Clean-up is a teen hit – Glenn Bentley, Alan Price and Norman McLeod from the Mount Evelyn Men’s Shed mix with the youth shed kids at the clean-up barbecue. 54102

By Russell Bennett
MOUNT Evelyn’s Youth Enterprise Shed is motivating the region’s youngsters to reach their full potential and give back to the community.
Shed co-ordinator Sophie Elix-Haddy and her team, including personnel from the Morrison centre, recently held a community clean-up day encouraging Mount Evelyn’s youngsters to take care of, and pride in their town.
Local kids gathered at the Wray Crescent ‘shed’ willing to roll their sleaves up and put in the hard yards.
They belong to a demographic commonly associated with terms like ‘lazy’ or ‘slack’ but those descriptions don’t fit them.
Ms Elix-Haddy said the youth shed’s clean-up notion was all about ‘role modelling’. “It’s about the kids setting a good example for their peers,” she said.
“Even if only a couple showed up, it’d still show they were willing to put in the effort.”
The Youth Enterprise Shed provides a helping hand and a friendly and encouraging environment to some of Mount Evelyn’s most commonly dismissed kids.
Some have found themselves on the wrong side of the law in no small part because of negative community stereotyping.
Shed participants Jack, 16, and LJ, 15, are keen graffiti artists.
While some would dismiss them as vandals, they couldn’t care less. They truly love their craft.
“And why do it illegally?” LJ said.
“Through places like this (the shed), we get encouraged to do it and be creative.”
Jack has been asked to create a mural on the side of Mount Evelyn’s COG Cafe.
“It’ll be of a jester holding a bike wheel,” he said. “I’ve got the designs and once I get started it should be done in a day.”
“It’s a good way to do it (graffiti) without ruining the streets or getting in trouble.”
LJ and Jack each filled large bags full of rubbish from along the Warburton Trail on the clean-up day, which followed a recent clean-up workshop in Wray Crescent involving some of the local community’s senior public figures.
Deputy mayor Tim Heenan, Labor candidate for Evelyn Peter Harris, MEEPPA members Franc Smith and Barry Marshall and other council members all met to discuss ways of ‘beautifying’ Mount Evelyn. The youth shed’s clean-up idea was completely unrelated.
“That (workshop) took place first but our day was actually organised first,” Ms Elix-Haddy said.
Members of Morrison’s local men’s shed also came along to the Youth Enterprise Shed for a barbecue lunch on the clean-up day.
The Mount Evelyn Youth Enterprise shed is always on the lookout for volunteers. Call 9736 1457 for information.