Local Youths Get Festive This April

By Emma Norris on March 31, 2011 in News

“The teenage years are the best days of your life.”

Yes, it’s one of those preachy catchphrases that parents spout out when attempting to be cool but as much as we hate to admit it, it’s true. Unfortunately, with all the stressful elements of daily adolescent life (such as school, exams and selecting a suitable date for the school formal) it can be challenging to find the time to just celebrate being young!

National Youth Week 2011 provides the perfect antidote to these frustrations. This collaborative local, state and territory government venture will be held from April 1 to 10, giving young people the opportunity to share ideas, showcase their talents and contribute to their local community. Whether they want to indulge their competitive side or just sit back and take it all in, this nationwide event offers something for everyone!

It all sounds very exciting, but just what’s going on in the local community?

Young people from the Randwick and Waverley areas can consider themselves very fortunate as there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved. Young musos and music lovers will be keen to get down to the WAYS Bondi Blitz music festival, budding filmmakers can pursue their fifteen minutes of fame at Urban Shorts 2011, and while not officially part of Youth Week (it falls on April 14), artistically-inclined aspiring Picassos will be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the Filthy Art Festival.

Now in its 23rd year, the drug and alcohol free Bondi Blitz will once again be held at the iconic Bondi Beach on Saturday, April 2, kicking off at 11am. A raft of talented headliners and up-and-comers will be rocking the beach including Heroes for Hire, Chemical Transport and Stone Monks.

According to Ryan Whitty, vocalist for pop/rock outift Stone Monks who has played the festival several times before, “It’s a good idea to support alcohol and drug-free events.”

WAYS Youth Work Co-ordinator David Adams agreed, adding that it’s great that the festival is also free of charge because many young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, cannot usually attend these kind of events due to the high cost.

Movie buffs will also be catered for this April and should make their way to the Randwick Ritz Cinema on Monday, April 4 for the screening of Urban Shorts 2011. The event will run from 6pm to 7:30pm. A number of talented actors and directors will have the chance to see their work on the big screen as the Ritz will be screening as many entries as possible. Tickets are just $5 and can be pre-booked or purchased from the Ritz on the day.

If that’s not enough, paintbrush-wielding youngsters can enter the Recycled Arts Prize (RAP) at the Filthy Art Festival, which will be held at Maroubra Beach on Thursday, April 14. Entrants are required to take an old skateboard and transform it into a creative piece of art using any medium, including sculpture. There will also be plenty of other exciting things happening on the day, including a skate demonstration and pavement chalk art.

So if you want to step into the spotlight and support young talent, be sure to pencil National Youth Week into your diary!

For more information about the above National Youth Week events visit www.ways.org.au, www.randwick.nsw.gov.au or www.youthweek.com.