Almost every week there is a story in the paper about hoodies, yobs and youths causing havoc in the Galliagh and Greater Shantallow estates, but now young people have decided it is time the ‘good in Galliagh’ made the headlines.
"The community in Galliagh makes me proud of coming from there." says 16-year-old Fionnuala Mellon. "The community around us, the way in times of need you knew your community was behind you and stood up for you. I feel angry when people say bad things about it because I think that most of the people that do it are people that were never in Galliagh."
"There is a lack of facilities in Galliagh. There is a youth organisation called Off The Streets but they have limited staff and there isn’t enough to go round the whole estate. I think there is not enough youth clubs or parks anywhere for young people to go or to stand or play in."
Kadie Mellon and Caoimhe Patton, both 16, are doing their part to promote the good in Galliagh by being part of Team Players, a community play project. They volunteer to get the local young people off the street corners by playing games and interacting with others.
The team goes out on the streets playing traditional games like skipping, hop-scotch and football. The volunteers, who are aged between 16-24-year-olds, identify children aged 4-15 who may be hanging about with not much to do.
Kadie says boredom is the worst problem for teenagers today. "There is nowhere to go and when you are out in the street there is still nowhere to go because people tell us to go away!"
They both want to be youth workers when they get older. Kadie says: "I want to do what I can to make sure young people in the future aren’t lighting fires, hitting each other or breaking things. When I was young I was bored too and that’s the whole problem now for young people in Galliagh."
Caoimhe adds: "It is also important that young people aren’t inside all the time playing the computer."
Kadie, who never wants to leave Galliagh, reckons the area needs a park while Caoimhe would like to see a club 'with computers and sofas'. She also wishes Galliagh could be 'tidied up a bit'.
It’s a view echoed by local youth worker Margaret Fegan. "If I had a grant of half a million to spend on Greater Shantallow I would book out a big venue for all the young people, just to meet up and have some food and entertainment." she tells us. "We would all sit down and they could decide what they want to do with the money. I can only decide what I want when I know what the young people want and what their needs are."
"The media gives out bad publicity about Galliagh." says Fionnuala. "I think they should take a stand and make a point of putting more positive news stories surrounding young people in Galliagh."
To anyone who says negative things about Galliagh, Kadie suggests: "Come and see what it’s like for yourself. Galliagh aint that bad!" Caoimhe adds: "There are bad people in every area."
You hear all the time that young people are the next generation and ‘the future is in their hands’. Young people are not all bad, we just need the opportunity and encouragement to bring out the good.
About this article
This article was written as part of a Headliners outreach media project in partnership with Off the Streets. Headliners participants were; Gavin Moran, David Hunter, Jake Hamilton, Aiofe White and Luke Cooper. Off the Streets participants were; Kadie Mellon, Kirstie Scanlon, Natalie Doherty, Fionnuala Mellon, Mariead O’Hagan and Caoimhe Patton.
