A new survey has found that a majority of young people believe there is a serious lack of recreational facilities where they can meet up with their friends and many believe that the provision of youth cafes or drop-in centres would help address the problem.
According to the survey of 702 young people in east Cork, some 82 per cent considered "hanging around" with their friends a recreational activity, but many believed there was a serious shortage of suitable places where they could do so safely.
The survey of 13- to 18-year-olds in Midleton, Youghal, Cobh, Glanmire and Carrigtwohill found that many young people complained that if they weren't involved in sports activity, there was nothing for them to do and many said they were frequently bored.
The report, Young people's views on youth-friendly facilities in east Cork, which will be launched today by Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan, involved transition-year secondary school students and teenagers in Youthreach projects filling out questionnaires.
They were asked if there were adequate facilities for young people in their area; if they did go out, where did they go; and what they would like to see happening in terms of facilities for young people.
Following the collation of the questionnaires, a series of validation groups was formed where teenagers from each of the areas were asked to comment on the responses in the survey. There were also workshops to further explore the responses.
According to the authors, Mary McGrath, a community consultant working with East Cork Area Development, and Dr Deborah Lynch, a lecturer in the department of applied social studies at UCC, the report provides an interesting insight into where young people meet.
The most popular venue for young people to hang out was on town streets (37 per cent), followed by friends' houses (16.1 per cent), shopping centres with fast-food outlets (15.6 per cent), pool halls (12.7 per cent), and sports facilities (9.5 per cent).
Ms McGrath said: "Young people told us emphatically that they do not have adequate facilities. They were not negative or bleak but concerned about the difficulties and dangers they face.
"They identified places where they 'hang out' such as town centres, parks, fields and shopping centres, and findings pointed to the need for young people to have somewhere safe, warm and alcohol-free where they could socialise, somewhere like a youth cafe or drop-in centre."
The survey found that the most popular request from young people was for recreational facilities such as youth cafes, cinemas and pool halls (35.6 per cent), followed by sports facilities such as swimming pools and astroturfs (24.1 per cent).
Young people also identified the need for more night-time activities such as discos, karaoke and live band nights (18.8 per cent), and other activities such as sports clubs, dance, drama, music, language classes and shopping.
