Page 38 - BBHAC Winter 2015-16 Gazette

36
Continued
deadlines. In an age where
many kids end up living in
their own bubble with little
social interaction, the club
can encourage teenagers to
develop their social skills and themselves taking on the
the art of conversation in
order to exchange views and
ideas.
“It’s a chance to do things
you like to do” adds one
teenager, Cameron, and
“gives me something to
look forward to”. Such is
the appeal of the club that
some of the young people
have been clamouring for it
to be made available every
fortnight, although maybe
the parents might not always
agree!
For the parents as well there
is the opportunity to meet
each other as well and in
some cases where they are
new to the club the chance
to introduce themselves and
to find their way into the
club’s structure to find such
roles as coaching, supporting,
driving in the various
athletics meeting which take
place throughout the year.
The youth club is then a
vital funnel for attracting in
volunteers to the club and
these may in the future find
management responsibilities
of teams for which there is
always a need. It ensures that
adults who come will stay and
support their children when
they compete in the full range
of athletic competition.
On a more serious note
though the youth club can
be a propagator of good
values and behaviour. The
Code of Conduct for Young
Athletes operates to remind
young people of what is
required of them. It includes
matters of fair play, equality,
responsibility and behaviour.
Young athletes are requested
to treat others with respect
and fairness; encouraged to
look out for themselves whilst
being aware of the welfare
of others, and to be ready
to challenge behaviour of
other which falls below the
expected standards of the
main club; and they should
respect difference of race,
ethnicity and religious beliefs. the process. And as the old
On the subject of respecting
others the youth club makes it
clear what is not allowed and
lays strong emphasis on good
behaviour and respect for
others. The club operates a
card system in which a yellow
Feature
card is shown as a warning for
unacceptable behaviour and a
red card may be given to any
offender if the misbehaviour
is considered severe. In
such a case a person’s parent
or guardian will be called
to collect them from the
club. This underlines two
essential things: that young
people are given the chance
to develop their social skills
and to maintain a strong
awareness of others. So as
well as providing an outlet for
fun and recreation the club
is serving an educational and
nurturing purpose designed
to guide its young charges
towards a state of maturity
and awareness of the need for
others. It might seem like old
fashioned values but it helps
to produce well rounded
individuals.
In that sort of atmosphere,
and encouraging the kids
to be kids but bringing
out their better qualities
the Youth Club is a new
dynamic, nurturing the
coming generation of athletes
and club members and
serving the community in
expression goes “and don’t
the kids love it”.
Wilf Orton