LUTSEL K'E/SNOWDRIFT - Every night for the past two weeks in Lutsel K'e, hordes of young teens have been gathering in a band-owned, three-bedroom house to play music, watch movies and just hang out, sometimes as late as 2 a.m. No one in the community is complaining.

The house, Lutsel K'e's first youth centre, opened its doors to neighbourhood kids on June 24. Since then, it's been full after 4 p.m., with about 20 kids dropping in at any given time.

Marc Lytle, the youth co-ordinator for Lutsel K'e Dene Nation, said the community has been waiting a long time for a youth centre. In mid-May, after years of floating off and on ideas about keeping kids occupied during the summer, the chief and council accepted Lytle's youth centre proposal - packed with heartfelt letters from kids explaining why they wanted the space - and gave him a house and a $10,000 budget to get started.

"It really became a priority around April and May, when we knew school was going to be getting out and the kids were going to have nothing to do all summer," Lytle said.

"A lot of them have been saying how there's not enough to do and they want a place of their own," he added.

"What pushed it through is that so many kids got on board and did things to help out, whether it was writing letters or the older ones helping me meet and come up with plans."

The centre is outfitted with musical instruments and a television so the kids can take music lessons and have movie nights - as well as documentary discussion nights for the older youth - not to mention just relax and chat with their friends.

That's what Rosie Jobin-Catholique likes about it. The 15-year-old stops by every day to see her friends.

"I kind of like going there because I pretty much know everyone there. It feels like a good hangout place," she said. "I just think it's a place where kids can go instead of, like, doing other stuff, like maybe drugs. They have a place to hang out instead of doing that stuff."

Lytle said he plans to organize regular workshops with motivational guest speakers for the kids.

"We're just kind of looking for the money to do that and figuring out who exactly we want to come in," he said. "What we got from the band was a one-time deal. Once it's gone, it's gone. And then from there on we're trying to be as self-sufficient as possible."

The centre opens at 4 p.m. for five- to nine-year-olds, with 10- to 12-year-olds showing up for their time slot from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and teens 13 and up arriving after 9.

"They're free to come and go whenever they want as long as they stick in their time slot," Lytle said, adding some kids wish the centre could be open all day.

"They're always wanting it to be open. I'm pretty sure if I could work 24-hours a day, they would be OK with that."