Friday Evening Youth Activities Restart At Prince Arthur School

It was a question MJ Independent asked Mayor Clive Tolley this past November - if a free Friday night youth activity program would be re-starting at Prince Arthur School (640 Stadacona Street East) because the COVID - 19 pandemic mandates and restrictions were on their way out.

At the time Mayor Tolley said he, by virtue of just being elected as the new mayor, had no information about. But that has recently changed with the program re-starting.

“I think it is a great opportunity. You often hear there is nothing for youth to do in Moose Jaw. Here you have a program by the City of Moose Jaw to give young people something to do and be active on a Friday evening,” he said.

The program is known as Notoriously Active Social Happenings (NASH) and this past Friday evening - May 13th - the program kicked off at Prince Arthur School.

“It is going to restart and give youth an opportunity to have some fun on a Friday evening. I think it is fabulous (for youth) and there are trained people supervising (the activities).”

The free program will offer youth from ages 13 - 17 the opportunity to participate in adult supervised activities at Prince Arthur School from 7 pm to 10 pm.

The main activities youth can participate in are basketball and volleyball.

Basketball is one of the activities youth can participate in - file photo

The former program - run until the pandemic mandates shut it down - was an extension of the free Friday night swim program. The free Friday night swims program started as part of the anti-drug initiative and by offering youth an activity it was hoped it would help them avoid using drugs and potentially engaging in related criminal activities.

By expanding activities to Prince Arthur School it allowed youth in the neighbourhood to have a Friday night activity they could access as Moose Jaw Transit does not have regular evening bus service.

Although the activities happen at Prince Arthur School the program is open to all Moose Jaw youth from ages to 13 - 17.

Mayor Tolley noted that the Golden Ticket Events Centre had many children dropping in to play basketball and the free Friday night drop in program helped to fill some of the gap lost with the loss of the Moose Jaw YMCA.

“I think it is fabulous.”

As a former social worker MJ Independent asked the Mayor if such programs not only gave people the opportunity to get out and have some fun but also served other purposes such as keeping youth out of trouble he said the program would help to do that.

Mayor Tolley said it was hard to quantify the successes of such programs and also stressed the program was not saying the youth involved were criminally inclined but the program was just one of things out there to keep youth out of potential trouble.

“It is good because youth are not just roaming about (and getting into potential trouble). It keeps youth from roaming the streets in a adult supervised activity.”

Mayor Tolley said he could apply it to a recent proclamation he signed declared Victims and Survivors of Crime Week and a presentation he attended about it.

One of the presenters said his problems started when he was young and had no real parental supervision “which led to his problems” in life and the turn towards crime.

“So you have an adult supervised program where youth can associate with their friends and get away from other things,” he said, adding “its a free and it gives youth the opportunity to see friends (in a great atmosphere).”

in addition to NASH being at Prince Arthur School the youth activity program is planning to be mobile this Summer and drop into various neighbourhoods to offer youth 13 - 17 a variety of FREE activities.

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