A safe space where youth can hang out, collaborate, and express themselves freely, is what a Cochrane man envisioned when he started Cochrane Youth Arts.
As a result of the his nephew’s death last summer, Mike Gawryletz said he started asking around town to see what youth needed in the town, and realized the biggest complaint from young people is there is “nothing to do.”
“I wanted a less structured free space to promote creativity and allow for identity to develop,” Gawryletz said.
“We wanted to give a sense of optimism, a sense of purpose, a sense that life is OK and worth living.”
After talking with the owners at the Heritage House Coffee Co., as of last week youth are now invited to come and hang out at the café every Thursday from 4 p.m. to close, where they can sit and have a beverage, order some food or bring their instrument and jam together on the stage.
“I want to just help give young people something to do – this is all about the youth. I lost my mom when I was a teenager so I have a lot of compassion for people that age,” Gawryletz said.
“Hopefully we can create a place for young people to express, a safe space where you can say what is in your heart.”
Café owner Tim Davidson said he is excited to be part the solution to give youth something to do.
“It is nice to be able to give kids a place and purpose with minimum adult participation and just give them a place to hangout,” Davidson said.
As the Cochrane Youth Arts is starting to kick off with the dedicated youth night, Gawryletz said he is open to collaborating with other businesses and organizations until the youth in town have “something to do” every night of the week.
The plan is for the group to one day form a “youth council” with a parent/adult advisory board for assistance. Once there is a council, the next generation of Cochrane will be able to take over developing event ideas, hosting fundraisers, and maybe start planning international trips to help in third world countries.
The group will also be fundraising for the Cochrane Youth Arts Memorial Fund where people can donate and the youth council can draw from the funds to support the group’s different activities.
“Right now, everything is still evolving but we are trying to keep it simple and keep it all about the youth,” Gawryletz said.
As the Cochrane Youth Arts gains its footing, organizers are also hopeful to host one “big” event once a month, such as the concert that was hosted at the café last Sunday (with turnout?).
For more information or how to get involved, go to the “Cochrane Youth Arts” Facebook page or email the organizers at [email protected].
