"We are the reference persons for many young people".

Youth Centres play an important role in the lives of many young people. They capture young people after school by offering them a whole range of activities, but not only. Interview with Christian Gebhard, head of the "Woodstock" Youth House of Caritas Jeunes & Familles in Walferdange. On the photo, the socio-educational team (from left to right): Catia Barbosa, Sam Bourg and Christian Gebhard.

How did you stay in contact with the young people during the period of confinement?

We kept in touch with them through social networks. They could contact us at any time if they had any problems or questions. It was important that we were there to listen to them in these particularly difficult times. We also tried to offer them activities via the Internet, but we quickly realised that they didn't need us to entertain them online. However, after the first few weeks of confinement spent playing video games, more and more young people contacted us to ask when we were going to start our usual activities, eager to meet people again.

What measures did you put in place when you reopened?

A whole series of hygienic measures have been put in place: wearing the mask inside, distance measures, hand washing, etc. We have also removed some of our activities from our offer, especially those that were done in large groups, and added some new ones.

Did the young people come back easily?

Yes, they came back quickly. At the beginning we were afraid that we would not see some of the young people again. But, no, they all came back even more motivated than before. We can see that they missed the activities, but also and above all the social contact with other young people.

What do you offer as a Youth Centre?

We offer young people a space where they can keep busy, do activities (football, music, maker space, trampoline, volleyball, board games, etc.), meet other young people and find a listening ear. All the activities are free and are done on a voluntary basis, that's what they like. Young people do not need to join a club. They can skip from one activity to another as they wish. We also offer a cooking activity because we have noticed that at three o'clock, when the young people arrive at the centre, some of them haven't eaten all day. We then cook with them. We also have a project room where they can define themselves the projects they want to do. Some of them do, for example, film screenings and so on. Finally, we do a lot of excursions at the weekends, for example, on mountain bikes. Once or twice a year, we go to summer camp. This is important because young people tend to stay in small groups, of two or three. Summer camps are an opportunity to create links with other young people. A three-day camp is sufficient to create a group dynamic that includes all the young people.

Who are the young people who come to the centre?

They are young people between 14 and 18 years old. We also have "elders" who like to come back and participate in the activities.

Unfortunately, we can't talk about social mixing. The young people who come to us generally live in vulnerable families: single-parent families, very poor families, families in crisis (ongoing divorce, violence, family break-up, illness of a parent, etc.). Most of them are alone at home in the afternoon and are bored. They have no money to go out with friends or join clubs. Others run away from the stressful situations they encounter at home. In almost all cases, parents are not there to listen to them, either because they have to work hard to support their family or because they are overwhelmed by their own problems.

It is in our centre that these young people, who need to talk to an adult, find an attentive ear. As time goes by, we succeed in gaining their trust. For many of them, we are the first point of reference they turn to if they have a problem. This of course makes us proud of our work, but also sad because it means that they have not been able to find this listening ear with their family.

In what way do you also play an important role in preventing school drop-out?

We closely monitor the school progress of the young people who come to us and regularly check up with them. What are their problems at school? What are their dreams for the future? What should they do to achieve this? We advise and encourage them. This is an important role because many of our young people do not have parents at home who have studied and who can support them in their homework, advise and guide them. Furthermore, although none of our young people are currently breaking away from school, a large proportion of them are just on the borderline. They are at an age where priorities are different. Hence the importance of this work of encouragement.

What motivates you in your daily work?

It is the conviction that every young person should be able to refer to an adult if they have questions or problems. It is also the trusting relationship that we have succeeded in building with young people over the days. Finally, it is the energy that the young people themselves transmit to us through their enthusiasm, their positivism, their dreams.  They come with pleasure and that pleases us.