The youth zone at the Steveston Salmon Festival is known as a rite of passage for Richmond’s teenagers.
“They stand at the back of the community centre and they just watch all the action on the hill,” said festival co-chair Kirstine Dickson.
With a DJ, free hotdogs, pop, chips and a variety of games, teens are well-equipped on Canada Day. The main goal is that everyone there is entertained, fed and feel they have a place where they belong and are left to themselves.
“They don’t fit into all the things we necessarily do and I think this just gives them a place to be,” said Dickson.
Festival organizers also speak to the RCMP each year about how they can keep the event safe and issues of drinking or rowdiness to a minimum. In previous years, the police had a larger presence in the Youth Zone, said Dickson, but that wasn’t well received by the teens who “revolted” and refused to enter the area.
Now the police just monitor the area and any incidents are at a minimum. Dickson said she thinks there has only been one in the past three years.
