Remember when you were a kid and summertime finally came around? You'd meet up with pals at the local community centre, play a few games - maybe soccer if it was nice out or foosball if it was raining.
And on the odd Friday night there'd be a dance where girls and boys would dare to approach each other.
Those were nice memories full of innocence and discovery, weren't they?
Sadly, the reality for some kids today is such innocent times are beyond their reach.
Street youth live by their wits to survive. Their homes are in the middle of crime-ridden areas. Their families are too steeped in alcohol, drugs or poverty to care for them. Their influences are criminals who prey on their vulnerability.
Representatives for the Connaught Youth Centre are hoping to provide a break from the everyday realities facing street kids, but they have some hurdles to leap before they can achieve their goal.
That's because the 24-hour drop-in centre they're proposing has some opposition, which may lead the City of Prince George to deny the centre directors permission to create the drop-in.
There are a few arguments against the proposal.
One youth advocate says the centre is the wrong place because several other groups also use the facility. The kids need their own home base, he says.
And in a classic case of NIMBYism (not in my back yard), some neighbours are concerned the "bad element" will cause their crime rate to spike.
As is always the case with this type of argument, no solution is provided.
Residents say they already have to lock their doors even when at home, it sounds like the situation is already just about hopeless.
Yet some are still opting for the status quo, saying "It can't be about them all the time." The problem is it hasn't been about them enough.
When positive influences turn their backs, you can bet a user and abuser will be more than happy to step right into the role of mentor, turning unguarded children into more adult users and abusers.
This never-ending cycle is the reason why we decry the state of the world today.
If Prince George's crime problems are to improve, it's time to stop being shortsighted and reactionary, and start thinking things through.
A 24-hour drop-in centre will unquestionably turn some kids around and may well improve the neighbourhood crime rate - if it's properly planned and run.
So rather than block it altogether, neighbours and youth advocates with concerns need to get involved. It's the only way things will improve.
-- Prince George Citizen
