Steering youth towards positive future | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

A 'youth centre' aimed at helping wayward youth from falling off the tracks has been established in Stratford. Instigated by Stratford Police Youth Aid Officer Rob Jury and Stratford District Council Community Development Advisor Pauline James their project has taken almost two years to become a reality.

With the aim of working with local youth, their family, school and community Rob and Pauline helped organise a trust to put their plans into action...from this the Central and South Taranaki Youth Development Trust was established.

The trust aims to work with police to identify local troubled youth and steer them towards a brighter future before any young person heads towards a criminal conviction. The trust will focus on truancy, lack of education, dysfunctional families, peer pressure and other related topics. Together the trust aims to eliminate these negatives and help all young people in Central and South Taranaki have a brighter future.

The trust has established a headquarters at the old police station on Miranda Street opposite St Joseph's School. Trustees include Rob Jury, Pauline James, Paul Lampe (chairman and ex youth constable), John Sandford (Justice of the Peace), Rajan Rai (youth lawyer), Sam Burrows (CYF site manager for Hawera) and Pat Moore.

Funding from the Taranaki Electricity Trust, TSB Bank Community Trust and pub charities enabled the centre to be transformed into a usable proactive unit. With Work and Income and Child Youth and Family Services joining the team the trust hopes to secure a full-time social worker .

More than 50 people gathered at the official opening last Friday, including Stratford Mayor Brian Jeffares, South Taranaki Mayor Mary Bourke, local iwi, police from Stratford, Eltham and Hawera, community members and more. Taranaki's Rural Police Controller Frank Grant started the proceeding with a welcome and congratulated Rob, Pauline and the trust for their tremendous work in establishing this amazing resource for the communities of Central and South Taranaki.

The centre was opened by His Honour, Judge Murfitt. " The district court face every day the unpleasant task of dealing with troubled youth. Continually searching for ways to bring them back to being good. Judges are the ambulances at the bottom of the cliff. This centre is a fence at the top of that cliff diverting youngsters from falling."

Pictured are the Central and South Taranaki Youth Development Trustees Paul Lampe, Sam Burrows, Pat Moore, Rajan Rai, Pauline James, John Sandford and Rob Jury.