People who suggest youth clubs help with boredom are clueless

That's my point.
If they wanted organised activities they'd go.
They don't want to.

Because the youth clubs are also pretty boring for a lot of teens, sadly.

The youth club where I lived was a revelation as a 15 year old. It was an old rambling school, with as you say, table tennis, darts, pool, also a soft drink bar and snacks, loud pop music, exotic teenagers the like I'd never seen, dressed outrageously, and with wild haircuts, it was dimly lit and crowded, maybe a local band practising somewhere. It seemed really dangerous and enticing to the inexperienced and young for her age me. But it kept us off the streets and out of real trouble, there were youth workers lurking somewhere watching for things getting out of hand, but they were pretty inconspicuous unless you searched them out.

There is a fabulous youth club near me. The building is just a building but they do all sorts of activities and get involved in the local community. Keeping the kids busy is great and it’s drop in, free, and requires no parental involvement. Many teenagers don’t have a parent to book them into and pay for scouts or similar so there’s a massive gap for young people.

@JeremiahBullfrog but when Youth Clubs do exist why do so many teens not actually go to them? Instead they seem to prefer to hang around the local park/shops/streets etc.
In my home town on one of the estates they have the typical problem of teens doing vandalism, graffiti,shop lifting, hooning around on electric scooters etc.
They also have a Youth Club.
Why aren't these "bored" teens going ?

I thought that. I've literally never known of a youth club to offer any of that. At best, they offer a warm space and a few activities. Mostly staffed by volunteers. Mostly not very inspiring, unfortunately.

what?! No they’re not 😂

Years ago you swim for your youth club.

We have a youth club in my village. It was started up in response to anti social behavior problems. There has actually been a reduction in problems but I don't know if this is as a result of the club or coincidence.

They were quite strategic in their target market of just younger than the age causing problems, trying to stop the pipeline.

The activities are good. The music recording bit is very good.

It's joined up with other services.

Im quite impressed.

We get an extra bit on our town council bill to fund it

Maybe if parents actually parented there would be less vandalism/trouble

That's not what the point of youth clubs used to be, when I went to them.
I find it hard to believe they all are

I liked the youth club I went to as a kid...it was run through my church and we tended to do quite organised games like capture the flag for most of it (then squash and biscuits and a prayer at the end)

I also liked the council run one I volunteered at as an adult...the kids had a choice of an organised activity (usually a craft) and then indoor football in the hall or just playing table tennis or hanging out. We also fed them healthy snacks (toasties and wraps mainly). It was for 11-14ish year olds I think.

A lot of kids like playing pool and table tennis a lot though, and might not get the chance at home. And for many it's primarily just a place to be with their friends - the activities aren't the main point.

I'm not saying youth clubs should aim for the bare minimum but I think even a fairly minimal club can be an attractive proposition when the alternative is either sitting in your bedroom or wandering the streets.

I think the teens who hang around causing trouble and vandalising things would think themselves 'too cool' for youth clubs.

In fact all they used to do round here was hang around outside it and terrorise the kids who did want to go.

To be honest, I was a good kid, got good grades at school, never once got into trouble, and I would never have dreamed of going to cubs or scouts or anything like that. I wouldn't have dreamed of going to any kind of youth club either. Organised fun never was for me.

I just liked hanging out with my friends, chatting, watching films, messing about in the local park. We never caused any trouble, and the things adults thought we might enjoy, we never did.

That's my point.
They don't go to the organised "uniform" groups because they don't want too.
So why would they be interested in what is essentially the same thing just in a community centre?
They aren't.

I think you might have misunderstood the OP. The type of youth clubs you’re talking about are very specialised, when I was a kid there were loads of general youth clubs that anyone could attend that were indeed the table tennis/pool table variety. Most of those are now gone sadly.

I always find it interesting in our town when it is stated that there is nothing for young people to do, together with the youth club, there is cadets, scouts, guides, rugby, football, hockey, table tennis, snooker, sports hall, swimming pool, a gaming club, cinema, skate park, large park to name but a few. There is cheap public transport to local city, beaches and countryside on their doorstep.

I grew up in a village with nothing, there was a bus once a week to the local town and that was it!

There are local charities that can help with club subscriptions etc

The local youth does have helpers there who can signpost support where needed

I never went to a yourh club nothing would get me to go to one.
I got bullied at school and most of the bullies went to the youth club.
Some clubs work and others dont.
Im pleased im an adult now and no kids so dont have to deal with any thing about schools or clubs.

To be honest most "Youth Clubs" I see promoted on my local Facebook groups (for various different towns) are only up to age 12 or 13.
They seem to be more aimed at primary age.

The Youth club in my town does all sorts of activities organised by the youth leader including cookery. I don't think they even have a pool/table tennis table as they no longer have their own premises, so rent a room elsewhere. I only know what they do as they post photos on the local Facebook page every week. It looks fun to me - there's 2 sessions according to age. They seem to have 1 paid worker and some volunteers.

I only went to a youth club once but it was full of the dead hard girls we were scared of so never went back. That said, it kept those dead hard girls off the streets and jumping on people for a couple of nights a week so I think youth clubs are a good idea.

Saying that I do think the people who post on these sites forget what it was like to be a teenager, I live where I grew up and I see some people posting about kids hanging about, and I remember what they were like even if they don't!

@Octavia64 I have never heard of a youth club like you describe.
All the ones I've known are essentially the pool table/basketball court/random sofas to sit on and not much else.
Near where I live one was started for the summer holidays - TWO teens turned up.
In most places there's plenty of well organised youth groups for those interested (scouts, guides, cadets, church group etc) and plenty of sports groups.
If the "troublemaker" kids are bored they could go to one of those. But they don't. They don't want too.
So why would they go to another type of youth club?