Holiday Programs - Various centres
Some PCYC centres run Holiday Programs for local young people and are designed to include youth-at-risk and young offenders, as identified by the Police Officer working at the centre in conjunction with referrals from Juvenile Justine Teams, the Courts and other youth agencies.
The Holiday Programs include free activities such as sports, XBOX, table tennis, pool, snorkeling and bush walking and subsidised activities such as horse riding, laser tag, visits to the swimming pool, movies and paint-balling, to name just a few. Depending on local support and the type of activities run, participation is either free or partly subsided by PCYC.
The Holiday Programs are beneficial not only to the participants, but also to the local community. Some benefits include:
- Keeping young offenders off the streets and out of trouble
- Reducing youth boredom (which in turn can cause a reduction in crimes such as graffiti and shop lifting).
- Allowing young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to engage in activities that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
- Providing food to participants that may not otherwise be adequately provided in the home environment.
- Showing young people healthy and positive ways to have fun and interact with peers and adults.
- Helping to ease the burden that school holidays can have on families, especially single parents and those families that suffer financial hardship.
- Allowing community members, through volunteering, to engage with local young people and act as positive role models
In 2011 PCYC sought and received funding from the Coca Cola Foundation to help support its School Holiday Programs. The funding is being used to assist disadvantaged and at-risk youth throughout WA, allowing them to access activities and programs that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford, or get the opportunity to participate in.
