Children and Youth
Children and Youth have access to a range of programs offered by the Town of Tillsonburg and other local user groups. The public consultation process highlighted a significant interest in active/sport fitness and non-sport recreation activities among youth aged 5-12 years and 13-19 years old. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that 79% of respondents did not perceive a need for additional recreation programs in Tillsonburg. In consideration of this, the Town should explore how programs and activities for this age group can be enhanced to support a growing youth population by growing staff levels to facilitate youth programs that experience high demand and have reached capacity such as summer camps and swimming programs (for more information regarding staff retention, see section 7.0 Service Delivery). Despite staff level challenges, there is an opportunity to explore enhancements to existing programs, particularly those experiencing high demand. Programming for youth presents challenges due to evolving interests and increased demands from school, part-time jobs, and socializing with friends. Many communities struggle with the parallel issues of apparent deficit in meaningful leisure time pursuits for teens, and not being able to ‘hit’ on solutions that will excite and attract high levels of participation by this age group. To address this, establishing a youth-oriented drop-in space, especially during winter months, was suggested based on survey
feedback. Collaboration with the youth- focused group ‘VIBE’ can provide valuable insights into youth interests and contribute to the planning of a dedicated space. Considering the dynamic interests of youth, an equipment lending initiative is proposed, allowing for self-directed recreation opportunities (e.g., football, basketball, frisbee). Collaborating with Oxford County Library for this initiative aligns with their community hub role and enhances informal programming. Such initiatives also open avenues for local organizations to sponsor and contribute to the availability of recreational equipment. A strong interest for after school programs was also expressed through the public consultation process. Among the random household telephone survey respondents who were asked to indicated what types of new/expanded non-sport programming or recreation opportunities would be of interest for their household, ‘after school programs’ were identified among the top three (16%). Although the Town of Tillsonburg offers seasonal camps for youth and children, this program alone does not support the needs of the community throughout the remaining school year. Over the term of this Plan, the Town of Tillsonburg should work towards developing and initiating after school activities for this age cohort. However, some challenges that already impact the Town’s capacity to provide and facilitate more programs such as funding and staff retention may impact the ability to provide these programs. To
28
Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting