TheBloodyNine

Why on earth would you want to do that? Because bike riders seem to think they have a right to cycle on the pavements. FFS not this again.

I would say that we are generally as well severed as the majority of towns with similar populations in the UK, in some cases we are better off. In the UK though your never too far from another town that may have the facilities you want. I totally agree that if you are willing to go out and find something to do, and have parents willing to invest to time, energy, and funds into supporting you then there is enough to keep any child entertained. Hell if I had grown up here I would have been spoilt for choice, as it was I grew up in a proper shit hole where there actually was nothing to do other than swim, as such I swam at national level. However if all you want to do is hang out with friends then it can seem like there is nothing to do, in most places in the UK there is a Cinema/entertainment complex nearby that you can hang out in, or a decent indoor shopping centre for the same purpose. Bah this is going no where though as I didn't have the normal childhood boredom, I left school and all its associated after school clubs and started on the pubs, so have no life experience to offer a solution. Other than maybe a club for 16-18 year olds where they can have a few drinks in a responsible manner, play some pool listen to music. All while supervised by young adults that they can respect and have a laugh with. Maybe it would help reduce the binge drinking culture as well by teaching them that you can drink responsibly and have a much better time, and remember it.

I agree there is plenty to do, but you have to be willing to actually go out and find it. I'm not trying to argue here just stating that the general opinion of the younger members of my family (15 nieces and nephews between 6 and 19) and their friends is that there is "nothing to do". A larger project with a lot of publicity and having activities nightly would go a step to shutting them up. I agree that community based youth centres are probably a better solution for younger children, however I would say that for older children/teens that having a modern main attraction where all there friends are that treats them like adults would be more attractive than a converted kids club. I admit I am mearly speculating at this point though as I spent my late teens in the pub from 16 onwards so never had need of a youth centre. Although my time being treated as an adult in an adult environment, taught me to be a sensible drinker and to know my limits, although that's a point for another discussion at the minute I think.

The amount of youths complaining of nothing to do and getting pissed suggests there is a drastic lack of youth facilities on the island. Maybe offering activities and the like to older kids 16-18. Why would you not want to have the facilities in a more convenient location? Having it in central Douglas next to the bus station would mean it would be much easier for it to be used by "youths" from the whole island. As for the Government making money from the site, well that's just never going to happen, it would mean the Government doing something proactive with a derelict site rather than hoping a local business will do it, make all the money and leave the tax payer with the bill to maintain and run the site.

Or maybe something useful like a youth centre, rather than more bloody apartments that we don't need. We definitely need a proper bus station, with proper facilities, and maybe some kind of public transport subsidy to redress the balance so it is no longer cheaper to take a car to work, along with paying for parking, tax and all other fees.

Don't watch the news, simples.