By Bethany Blackwell

In Weymouth, young people aged between 12 and 18 like having somewhere to go for a few nights a week instead of roaming the streets or staying at home.

All kids can do is wander the streets, especially in the winter when there is nowhere to go or much to do, if youth clubs are closed.

When teenagers are experiencing stress at school, home or anywhere else, it is nice for them to get out of the the way and visit somewhere safe. People might have very different opinions on this topic.

For example, some might think that youth club buildings can be used for something else, or that the council can’t afford to run them.

The police complain when they have young people hanging around on the streets smoking, drinking and doing drugs - and they wonder why this happens?

As Weymouth town centre is the nearest place for young people to hang around, they must spend a lot of their money in places such as McDonalds or KFC.

I think it is only fair that these places chip in for something so that young people have something to do.

It has reached the point where behaviour has become so bad that to go in McDonalds after 10.30pm you must be over 18 and have ID to hand to enter and buy food.

Maybe if youth clubs were still open things like that wouldn’t happen. In my opinion, it is also unfair that clubs and buildings are held and built for the elderly but not for the younger generation.

Children have much more time on their hands; some of them have upcoming GCSEs and they have to worry about finding a job or getting into college. Youth workers can help with things such as this.

I don’t think it is right for youth clubs to be shut down. What happens to the buildings they were once held in? They are just abandoned.