General Chat

Yes Youth Clubs were a very good way of keeping the teenagers off the streets and also busy doing activities supervised by adults. I use to be on a YC committee.

But when the Internet took over and kids all got phones, suddenly playing table tennis, and other games became a bit "old fashioned" and numbers dwindled until we had to close down. Very sad really.

We also use to have 10 mins of chat on different subjects relevant to the teenagers and we could be agony aunts to some. We only charged £1 and provided squash and biscuits. We had to fundraise to buy equipment too as never got much funding.

Florence in the hebrides

Youth clubs did a lot for 'troubled' teenagers, but have been deemed not worthy of funding.

Sadly it is a part of the city with a lot of problems. Some supermarkets refuse to deliver to the area for fear of drivers being attacked and more than once they have stopped buses running in the area after 6pm due to large numbers of broken windows.

Back in the 70s husband and myself used to be volunteers with the probation service he seemed to get wayward male youths (and visited Borstal which he found a depressing place), while I got shoplifters (female) to support.

In the late 70s we had moved to a different area at the local comprehensive attended from first to sixth form by daughter and son from first to third when we moved, there was an excellent male teacher who, I think, had previously worked at a remand school. Any disruptive boys (I can’t remember if it was girls as well) were sent to his class. He was a big bloke with a big voice. He (figuratively speaking) knocked them into shape. They didn’t move back into normal classes until they improved their attitude and behaviour. He was actually a lovely man and very kind.

I think the term 'NEDS' is a bit mean - personally, I just call them bar stewards, or similar!

They used to have Approved schools for first offenders, then they had Borstal.

One of my brothers went to both - he said both were preferable to the 'exclusive' boarding school he attended!!

He took his 'O' levels and 'A' levels at these institutions - and passed.
He also learnt a trade.

In his adult life, he spent his spare time helping 'NERDS', and when he retired, he volunteered to drive a community bus.

He was not a Non-Educated Delinquent, he was just a very unhappy boy.

That must have been so frightening for the driver and so dangerous.

Must admit I had to Google NED. It's not a term I had heard of before.

Kath. x

How scary for them.

Did start to wonder why then weren’t still in bed then realised they had probably been out all night. :-|

A taxi driver Mr Owl knows was driving along the city bypass at 5.30am yesterday morning taking passengers to the airport. A group of Feral teenage NEDs were tossing rocks off an overpass and one went through the taxi window. Both the driver and passengers were alright if a little shaken by the incident.

The overpass is in an area well known for feral children and teenagers who also enjoy playing on the railway line.

Maybe an unpopular view but I think it’s time for military style boot camps to give them something to do and teach them life skills that will serve them in the future.