teenagers now have a time and place to hang out for games, music and socialise with their peers in the community.

The Wakefield Youth Hangout held its first session in the town hall last month with 14 teenagers turning up.

Organiser, Julian Eggers, has a long list of different activities he wants to introduce in the coming weeks. Last week the teenagers could choose between ping pong, air hockey, foosball, or just hangout in bean bags and maybe play a game of cards.

It is all aimed at creating a space for local teenagers and Julian says it gets them away from technology for a night.

The community has places like McGazzaland, which he says is great, but not all teenagers want to get on bikes and scooters, so the hangout has been created for anyone between the ages of 12 and 18 to get together and have some fun, or simply as the name suggests, hangout.

“Wakefield is lacking teenage youth activities, so I thought it would be good to have a hangout space where teenagers can make it their own place.

“Because of technology, a lot of kids stay home and lose that social interaction. Do they know people in their own town? It’s a good way to get to know each other.

“Also, mental health can be a big issue for kids at college because of stress and the changes they’re going through and sometimes it’s good to get away from home.”

The hangout has some funding from the Tasman District Council through the Wakefield Community Council, plus it has one local business sponsor so far which both help pay for the use of the hall, food and some of the activities.

Jack Eggers, 15, was one of the teenagers at the inaugural hangout and he agrees it is a good way to get youth out of their rooms and away from technology.

“Technology takes you away from reality. Whereas you might look back on this in your 70s and 80s and think what a great time you had.”

In the coming weeks, Julian plans to include laser tag, creating your own ice-cream sundaes, competitions and movie nights.