The Rotorua Youth Centre offers a range of regular events including live music events, festivals and more
By far our most popular event is our annual House of Horrors. This programme involves a team of 40+ young people learning the art of special effects makeup, prop building and event management. The young people meet each week to learn from the experts and to plan the event. This year’s youth lead event was undoubtedly the most successful one yet, with 430 youth attending, involving 60+ youth volunteers, many who fed back how much this engagement helped them gain confidence, meet new people and ‘come out of their shell’. This is a great example of a project which is perceived to be ‘fun’ but can also achieve multiple youth development outcomes including increasing confidence, creativity, planning and negotiation skills, and teamwork. Technical skills are also developed in relation to makeup, props building and performing.