Get ready for the Big Day In
May 5, 2005

North Shore City's young people are planning to lock themselves indoors during Youth Week 2005 - for a day of outrageous fun.

The Youth Liaison Team has organised the Big Day In at the council's Birkenhead Leisure Centre on Saturday, May 14.

Team member, Theresa Alchin, says that using the leisure centre will make this year's Big Day In even bigger and better than last year's.

"There will be so many opportunities on the day. Everyone can try out the climbing wall, Play Station through projectors, table tennis, a mechanical surfboard and karaoke - all for free," she says.

"The idea is to encourage young people's participation, and their connections to their communities."

Youth Week 2005 is a national event that celebrates young people.

The week, from May 9 to 15, will also see the Shore Youth Council's Youth Bus User Survey (Y-BUS) handed out to those who regularly use that form of public transport.

It asks questions about when young people catch buses, where are they travelling, whether bus routes meet their needs, and what would need to change for them to use buses more often.

When it is completed, Shore Youth Council will present the findings of the survey to North Shore City Council and Auckland Regional Council.

North Shore City deputy mayor, Dianne Hale, says this age group are heavy users of public transport, but they are difficult to reach.

"Through the Y-BUS survey, Shore Youth Council will be able to provide transport authorities with excellent information about the transport experience of young people," she says.

"This will give us a clear picture of how young people see the current bus service, and assist us in planning for the future of the public transport system in North Shore City."

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