I REFER to the remarks by Holly Fleming on the Speak Out Page in the section "What Isn't On."

While agreeing with some of her sentiments, I would disagree that the ONLY activities for youth are over-priced. Certainly the commercial ones are but there are many voluntary youth groups around the town who provide adventurous, sporting, challenging and caring activities and environments for young people at basically cost price as they are non-profit making. I know of others but can only speak for my own.

The Warrington Scout Association has about 33 Scout groups throughout the town which provide weekly and extra-curricular activities for young people, male and female. During the last year the Scouts, for whom I work in a voluntary capacity, have been canoeing, sailing, climbing, abseiling, hiking, doing archery, skiing, sub-aqua diving, quad-biking, parascending and doing charity bike rides and raised funds for other charities, completed Duke of Edinburgh Award training, helped in the community, camped at a dozen different locations with a variety of interests and activities, learned first aid and survival techniques, put on a week of "Scout Gang Show" at the Parr Hall, held an international camp for Scouts from worldwide where we met other Scouts from as far away as Russia and USA and engaged in a host of other activities, crafts and experiences too numerous to mention.

We are currently busy arranging future programmes which will include a camp in Ireland next year and in Russia for the year 2000 Russian Jamboree. Our age range is from six to 21, divided into four sections.

I am aware of other voluntary youth organisations which also have much to offer young people. However, we are all currently suffering from much the same limitations. Our fund raising capability to provide equipment and building maintenance has been severely limited by the cessation of the Wizard lottery and the advent of the National Lottery and we do not have the ethos of a lot of national charities (i.e. Red Cross, mencap, etc) to attract voluntary donations. Also we are suffering a dearth of volunteers willing to train and become leaders. If many of the people bemoaning the "youth of today" would give up a couple of hours a week they would find that these young people become lively, caring and good citizen material when given the chance to expand their interests and challenged to stretch their imaginations and initiative through a well-structured, progressive programme tailored to their needs and that they, themselves, would get a lot of fun and satisfaction out of the voluntary work they were doing.

If this letter is printed, first it may be that the "youth with nothing to do" will realise that Scouting and some of the other voluntary youth organisations are very affordable and well worth joining and are not just a TV joke and second, that some of the bemoaners will put their hands up to offer a little of their time instead of moaning.

We urgently need to open new groups, particularly in areas of high new development but cannot do so for lack of adult helpers. If you don't want kids hanging around on your street corner and creating mischief, you can do something about it. Help us to give them an alternative!

BRENDA S SHAW,

Assistant District Commissioner (International,

Warrington West Scout Council,

Hood Lane South,

Great Sankey.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.