Mission Statement:
To improve the range and quality of nightlife options for teens in Boulder
What—Work with local teens to determine what safe activities they like would like available to them at night in Boulder
How – Find organizations and/or community members that are willing to host teen events
Who – Local teens (high school students) who live in Boulder or go to school in Boulder
Description
During the initial launch of Growing up Boulder, youth were asked “What could be improved in Boulder?” The consensus amongst teens was that Boulder needs more nightlife activities for 14-18 year olds. Boulder teens have reported that many peers engage in alcohol and drug related activities as a form of entertainment. According to the Boulder County Youth Risk and Behavior Survey almost 40% of 12th graders reported binged drinking on 1 or more days within 30 days of the survey. The goal of the GUB Nightlife Action Group is to research and help implement safe, affordable, and accessible activities and/or events to the teens of Boulder.
Currently, a group of local teens is designing and distributing a questionnaire created for their peers in hopes of learning more about nightlife issues and opportunities in Boulder. The survey includes questions about modes of transportation, the amount youth are willing to pay for nightlife activities and the types of activities in which youth would like to participate. Below is a link to the questionnaire:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GUBnightlifesurvey
Information collected from the questionnaire will provide community members and organizations with direction about how to structure nightlife activities that teens will love and use.
The YMCA of Boulder Valley has used preliminary feedback from GUB nightlife action group teens and its own YMCA Teen Advisory Board to develop a new program called “Funder Cat Fridays.” Funder Cat Fridays provide an inexpensive night of food, games and entertainment for 8th-12th graders at the YMCA (http://www.ymcabv.org/ymcaweb/teens_friday_nights.html). The GUB nightlife action group is also working closely with Mark Megibow to help open The Loft. The Loft (http://theloftboulder.com/) would aim to be the entertainment and relaxation destination for Boulder County high school youth. It would be a dance club, café, and hangout for teens by teens. Not only would it provide a fun, indoor space where teens could spend time after school and on weekends, but it would be a potential source of employment for Boulder’s young people.