By Katrina Newton and Loretta Asquini
MELBOURNE — It's no secret that our society has a very contradictory attitude towards young people. On the one hand, youth is idealised and revered by the mainstream media, yet in reality, young people are getting a pretty raw deal. Today we have an incredibly high rate of youth unemployment and an overcrowded and under-resourced education system which places increasing pressure on young people.
Additionally, anyone under 18 and out of childhood has severely limited options when it comes to entertainment. Just about everybody has experienced the frustration of being under 18 and having nowhere to go apart from the movies or the zoo.
Most young people are interested in popular music, but beyond the their TV and radio, there's very little offered to them. Essentially, any licensed premises are out of bounds, which creates an enormous void in popular music options.
The PUSH was established in 1986 by the Office of Youth Affairs in an effort to address the problems faced by young people seeking entertainment. It operates as a community-based initiative to assist and encourage young people to take responsibility for their own entertainment. The PUSH works in a club structure where young people meet on a regular basis to make and implement decisions about entertainment, throughout metropolitan and country areas.
So far the response has produced a mailing list of 5500 and a network of 20 clubs throughout Victoria. This also provides an avenue for young performers to be in contact and encourages and promotes new talent.
The PUSH has conducted forums and workshops on a wide range of issues, such as alcohol-free venues, all-age entertainment and skill sharing.
Two PUSH events are scheduled for July 25. The CD Reel to Real, which showcases up and coming young bands — Guttersnipes, Spider Bait and Fritz — will be launched at the Club in Collingwood, 2-6 p.m. for all ages. At Northland Secondary College there will be workshops presented by members of Djaambi, the Black Sorrows, Tiddas, Rapunzel Gets Down and Bachelors From Prague in instruments, voice and song writing. At night there is a concert featuring Djaambi and other young local bands.
For more information call PUSH hotline on (03) 417 1655 or (03) 416 0122.