Sporting chance for youth

By Alison Noonan
HELPING young people is Pravin Ramdanny’s passion.
The Lynbrook man was so determined to keep kids and teenagers off the streets and out of trouble he took it upon himself to establish a youth group under the auspices of his local church.
Mr Ramdanny said the Lynbrook Lighthouse Youth Group had grown slowly since it kicked off in April but was attracting a wide range of young people from the Lynbrook and Hampton Park areas.
“We meet every Saturday fortnight at the Lynbrook Primary School sport centre but we plan to meet every Saturday next year.
“The kids meet to play basketball, indoor soccer, volleyball and other activities,” he said.
Mr Ramdanny said he and his wife were happy to donate their time and support to the young people of the area saying sport played a vital role in keeping youth ‘on the straight and narrow’.
“Our mission is to provide young people with somewhere to hang out and have fun.
“It is important to give them support and encouragement in everything they do.
“We want these young people to embrace sport and good moral values and not do drugs or get into other bad habits,” he said.
Mr Ramdanny said the group was hoping to form a basketball and soccer team to play in local competition and called for community support to make their dream a reality.
“The young group can be very successful if parents encourage the young to participate but more importantly we need the parents to participate and help us,” he said.
Mr Ramdanny said the youth group went beyond sporting activities, offering counselling to those in need and a new network of friends.
He said new members were more than welcome and encouraged anyone interested in joining the group to contact him on 0438 447 067.