Village teenagers get on board for youth club held on a train

Youth workers have set up the novel approach to ensure services are available to youngsters living in isolated parts of the North York Moors National Park.

There have been mounting concerns that young people who live in outlying villages across the North York Moors are missing out on youth service activities.

North Yorkshire County Council’s youth service has now set up the youth club, dubbed the 4.05 after the train service which it is held on along the Esk Valley line between Whitby and Danby.

The youngsters are being offered a range of activities by youth workers on board the train including poetry writing, rapping, and film-making.

The youth club is also being used to provide guidance on a host of issues such as staying safe and career options for the teenagers.

James Koppert, who is an arts co-ordinator with North Yorkshire County Council as well as a rap artist, has been working with the 50 young people who make that school journey on the train every day.

Mr Koppert said: “I think we’ll have a lot of fun over time.

“It’s a novel way for these young people to learn new skills and one of the activities I hope to develop is some poetry writing about journeys.”

The council’s youth workers have long recognised the difficulties of delivering youth service activities to young people who live in isolated pockets along the Esk Valley.

However, the decision to set up the youth club on the train is seen as an ideal way of making contact when the teenagers are all in one place.

One idea is for the young people to make a calendar of their train journey and the youth service is due to provide a portable prop box and laptops so they can create a film and write accompanying verse.

The council’s executive member for the youth support service, Coun Arthur Barker, admitted the authority had been faced with major challenges to ensure there are adequate youth services across England’s largest county.

But Coun Barker added: “We have had a very good response from the young people so far.

“It’s often difficult for teenagers in remote areas to get to youth clubs but in this way they can enjoy youth activities while on the move. Our youth service is always striving for innovation in order to deliver effective services to young people across this large rural county.”

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