Darrell Winning has an enviable day job - he helps teenagers put together dance parties. The alcohol and drug-free parties, called Hip Hop Intentions, are run once a month at the Massey Leisure Centre. The next one is at October 7, and is for 13 to 18-year-olds.
Darrell, who has a background as a youth worker for high-needs foster children, is a Raise Up n Represent co-ordinator, a youth programme facilitated by the YMCA. He manages the Massey and Te Atatu branches of the programme, dubbed The Crew.
“Raise Up n Represent is a programme for youth by youth. We have members from local high schools who meet every week, and we talk about everything from team building, leadership development and goal setting to current affairs.”
Darrell says the dance parties are a crucial part of the programme. The parties are planned by kids for kids, with Darrell managing the staff and security side of things. The kids do everything else, from getting the venue ready to setting up the stage, DJ’ing, marketing and promotion.
“The kids absolutely love it. One of the things about the Crew is, we take on kids who don’t seem to excel in any of the areas in life. They don’t achieve well academically, don’t play sport and sometimes don’t do well in social situations. But on the Crew, if you’re willing to work hard and roll your sleeves up, you get a lot of respect from the other Crew members.”
Young people get a boost of confidence from gaining new skills, which are taught to them in a fun way, so they might not even realise they’re learning.
“We get up to 500 kids at these parties and it’s a great way for them to let their hair down. Kids need to learn how to act in social situations where there are no parents, and no police. It’s alcohol that causes the problem normally in parties, but there’s none here. They can learn how to do all these things - flirting, meeting the opposite sex and just socialising in a healthy setting, where there’s positive peer pressure.”
* The next Hip Hop Intentions dance party is being held at the Massey Leisure Centre, cnr Don Buck Rd & Westgate Dr on October 7. There is a $6 cover charge and the event is open to all youth ages 13 to 18.
Source: http://www.localist.co.nz/west/articles/dance-parties-a-recipe-for-youth-success