By kids, for kids: Trackside’s brave and innovative model that just might work

As most communities in the New England struggle with youth crime and anti-social behaviour, the community with the youngest population is trying something new.

A large crowd gathered yesterday morning for the opening of Trackside, a new youth community hub born out of the literal ashes of the old Navy Cadets building near the train station on Brown Street in Armidale. What the builders described as “a real mess” when they started, with significant fire damage, every pane of glass broken, and a lot of cleaning up required, is now a simple but functional, and most importantly safe place for young people to come and hang out. And when needed, to stay, with old cadet quarters now crisis accomodation, or get a feed, with the kitchen already pumping out food.

With 15 per cent of Armidale’s population aged between 12 and 19, the need for such services is enormous. But unlike most youth programs and services, this one has been opened without any funding to run it. Intentionally.

Brave choice to start unfunded and empower community

Penny Lamaro, CEO of the Women’s Shelter Armidale who will operate the facility – and has been the driving force behind the four year project – says they have gone with an unfunded model, so the community can decide what happens at Trackside, rather than having activities decided by the funding.

“We have chosen an unfunded model so far because we wanted the community to be able to shape the service, rather than the service be shaped by funding.”

“So we really want to give community an option, an opportunity to tell us what the service should look like, and then we’ll search for funding that is appropriate to that.”

“It’s a bit of a scary model. It’s certainly one of my more insane ideas,” she said with a smile, “but I do think it’s really important for community to be able initially to determine what the building should be before we get KPIs.”

And the part of the community who gets the first say on shaping the space is, rightly, the young people who will use it.

“When we did the consultation 12 months ago, young people told us the number one thing that they wanted a safe space to be, then the the next one, about 75% of them said they really wanted a trampoline.”

“So we’re going to be working with, hopefully, Armidale Rotary Club to organise a trampoline.”

“When you’re really in crisis, you actually don’t need anything too fancy.”

Young Armidalian Zayne Baker, who spoke at the opening of the centre, described the facility as an important safeguard for those in tough times.

“I’ve known people that haven’t had a great financial situation, haven’t had great living situations, and a place like this could really benefit them,” he said.

“It’s not where you come from, it’s what you make of the opportunities, and I think this opportunity can really benefit anyone and everyone who uses it.”

Lamaro says that in the summer months, they expect there will be footy and cricket in the park next to the centre, and in the winter, lots of board games and milo inside with the heaters. And around these simple and safe activities – that any kids can participate in – will be all of the available services, providing support through a centralised hub where kids feel safe and there is no stigma.

But the dream, that now has a building, needs the community to make it happen.

“So we’re going to need lots of volunteers to keep it going, we can’t afford to pay staff straight off the bat, so we’re going to need lots of volunteers,” she said.

People that are interested in learning about youth work and maybe becoming youth workers are particularly encouraged to volunteer, with the organisation ready to support and assist that pathway and give people an opportunity to see what it might be like day to day.

“We also need financial support. So we need community to come forward to support keeping the lights on and the heating going that as well.”

Helping kids be kids – and leaders

For local young man Riley Brown, the centre is much needed for those he sees who “have no place to go to”.

“Well, it means that if people, or kids, don’t have a place to go to, they can just always come here, and they have a place to actually stay and feel loved by others.”

“Well, I reckon, because there’s a lot of kids like going around the streets and walking around without a place to go to.”

Riley says he feels bad when he sees kids walking around with their bags, but now feels empowered to help lead others to support – and away from trouble.

“Now, if they don’t have a place to go, I can tell them to come here,” Riley said.

NSW Police Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer for Armidale, Brad Widders, says Riley is a future Mayor of Armidale. Riley is more keen on being the next LeBron James.

Widders is very excited to see the centre come to this point, and to see the widespread support from the community is heartening.

“A lot of people talk about doing things for the youth, but not a lot of them work out, so it’s good to see that the support is there.”

“Especially for things like helping with homelessness, mental health issues, all that sort of stuff really affects young people nowadays.”

Widders said that the centre will be a fantastic resource for police as well.

“Either for our PCYC programs, or people that come into the station and need support, we’ve got this option now to be able to make a referral, to get them involved, and try to keep some of the young fellas away from seeing us.”

Just the beginning

What becomes of Trackside is now in the hands of the community.

“In 12 months I would like to see that we are fully staffed, with at least two staff, 24 hours, seven days a week,” Lamaro said.

“I’d like to see our little fake Cafe idea really take off, where people are able to come and have a morning tea or an afternoon tea, and make a donation to support a employment pathway to young people and young people in community through the cafe.”

She’d also like to go out of the crisis accomodation business, by addressing the cause of the problem.

“I’d like to see that we’ve addressed the systemic and root causes of people’s disconnection so well that we don’t need to provide emergency accommodation anymore.”

“And that really is, I guess, my biggest aim is to scratch well beneath the surface when it comes to addressing the need,” she said.

“So rather than just putting food in someone’s belly, which is important in the moment, but also addressing why it is that they are unable to do that for themselves.”

“We are the lucky country, and we need more of our people to feel like this.”