Mall base for worker in north

A youth worker be being appointed this month to help young people in Shirley-Papanui may be the first in New Zealand based in a shopping mall.

Jointly employed by Christchurch City Council, Northlands Mall and Papanui High School's Te Kaupapa Whakaora, a complementary education service, the youth worker will be based in Northlands Mall - a popular attraction for young people.

He or she will work proactively with youths, and liaise with other in individuals and or organisations providing similar services.

These include youth groups, the mall managers, Papanui High School, Papanui Baptist Church and the police.

Bruce Meder, the Shirley-Papanui community development advisor, says that following a (Council-organised) youth summit in 1998, mall managers provided a house for youth groups to use as an office.

They also came up with the idea of employing a youth worker.

Twenty-seven people applied for the job and five were be being in interviewed as this Christchurch City Scene was going to print.