How deep do problems with young people run in York? Zoe Walker investigates by talking to two members of the York Youth Parliament...

YORK is stuffed full of things to do. There are pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, galleries and museums - facilities galore. On any given night you can see a film, take in a play, catch a band or just saunter in this historic city.

There's never a dull moment in York. Everybody says so, right?

Well, not quite everybody. At least 600 locals were so convinced that York is failing its young people in leisure facilities that they signed a petition, presented last month to City of York Council by Liberal Democrat Councillor Quentin Macdonald.

"We know from our surveys across the city that residents are concerned about what they term as 'problem youth'," said Coun Macdonald at the time. "These signatures have come almost entirely from the older generation and it is essential that we know what the young people themselves think is needed."

The petition came as part of a survey of four of the city's wards. It proclaimed that "with traditional youth clubs on a decline, Liberal Democrats are championing a new form of informal drop in centre for teenagers".

People were asked to sign the petition if they wished to see the proposals developed further.

But will extra facilities alone solve the city's 'youth problem' or do problems run deeper than a simple lack of things to do? Nobody knows better than the young people themselves.

"I think we have got to get away from this idea of 'doing things' all the time," says 16-year-old Scott Atkinson, the elected MYP for York Youth Parliament who will represent York's young on a national youth parliament.

"I think young people should be able to do what they do on the streets but in a safe environment. Maybe they could have a common room in town where people could go."

Fellow YYP member Katie Smurthwaite, 15, adds: "Not a youth club but somewhere with a Starbucks kind of theme where young people could run it - and you could play your own music."

Scott cites graffiti as a problem in his own stomping ground of Fishergate, but instead of condemning its authors as vandals, both he and Katie are keen to find ways in which such a problem could be turned into a benefit.

"It would be good if there was a place where young people could go and graffiti as part of an art project," Scott suggests.

"A lot of people see graffiti as a form of art and they could decorate the walls themselves," Katie adds.

Graffiti is as much an act of rebellion as expression, however. And it is often those young people who feel most excluded who express their discontent through vandalism or crime. One way that young people can feel alienated or socially excluded is if they can't afford to participate in activities on offer or don't have the money to travel.

"It's becoming more and more expensive in York and people simply don't have the money for things," says Scott. "For cinemas there's the Odeon, City Screen and Warner Brothers but it's either expensive or you can't get to it."

"It costs £2.10 just for a day rover if you are 16," says Katie. "And you might have money one week and your friends have it the next but you never all have money at the same time and that can make it difficult to find things to do."

"If you can afford it you can go to restaurants, cafes, quad biking or even paint-balling in York. Otherwise you are stuffed really and you can only walk around making trouble," Scott says.

But lack of money is not the only cause of young people ending up on the streets - there is often a social element involved as they follow in the footsteps of their peers, siblings or even parents.

"There are always going to be people who are going to want to stay on the street and don't want to do anything," says Beck Cantrell, from the council's youth service.

And if the street is the place you choose to socialise, boredom and experimentation can play a part, leading to problems with alcohol and drugs.

"It's not hard to look 18 nowadays, so it can be quite easy for young people to get hold of alcohol," says Scott. "I think it underage drinking is also often down to there being a mixture of generations in groups of friends - from 13 year olds to 17 year olds and up. And I think things have got worse in recent years with weapons. Drugs have probably become more accessible too in the past 30 years or so and the police are probably quite frightened to approach young gangs of people."

Another problem identified by Scott and Katie is the lack of after-dark facilities for young people. They believe that while the city offers much for wage-earning revellers, there is little to keep younger people occupied.

"The youth clubs are only open until nine, and that's when a lot of the trouble starts," they say.

So what are the chances of improving leisure facilities for young people? After all, the issue affects the quality of life for the older generation in York as much as the young people themselves.

Since the petition was submitted to City of York Council, there have been some developments - not least the Lib Dems seizing control of the council.

"The issue is one of the top priorities for the new administration," Quentin Macdonald said this week. He added that the new executive member for leisure and heritage would be meeting the York Youth Parliament as soon as possible. So teenagers in York may find themselves with more to do sooner than they thought.

Fact file:

- The York Youth Parliament was set up in January 2003. It is made up of a group of elected young people between 11 and 18, who are not connected to any political party.

- Earlier this year the group handed out 2000 postcards asking: "What would you improve for young people in York?" The ideas included calls for young people's cafes, improved leisure facilities, improved safety such as cleaner public toilets and more buses to local areas, more accessible and varied youth clubs, cheaper clothes shops and more shops suitable for young people.

- You can access the web-site of York Youth Parliament on www.yorkyp.co.uk and you can e-mail the group at info@yorkyp.co.uk. The web-site includes a message board where you can leave your suggestions and opinions.

Updated: 10:36 Thursday, May 15, 2003