Morinville has too many liquor stores and not enough activities, which could be why its youth feel bored and disengaged, says a study on the town's youth.
Town council heard a long presentation on the Morinville Youth Strategy on Sept. 13. The presentation summarized the results of focus groups and surveys done earlier this year to figure out how to get local youth more engaged with their community.
Youth simply don't feel that there's much to do in town, said Amy Dribnenky, the town's family and community support services coordinator and one of the strategy's lead researchers.
"They can't go to the movies, they can't do laser tag. Unless they're in an organized sport … we don't have a whole lot to offer them at this point."
Her team's research found that the town did not offer youth programs that ran on Saturday nights or that targeted kids aged 11 to 13 — both critical times when youth are most at risk to fall into bad habits. Focus groups suggest that local youth feel discriminated against by local businesses, she continued, making them reluctant to spend their money in them. "When they're having to leave their backpacks and purses at the counter…they're suddenly second-class citizens."
Morinville has to do more to make youth feel valued, Dribnenky said, as bored, unappreciated youth are more likely to turn to crime and drug use. "We want to go back to that feeling that you know your neighbour has your back."
Surprising study
Morinville is a very young community, according to the town's most recent census, with a median age of 33.6 and about 35 per cent of its population under 25.
The youth strategy started last year after a community needs assessment found a shortage of youth activities, Dribnenky said. Her team surveyed local community groups and 46 youths aged 15 to 17 to find the scope of the problem.
The youths cited a need for a place to hang out or work in town, the team found, such as a Chapters or Dairy Queen. "There's nothing going on [during] Saturday nights for youth," Dribnenky said, "and the town's dead on Sunday."
The youths flagged transportation, age discrimination and short operating hours as obstacles to getting active in Morinville. Others cited a lack of advertising. "We want to be involved and we want to do things," Dribnenky said, summarizing the youths' remarks. "We just don't know what we can be doing."
The town should use electronic signs and Twitter to promote youth activities, the youths suggested. The town could use more amenities like a movie theatre or bowling alley, the youths said, as well as bus service to West Edmonton Mall.
The youths also felt the town had too many liquor stores. Morinville has six licensed liquor outlets, according to the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission — a little more than twice what St. Albert has on a per-capita basis.
"They see this as a genuine concern," said Dribnenky. "We have all these liquor stores in Morinville, but nothing for youth to do, so what are they going to do?"
Town takes action
These results didn't surprise Mayor Lloyd Bertschi. "I've been hearing for a number of years that we do a really good job for the young kids in our community … but for [those] 10-and-older there are some areas of weakness." These problems have persisted in part because the town didn't really have a community services department until about five years ago.
Another problem is the town's proximity to St. Albert and Edmonton, he said, which tend to draw most of the businesses youth want. "I can't even buy a pair of socks in town."
Bertschi said he wasn't sure why Morinville had the number of liquor stores it did, but attributed it to economics. "Years ago, the complaint was that we had too many gas stations."
The town was now working with youth groups to promote local services and fill program gaps on weekends, Dribnenky said, and planned to hire a youth worker to more effectively engage with kids. More ideas will come out of next October's community development conference.
The town should have a formal youth strategy in place by the end of the year, Dribnenky said.
