Garðabær opens alcohol-free youth hub for 16- to 25-year-olds

A new substance-free youth centre in Garðabær is offering a social space for people aged 16 to 25, mbl.is reports. Torgið opened in January as a place for young people to turn to after leaving primary school youth centres for upper secondary education.

The centre runs activities three evenings a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 5pm to 10pm. So far, visitors aged 16 to 18 have been the most prominent group. Staff are working to attract older young people with clubs and activities such as board games, dance and music practice.

Project manager Ragnhildur Jónasdóttir said Torgið usually has seven or eight regular visitors, with 20 to 25 attending on a good evening. The centre has seven staff members, including Ragnhildur, and is part of a wider prevention initiative run by the municipality.

Torgið is in a building at Garðatorg 1 that has housed several businesses over the years. A gym called Heilsugarðurinn opened there nearly 40 years ago, followed by Garðakrá, a bar that did not last long, and later the popular gym Betrunarhúsið. The former bar space now serves as a shop for visitors to the youth centre.

Ragnhildur said the centre brings together young people from different backgrounds and can help them make friends and join organised activities, particularly if they do not take part in other pastimes such as sports.