The Bridge: Christmas lights

On the night of the Bridgnorth Christmas lights switch on we only had ten young people in The Bridge Youth Centre. Of course most young people were enjoying a night out in town, but given that we only re-launched our Friday night programme at The Bridge in September, I was still quite pleased that we had ten. If you’re not sure what a night at The Bridge looks like on a Friday, think of it like a young person focussed bar with tuck shop and fizzy drinks instead of alcohol. We’ve got a great pool table, we watch movies, play darts and generally just hang out together.

Around half way through the evening last week a member of my team and I went out in to town to meet with and support teenagers. When we go out to speak to teenagers in the evenings we’re hoping to be a positive presence, to help where needed, and to let them know what we’re doing in the building.

For better or worse, I’m probably the most conspicuous person to walk around in a crowd of 200 teenagers from Bridgnorth. The reason I’m so well known is because over the last seven years I’ve worked with nearly every school age young person a few times a year with my schools and youth centre teams.

On the night in question my colleague Becki and I walked around talking to, and spending time with teenagers from the town. We probably spent a significant amount of time with around thirty five, forty in total.

There was the guy who use to read to me in primary school and who is now as really wonderful fifteen/ sixteen year old. There was the girl who was part of my interview process as a young teen, who now manages an award winning restaurant. There was the slightly drunk 19 year old guy who stumbled over to tell me about his apprenticeship and to tell me how much he loved the assemblies I use to do when he was in school. Of course there was a slight mocking tone, but nonetheless it was good to chat to him, and he was thrilled that I remembered him. There was a group who we know from lunch clubs. A group who we’d met in the summer at a massive activity programme we ran on crown meadow. And of course there was a lot of loud, excited shouting of my name while we walked through the crowds.

We had the best night out chatting to the young people, but I do appreciate that there is a big question surrounding whether young people were a problem on the night. For me the answer is no, and although I say that not knowing whether there were any incidents involving the Police, I would still stand by what I said to a member of the council who was wearing his high viz vest. “There isn’t one young person I’ve met in Bridgnorth that I dislike”. 

Were they walking in packs of fifty? Yes. Does that look scary? Yes, I think it probably does. But the real question for me is whether they can change how they connect with each other? I would argue that they probably can’t. 

There’s a strange sort of magnetism that surrounds them; at one point in the night, there was around fifty stood outside of Costa. Of course it was causing a bit of commotion and people were understandably avoiding them, but when we approached them and asked a couple what they were doing, they actually had absolutely no idea. They were simply stood there because everyone else was. And of course, after ten minutes or so, they all dispersed and reconvened outside of Tesco before they moved on again.

So I’m in a funny position with teenagers in the town. On one hand I would want them to come to The Bridge on Friday night, (5:30pm - 9:30pm every week) but on the other hand, I’m well aware that young people will flock and be attracted to wherever they happen to go. And for that reason, we will always encourage them to come in to our building, and also always go to find where they’ve found themselves stuck in a crowd.

John Prockter