A newly formed group of 18 to 30 year olds are sharing their insights on where the opportunities lie to make Sydney’s nightlife even better.
Formed by the Night Time Industries Association, the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) brings together a group of young people aged 18 to 30 years old to discuss greater Sydney’s nightlife.
The NTIA formed the YAC as it prepares to launch the ‘Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap’ which collates the voices of industry leaders and young people to identify the priority areas where there is the most opportunity for the nightlife industry.
When it came to opportunities, the YAC identified nightlife diversity, affordability, safety and transportation as areas where the good work done to date could be built upon.
The rise of unique precincts and after-hours activations are welcomed by young people who want to see even more choices on a night out. The return of live music and creativity to venues has also been celebrated with young people seeing an opportunity to showcase local talent that reflects local communities. This included options that included alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to offer more choice on a night out.
As the cost of living pressures begin to hit hip-pockets, young people believe offering more performance and community driven events will help get them out of the house. Instead of just going out for a drink, the YAC said they want to be entertained and support the community around them. Initiatives like Supper Sessions at 107 Projects in Redfern are seen as great examples of what is being done already and could be expanded.
Young people believe there is an opportunity to form stronger relationships with police and security operators by getting a better understanding of one another. While a lot of work has been done to date, young people believe continuing to pursue pathways to respectful dialogue will help them feel safer in venues and more likely to seek the support of security or police when they need it. William Street’s Club 77 was seen as a great example of prioritising safety in venues and the role security operators can play in making patrons safe.
Tied in with affordability and safety were discussions about public transport and opportunities to explore later running options to help get people off the couch and into the nightlife. The YAC noted that public transport that ran 24 hours on weekends is a great opportunity for the night.
NTIA CEO Mick Gibb said young people are optimistic about what more can be done to make Sydney’s nightlife even better.
“If you’re looking for ideas on how to make a good thing great, then young people are the place to go. They are energetic, excited and engaged to build on the work done so far to restore Sydney’s nightlife.
“Young people are looking for choice and diversity. They are seeing everything that is coming out already and they want more and more. They want a choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic events, they want choice on types of performance in venues and they want choice on how and when they get home.
“It’s about listening to what young people are saying. They want to have their voices heard so that they can respectful engagement with police, government, industry and more to make the night even better.
“Young people are incredibly iterative in their thinking and where something has been done well already they will look at it and think of what more can be done. That’s a mindset that’s incredibly useful to tap into.”
The Night Time Industries Recovery Roadmap will be released on Wednesday 7 September.
