Youthtown turns 90 this year; a celebratory milestone as the organisations continues its work to help young people throughout Aotearoa be the best they can be.

Renowned for its before, after school and holiday programmes, Youthtown today supports young people with a wide range of programmes from camps, sports teams, expeditions, physical training programmes, job skills and learner driving.

Youthtown works with over 2500 young people each year, partnering with local schools and community spaces across Aotearoa, with a focus on creating access in lower socio-economic communities where the need for support is greater.

According to Youthtown Chief Executive Fay Amaral without the provision of Youthtown’s services many children and their families would face barriers to connecting with positive care options and stimulating youth development programs.

“We know that Youthtown provides parents and caregivers with a stimulating, safe and caring environment for their tamariki and rangatahi while they maintain their own employment.

“Young people today, have a whole lot going on, and we want to walk alongside them to ensure they have the best opportunity to thrive. We invest in spaces, hubs, and resources to build a sense of belonging and community, with fun and creative environments.

“We’ve been empowering young people who are engaged in communities for 90 years which is a fantastic achievement and shows we’re staying relevant. Our programs are designed with young people at the heart of them; we listen to them; we use dialogue that engages and empowers, and we tailor programs to the interests and strengths of young people,” says Amaral.

Youthtown is a proud and uniquely Kiwi institution since 1932, when small boxing gym opened in Parnell. It was designed to get boys off the street and into learning a new skill, 'Boystown' was a partnership between the Police and community business folk.

As the years passed, that small gym turned into an iconic sports and leisure facility on Nelson Street, Auckland: a second home to many young people across the city. Around the same time, the organisation had a name change to Youthtown and spaces opened across the North and South Islands to extend the experience to more communities.

Dylan Perfect Tait’s first memory of Youthtown was back in the 90’s when he visited the Nelson St building with his dad, who journeyed from Rotorua to play in the local basketball league, while the kids hung out in the recreation room. Later when Dylan moved to Auckland, he played high school basketball at Nelson Street Youthtown courts. In 2005 he joined the school holiday program team as a youth worker. It’s a truly family affair with Dylan’s dad also working at Youthtown from 2005 – 2008.

Dylan later returned to Youthtown and has never left. He is now General Manager Programme Delivery & Community based in Taupo.

“We do transformational work with young people as they build their identity. I see it over the years when we have young people come through programs, and they have a journey with us from Oscar program to Youth Squad. We’re only part of that alongside school and whanau, however through our programs they will pick up good tools and skills to be able to thrive. We sit with them from childhood to end of high school and that’s where Youthtown’s success is,” says Perfect-Tait.

A number of these young people, who have been with Youthtown throughout their childhood and early adulthood, end up becoming staff members.

“It incredibly rewarding to see many of our team leaders, and employees have lived experience of Youthtown having been a young person participating in a holiday program or hanging out at the Youthtown basketball courts during their youth. They often say to me; “I thought the youth leader at the time was really cool and wanted to be just like them. They always look like they were having fun,”” says Perfect-Tait.

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