Is there a place for youth in West Vancouver?
Only 48% of residents agreed that West Van is a great place for teens and young adults.
In the latest Vital Signs report West Van scored an “A” grade for quality of life (p13). For the most part, we are quite happy with where we live.
80% of participants agreed that West Van is a great place to retire, and 83% agreed that West Van is a good place to raise kids. But perhaps not all groups are as well served.
According to the report only 48% of residents surveyed believe that West Van is a great place for teens and young adults (Vital Signs, p13).
The are clearly likely to be a number of reasons for this stark contrast. However, one contributing factor may lie in West Vancouver’s inability - so far, at least - to deliver a true replacement for the Youth Centre that once existed in Ambleside Park.
Firefighters tackle the blaze engulfing the Ambleside Youth Centre
Ambleside Youth Center burned down in 2019, soon after being shuttered because the roof had caved in. A repurposed WW2-era military hut, it had been operating as a youth centre for 22 years.
In 2018, the district acquired a temporary space in Park Royal South which allows room for limited gatherings of young people at certain times. It also acts as a hub for all district information on youth activities and participation.
The Ambleside Youth Centre was approximately three times the size of the space currently leased at Park Royal, and able to host multiple programs at a time. The leased facility can only accommodate one program at a time.
The space at Park Royal is not able to host events such as concerts, gig nights, celebratory events, or larger gatherings, which are very much in demand.
Youth Spaces in West Vancouver
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A place to hang out, watch movies, play pool, volunteer at the concession, or participate in the popular cook nights.
Youth leaders provide a supportive atmosphere for people in grades 8 to 12.
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The Youth Lounge is a place to spend time with friends, meet new people, or play pool, table tennis, or football.
Youth leaders supervise the venue and can connect preteens and youth in grades 6 to 12 to volunteer opportunities, youth-led community groups, and important resources and information.
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A place for pre-teens to hang out and visit with friends.
Youth leaders supervise youth in grades 6 and 7 while they play sports and games, watch movies, and more.
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A room designed for youth in grades 8–12 to relax with friends or catch up on homework.
Click on the arrows to expand.
Nevertheless, the Park Royal space is still well-used by young people:
Up to 40 youth attend during drop-in hours each week (open 12 hours per week).
Every week, between 5 and 50 youth attend specialized group programs and events.
In October 2021, staff provided one-to-one support to 62 people.
The space is leased for youth services at a below-market rate, which means it could be relocated at any time by Park Royal.
Replacement
Two years before the Ambleside Centre burned down West Van Council was warned that the facility needed replacement. A district youth facilities task force concluded that the building’s age and location on unstable land made it very fragile.
Surveys and other work since 2019 concluded the need for a centrally-located facility that would house various services under one roof, and so staff began looking for a new location for a youth hub.
Council directed staff to produce detailed business plans “including proposed capital, maintenance, and operating costs” for two options, a new permanent facility or the long-term lease of an existing space.
Those options for the youth hub - a new building in Ambleside, or a leased space at Park Royal - were put to citizens in a consultation, together with some of the costings, and has yet to report back.
Costs
The capital costs of building a new facility in Ambleside Park are estimated at $5.96m, but leasing costs would quickly outstrip the overall cost of operating the centre. So over 10 years the life cycle cost estimate would be $7.2m to lease, compared to $6.5m to build and operate.
Not surprisingly over a longer time-frame, leasing a facility is considerably more expensive than building a replacement. At 20 years the estimated gap is $3.25m and over a 30-year time frame, it would cost about $6m more.
Given the difficulty of getting any capital projects passed - in this or in many other communities - staff may be reluctant to propose a new dedicated building.
But if we want the most effective facility, for the lowest overall cost, in a location that young people are comfortable with, a youth hub at Ambleside looks like the better choice.
Either way it’s high time we all did more to make space for youth in our community.
