A GOVERNMENT minister has visited a youth club, which a Teesside MP said could set an example for the rest of the country to follow.
Home Office Minister Fiona McTaggart saw for herself the Easterside Pod Youth Club, opened in response to anti-social behaviour problems on a Middlesbrough council estate and paid for by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
Operating with a small team of professional youth workers, the pod caters for youngsters aged eight to 16 and has links with local schools.
Activities range from music, art, health education and social skills to sport and volunteering.
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar escorted the minister on her visit to the club, yesterday.
He said the pod was a great way of instilling a sense of community, togetherness and volunteer work amongst local young people - something that could act as a diversion from anti social activity. "I think the work done at the pod could be a model for the rest of the country,'' said Mr Kumar.
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