Youth worker Taylor Lake says violence at the nearby Albany bus station shows more help is needed. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams
A youth group formed after a spate of violent crime on Auckland's North Shore is providing young people with a place to belong and get involved in their community.
Bays Youth Voice started in response to a series of violent attacks on young people at the Browns Bay skatepark, shortly after the pandemic lockdowns.
Youth worker Taylor Lake said that mobilised the community to take action.
"[Social media] posts were being made about young people causing problems, hurting each other at the skatepark, stealing each other's clothes, shoes. It had gotten to a point where our young people had become disengaged from going to school."
The youth group formed under Bays in Action, a collective that is focused on youth development and is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board.
Three years on, the group is thriving, but Lake said youth violence at the nearby Albany bus station meant more help was needed.
"It's worrying and concerning. A lot of these young people, after our meetings, will go and catch the bus home. When the stabbing happened it was the same night as our youth night here in Browns Bay, so it is concerning."
Lake says the East Coast Bays area needs more youth services. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams
That was September last year, when a 24-year-old man died in hospital after being stabbed at the Albany Bus Station - a 16-year-old has been charged with murder.
This week a 17-year-old was threatened by two boys with a machete at the same station and in April, two teenage girls were injured after being attacked on a bus as it pulled into the station.
Lake said the East Coast Bays area needed more youth services - she became involved after gaining a certificate in youth development, becoming a member of the local community centre's board and her role grew from there.
"There is actually a big gap, there's nothing here for these young people... and I'm starting to see it as quite a pattern out on the Shore."
But she said the budgets for youth services were crimped.
"How can we do that with less funding, it's difficult, it's hard, it's going to be even more of a struggle. But our passion and our drive will never falter," Lake said.
"The only way to even secure funding is actually collaborating with one another. A lot of organisations are losing out on funding, are losing out on opportunities to grow their mahi."
The East Coast Bays Library has become a popular hang-out for teenagers and young people.
There is no youth centre, so Lake books a room amongst the bookshelves every fortnight for Bays Youth Voice, and a dozen young people turn up.
"I believe that they are wanting a space for themselves, they want to feel that sense of belonging," Lake said.
"This isn't a faith based community youth group, it's actually a community grassroots youth group. All of these kids come from way different backgrounds, they're all unique in their own way."
She said the young people, aged between 11 and 25, plan and run community events - earlier this year they held a clothes swap during Pride month.
Amy Capon is 19 now, she joined Bays Youth Voice a few years ago to make friends and get involved in the community.
"I've found my belonging here outside of school because I had not idea what I wanted to do and through this group I've found so many new interests, met so many cool people," she said.
"I would hope we would have some impact on finding people that are in rough situations and giving them a place of belonging."
The youngest in the group, 11 year old Noah Wright, said they would like to have a dedicated youth centre.
"I hope that we can become a bigger thing and get more people in to this and maybe one day have a youth centre."
High school student Joshua Wang, 15, said he joined the group to get involved in the community.
"There's a lack of youth voices especially as we are in the Bays... it was just amazing that I could contribute to this."
Patcha Sheeran, 12, is at intermediate school and said she joined to be part of a group giving youth a voice.
"I was looking for an opportunity to be a part of the community and help the youth voice be heard."
Lake is also the co-ordinator for Neighbourhood Support North Shore and hoped Bays Youth Voice would become a group where young people affected by crime can be supported.
"I think these young people are passionate and ready to actually create more social change," she said.
"They're hoping that with Bays Youth Voice, it could give a chance like a safe space for other young people to come, and also a place where young people can gather resources and get help and advice."