Matt Pink
Matt Pink, Dartmouth Area Youth Leader
Matt moved from Totnes to take on his present full time role at the Decks Young Peoples Centre in Ivy Lane, Dartmouth. It is part of the Devon Integrated Youth Services which is funded by Devon County Council. He has six members of staff and two volunteers who work with young people ranging from 11 to 25 years of age but mainly with those in the 13 to 19 age bracket. They are closely linked with Dartmouth Community College where Matt oversees the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and Active Learning programme and a further youth leader works there twice a week on a one to one basis with pupils. They also run a session at the Leisure Centre on Friday nights.
Over the past four years that Matt has been in Dartmouth he and his team have worked hard to turn the centre from what was little more than an almost empty hall into a venue that now offers computers with internet access, musical instruments, pa system, recording studio, chill out room with large screen tv and projection facilities, pool tables, Xbox and Wii systems, arts and crafts and outdoor pursuits equipment.
The opportunities available at the centre are, to a large extent, created by the individuals who use it. As Matt explains, he and his team have a wide and diverse range of skills and knowledge and are very flexible. They are there to cater for the needs of the young people and they talk to them to find out what things they would like to experience and the things they would like to learn. The youth workers then put suitable programmes and activities into place. For example in Dartmouth, where a lot of young people work in restaurants, they may want to learn about food hygiene. The centre can organise this and enable the youngsters to be appropriately accredited. If they want to experience outdoor pursuits, such as camping or orienteering, that again can be facilitated. All this additional ‘stuff’ is run within a ‘curriculum’ which covers health, personal identity, global youthwork, environment, sport and travel.
Multi agency work is of particular importance. The centre offers confidential counselling and they work with Y-Smart, a drug and alcohol counselling service, that attends the centre once a week. Matt advises, ‘We can offer counselling and guidance to young people who have issues but in a safe environment and in a safe way.’
Matt strongly believes in community cohesion and says, ‘ I believe the Youth Service should be working closely with the parents, schools, police, town council, district council and local charities. We should be involved together to develop provisions and opportunities for young people. Luckily, I believe that’s where we are in Dartmouth at the moment.’
The Centre hosted eight bands from all over South Devon on the Saturday of this year’s Dartmouth Music Festival and this was enjoyed by all who attended. There was unfortunately some anti social behaviour in the town over the course of the weekend caused by a relatively small number of people who saw the festival more as an occasion for binge drinking. Matt is anxious that people should not over amplify the bad behaviour of this small minority – the overwhelming majority of young people in Dartmouth are not committing crimes or behaving badly. He does, however, agree that violence is totally unacceptable behaviour and the problem of excess drinking must be tackled. He stresses that the Centre has a zero tolerance on alcohol. The Youth Service had a team of six working within the town during the festival supporting the police.
Matt says, ‘I want the community to come and see the centre and ask questions. I want people to see that we are part of the community and that we can help. I would like to see more young people taking advantage of our facilities as I am sure they would enjoy using them. There is so much here and so much we can offer. Importantly, there is so much that young people can get out of it!’
The centre is open on Mondays after school from 4pm to 6pm for a music project where young people can learn to play a variety of instruments, have singing lessons and learn to use the recording studio. Monday evenings are an open session from 7.30 till 9.30pm. Tuesdays is the outdoor pursuits club from 7 till 9pm. Thursday - 4 till 6pm - is music project time again followed by an open session which includes the ‘War Hammer’ games club from 7 till 9pm and Friday is leisure night at the Leisure Centre from 7.30pm - 9.30pm. Also there is street based work with two of the youth team meeting and talking with young people in the community. A mobile unit is a recent acquisition which will be going out around the surrounding villages to enable young people there to access its facilities.
Having met Matt, you are certainly aware of his infectious enthusiasm. Dartmouth and the surrounding communities should be proud to have him and his team together with such a fantastic facility . We should do our best to encourage our young people to take advantage of what is on offer. Matt states, ‘I am excited by and thoroughly enjoy my job. I want young people to see the centre as a hub where they can enjoy and celebrate their skills and have somewhere to express themselves. I see it as a place for them to explore their talents and find the skills that they have or might not even know they have. Helping them become independent, rounded adults is what the centre stands for.’
First Published June 2009 By The Dart