Throughout the Jasper municipal election, I’ve heard youth say there is nothing to do in town. I can’t help but wonder, what are you youngins complaining about?

As a 22-year-old new Jasperite, I have found a wealth of things to do in this community since I arrived. I grew up in a ski town not unlike Jasper, and I was always busy as a teenager. 

Jasper has a great movie theatre with not one – but two screens. Where I grew up we had a movie theatre with one screen that was so old and bright it was like watching a movie on the radio. Every once in a while, a mysterious green bloop would float across, and you’d feel as if you were suddenly watching a ghost movie, even if it was a comedy. The seats were so old and derelict, I remember my friend crashing through one mid-movie and causing quite an enormous scene as she struggled to get out. 

Have you taken a look around lately? It’s beautiful here! Go for a hike, walk your dog/cat/hamster if you have one. Pack a lunch and have a picnic, go mountain biking!

I know it’s kind of the shoulder season, but in my former ski town, Kimberley, B.C., all of us kids were shaking with anticipation at the impending ski season by the end of August. We waxed our skis months ahead of time, adjusted bindings and were the first in line at the annual ski swap. If there was enough snow, we hiked up the ski hill (which I don’t recommend, I’m sure Marmot Basin frowns on that and ski hill culture has really changed since I was a teenager) or any ski-able hills in town. When the hill did finally open, there were fisticuffs over who got to be the first one up the hill.

Your high school offers tons of clubs and activities, and the Community Outreach Team has its very own youth worker that plans adventures and trips for teens. Since I arrived here they’ve had a basketball tournament, taught canoe lessons, and more.

Maybe I’m not as cool as I used to think I was, but I have a hard time with the suggestion that there is absolutely nothing for youth to do in this town. I still consider myself a youth, really. 

I can’t claim that I know everything that’s going on in this community, so tell me, Jasper youth – what do you want to do? What programs would you like to see happen? What infrastructure, parks or  activities etc., would you like to be able to do/use in Jasper?

An arbitrary comment of “there’s nothing to do here,” does not help the municipality develop what you would like. Picking up the phone and calling your mayor and council – who are brand spankin’ new, and probably more than willing to listen – or talking to your parents about activities you are interested in will get you the entertaining Jasper you seem to want. 

On that note, I would like to put forward my support for a new skate park in Jasper. I’ve seen what this infrastructure can do for youth; potential competitions, parents teaching their kids, kids teaching other kids and just having a place to skate without getting chased off the sidewalks. It will benefit all youth, and will provide another place for extreme sport junkies to fill the time between ski season.

DISCLAIMER: The Last Word is an opinion column, it is meant to provoke thought and debate. As such, any opinions written here are the writers own and do not reflect the viewpoint of any other Fitzhugh staff member or the directors of the Jasper Media Group Inc.