Youth focus at Splash Palace
Splash Palace staff want rangatahi more engaged with the city’s main swimming pool; although a representative around the Invercargill City Council table wonders if it is the right target.
Splash Palace staff identified that rangatahi between the ages of 14 and 25 were not using the pool services as much as they would like.
Early this year, the Vodafone Foundation was asked to undertake a project to identify why rangatahi were not participating at Splash Palace and to look at ways to get them to utilise the pool more.
The report was highlighted at the council’s community wellbeing committee meeting on Tuesday.
Included in the survey feedback was that rangatahi felt it was a venue for families and little children; there was sometimes a cost barrier; and teens want to be able to take risks at the pool and have fun without getting in trouble.
Waihopai Ru¯ naka representative Evelyn Cook questioned whether 14 to 20-year-olds were the right demographic to be targeting if increasing pool use was the quest.
‘‘As a person who has worked in a pool, can I just say the 14 to 20-yearolds are the ones you don’t want around if they have got no particular purpose in mind. Let’s be honest about it,’’ Cook said.
Some enjoyed the pool and liked the activity of swimming, but Cook said there were others that ‘‘just like to do bellyflops and bombs and get in the road of other people relaxing’’.
‘‘Are the 14 to 20-year-olds actually the ones we want to be going to the pools? I don’t mean they shouldn’t be learning to swim and exercising . . . but young bored people around water is always my biggest fear.’’
However, other councillors disagreed. Councillor Darren Ludlow said: ‘‘Having dropped a carload of 16 and 17-year-olds off at the pool at their request to go hydro-sliding and play in the leisure pool at the weekend, I am sure I actually disagree with that.’’
Councillor Trish Boyle said: ‘‘Sorry Evelyn, I am going to totally disagree with you. I think Splash Palace, at the right time, is the place for bombs [into the pool] and the kind of things people have done in rivers, but don’t have access to, which some of our kids don’t.
‘‘I would love to see people being there taking some risks, a bit of Ninja Warrior type stuff, because I think that is what they are looking for.’’
Earlier in the discussion, councillor Grant Dermody commended staff for looking at ways to try to engage youth and provide a place where they were comfortable.
However, he asked whether there might be a better place to provide that than the pool.
‘‘Why I ask that, is when you think about a lot of people that use the pool, it is families, it is older people.
‘‘What would the implication be, if we get a lot of youths going there, on existing users?’’
Splash Palace has already started to change the way space is allocated at weekends to ensure more recreational activities are available, such as inflatables and diving boards, etcetera.
Regular pool parties are also being planned.
Councillor Grant Dermody commended staff for looking at ways to try to engage youth and provide a place where they were comfortable.