Blockdiek Youth Center

Since 1985, the Blockdiek youth center has been under the independent management of the Bremen Sports Youth Association.

The youth center consists of four group rooms (weight room, recording studio, homework room, and computer room). There is also a gymnastics/dance room, an office, a kitchen, a bar, a DJ room, two storage rooms, and separate restrooms for boys and girls. The large entrance hall is only available after 4:00 p.m., as it is reserved for the clients of Werkstatt Bremen, who are housed in the same building.

The youth center is open Monday to Friday for children and young people between the ages of 12 and 22. Group activities take place on weekends by arrangement.

Regular activities include football, strength and fitness training, ice hockey during the winter months, basketball, boxing, a sports club, a girls' club, an inline skating club, as well as homework help and job application training. Street hockey, dodgeball, table tennis, and fun tournaments are held irregularly. Occasionally, youth educational trips to Prague or Gdansk, day trips to Heide Park Soltau or for skiing in the Harz Mountains or at the Snow Dome, and visits to football, basketball, and ice hockey games take place.

The services offered in the open area include the use of games (foosball table, ping-pong table, air hockey table, etc.), the kitchen, sports equipment rental, a counter with drinks and snacks, the opportunity to box, and the use of video equipment. In addition, staff provide advice on problems with authorities, the police, schools, apprenticeships, and parents, both in individual consultations and through contact with parents, and offer assistance with paperwork and job applications.

The youth center offers events exclusively for girls and activities just for boys. These gender-specific programs allow boys and girls to interact and experience life without being bothered or pressured by the opposite sex. In this setting, they often find it easier to talk about their fears and weaknesses and to confide in the staff about their difficulties.