If there was some sort of quantifier used to measure community spirit then Hartley Wintney’s would be off the Richter scale, so strong is the sense of community here. That all starts at an early age, with clubs such as Youthquake.
Sam Blackwell has been a youth worker at St John’s and started the Youthquake youth club just over a year ago. The bulk of his interactions have been aided by Zoom but he is relishing the return to real life interaction as he told CommunityAd, he’s loving his role at the club working alongside Andie and Jess: “what I enjoy most about it is being able to build up relationships with young people but also have a laugh while doing so”.
Could you tell our readers a little bit about Youthquake and what it’s all about?
Youthquake was thought up and run from inside St John’s Hartley Wintney Church. Basically, it’s a place where young people can come and have something to do on a Tuesday night. It’s a safe place where young people are able to express themselves and also have a laugh and loads of fun doing so.
Why is it so important that youth clubs have a place in this modern world and how beneficial is the youth club for its members post-lockdown?
I think arguably youth clubs are more important now, post lockdown, than they ever have been before. Lockdown has meant young people have had real limited interaction with one another and this has led to loneliness among a lot of young people as well as a lot of mental health issues. The impact that youth clubs have is that there are so many opportunities to build new friendships with people, as well as being able to talk to either friends or leaders about things that might be going on. We are so fortunate at Youthquake to have such a friendly and welcoming community of young people and we have been truly blessed with them.
How can readers get involved if they so wish?
If anyone would like to get involved at all that would be amazing! There are different ways you can do this, firstly if you have a child in between the school years of Year 8 to Year 13 then please do come along! We even give out free milkshakes, it’s so worth it! If you are outside that demographic and still think it sounds amazing then you might be interested in joining our wonderful team! If this is the case then please do send me an email at [email protected] and I would love to give you more information!
Finally, how long have you lived here in the Hartley Wintney area and what makes it such a fine community to be a part of?
If I’m being honest (which I should be!) I don’t actually live in Hartley Wintney but in Fleet! But the community in Hartley Wintney has been so welcoming and friendly. There is such a buzz around the village and it’s lovely to be a part of that!