The young people highly value their Youth Clwb, often expressing that it is a space where they “can be themselves.” Recently, they designed their own T-shirts, featuring a Lego castle with a Jester flag proudly flying from the top. To them, their Youth Clwb is their castle—a place where they feel free, relaxed, and supported, while being protected from the intimidating outside world.

During Youth Clwb sessions, the young people have the opportunity to engage in arts and crafts on a weekly basis. One of their favorite mediums has been graffiti. Last summer, each member designed their own graffiti board and proudly took it home. Many now have these boards on display in their bedrooms. The hope is that when they look at their graffiti boards, they will feel reassured and smile, knowing that once a week they have a place to go where they are understood, not judged, can meet new friends, and have fun.

The youth group was particularly excited to graffiti the Wales Air Ambulance Castle. They were given complete freedom to use whatever colors they wanted to decorate the castle. Using stencils, they depicted how life can seem for an adopted young person living in the Western Bay Region. The Wales Air Ambulance Castle is a true representation of their Youth Clwb, an honest result of their creativity with no adult influence on the design. The group loved having the freedom to choose their spray can colors. The monkey stencil they used represents the mask they constantly wear to hide their true feelings in places such as school, while the bird stencil reflects their desire to feel free—something they can achieve in Youth Clwb.