Friday, 29th Feb

Friday night started like any other regular DropZone night with a great turn out of happy, noisy and excited youth ready for a great night. But sadly this positive outlook did not last long as the youth had a hard time at keeping quiet and were disrespectful to the leaders. It is very hard work to try and explain how to play a game with 20 youth who are talking about what they did that week! As you have been informed previously, we have started a new discipline system at DropZone to make sure it is a fun and safe place for every one. This involves using yellow and red cards for disapproved behavior, such as talking when the leaders are explaining a game, being disrespectful, fighting, smoking etc. Yellow cards are given for minor offences and red for more major offences. Either three yellow cards or one red card results in being asked to leave DropZone for the evening.

We therefore had to issue a number of different youth with one or more yellow cards throughout the course of the evening, but this seemed to have little effect. After being issued with three yellow cards a few youth were asked to leave DropZone for the evening and we continued the program. Sadly at 8.15 we decided to close DropZone for the evening as many youth were still making wrong choices and we were also receiving disruptions from the youth outside (such as the main power board being turned off.) Many of the youth were therefore angry and upset that they had to leave early and some chose to express this anger physically in an inappropriate manner towards the leaders and property. As DropZone leaders we did our best to protect all of the youth under our care. This disruptive behavior and its effects are currently being followed up by the police and we are in contact with the offending youth and their families.

This event has really upset us, as we really want to be there for the Carterton youth and run an exciting, fun program for them all. We spend time putting together what we think will be a fun night of games, activities and a talk, but if the youth can not obey a few simple rules it becomes very hard work and not fun for any one. Therefore DropZone will be shut for two weeks in order to give every one time to think about what has happened, and what we are all going to do in order to make sure DropZone is a fun and safe place for every one. There will be some youth who will be asked to not return to DropZone for a period of time.

So on Good Friday the 21st of March we hope to re-open DropZone for a great fun night together. The evening games and activities will be all about EGGS so it sounds like fun!!! Chocolate eggs or real eggs is the question?!

look forward to seeing you again then... we have missed you all!

with love,
Your DropZone Leaders