Hi Remofiloe, and thanks for contacting CTB.
My first piece of advice is to try not to take the youths' current disinterest personally. Some may just be indifferent; some may feel you are proselytizing; some just have other interests. It's not really about you personally, but for whatever reason they are not ready to work on your idea at this time. Realize also that you must come to understand what the young people want. It is not possible to make them join.
I also suggest that you reconsider your time-frame. Perhaps the process of developing this project will need more time to find allies and to interest some of the youth. Building coalitions takes time and a lot of energy.
Do look for others (both youth and adults) who are interested in what you are trying to accomplish, because these projects are very difficult for one person to accomplish alone. Patiently build interest and momentum. Work with your allies to develop a concept and strategic plan, so people will have a more clear understanding of what all you and they hope to accomplish.
Talk with youth to find out what services and activities they feel a community facility should provide them. Build interest by involving them to accomplish smaller projects that they do want. Once started, the services and activities can be expanded as the youth are ready and interested.
The early stages of any project can be very frustrating to the organizer, so you are by no means alone in your reaction. The challenge of building a community interest and partnership takes time, but the long-term satisfactions make it worthwhile. We wish you well and hope that, in partnership with your community, you will have success. I have marked some competencies that are relevant to early community organization efforts. Please review those chapters, and please do feel free to ask other questions as your effort proceeds.
