Think of the children! (um.. teenagers)

Blog Response 4: "Hip youth club on the way"
Category: Issues regarding teenagers

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Personally, I think it is a pretty good idea. However, how practical is this idea for a "Hip Youth Club"?

Firstly, the youth club has to be able to attract the young crowd. How will it do this? It will have to appeal to the interests of youths all over Singapore. However, not all youths have the same interest. Some may be more inclined to books, some more athletic, and some might be computer gamers. There is a whole lot more to list. How will this youth club cater to all of them?

In my opinion, there will most likely be different areas for each interest. For example, a reading corner for those who enjoy reading. Maybe even discussion rooms for those who are doing close reading or reading the book for school. However, since it is almost impossible to cater for all interests, how will they choose which ones to include?

Hopefully, they will be choosing those that are most popular. Lets say out of all the sports, soccer is the most popular, they can then devote a large area to those that are looking for a place to play.

The article says that the youth club will have to generate revenue. However, I hope it is not a case where they choose which interests to cater to mainly by profit. If they do so, they will get less people applying for membership and the youth club might be a failure. I do agree that youths are an untapped market. However, they must think the way we do. What are we looking for? Most likely, to find a place to hang out with friends or spend time doing something we like. If they think of us as customers, instead of teenagers, the club will most definitely fail.

Also, the club seems to be membership based, where access is only granted to members. If that is the case, I think it is a very bad idea to do so. Some people simply want to chat with friends and maybe play a sport. If they all have to pay for this, they will just go on to find some place else. Not all teenagers have the money needed to apply for membership. Maybe, the youth club can have areas where membership is needed, lets say, badminton courts, and areas where its free for all and anybody can use. That way they can maintain a balance. Also, if those people using the free areas are interested, they can apply for a membership. This way, they can attract youths and still achieve self-sustainability from membership fees.

To ensure the success of such a club, the people responsible for it must think like youths, or even better yet, are youths. That way they can appeal to teenagers and also know what we like or dislike. They must strike a balance between our interests and what we won't need or can't make use of.

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Words: 489

Also, does anyone find it ironic that the picture they put on the article is a wrinkly middle-aged (possibly old) man??