INUVIK - For more than a year, the youth of Inuvik have had nowhere to go, but with renovations to a new building which is almost complete and the Inuvik Youth Centre Society gathering together, youth could have a place to hang out again.

The renovations are almost complete at the new Inuvik Youth Centre, with the final architect's evaluation scheduled for June 9. Youth in the community could have a place to hang out again by the fall. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

The new youth centre will be located in the green building between Aurora College and the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. The Town of Inuvik has spent the past year-and-a-half renovating the building, installing water, adding a kitchen, new roofing and replacing pilings.

"There's just a little bit more to do," said Rick Campbell, director of public services for the town. "We're prepping for paint now and the electricians will soon finish their job. The mechanical and plumbing are almost done and 95 per cent of the carpentry work is done."

The electrical work is expected to finish up on June 8 and the architect will inspect the new building on June 9. Once the building receives the OK, it'll be passed over to the society.

The newly renovated building has a large open space, two offices, a quiet room for studying, a sound-proof room for recording, a big kitchen and two bathrooms. With a fresh coat of paint on the walls, it'll be ready transformed into a youth space.

In communities such as Inuvik where youth don't have many options for extracurricular activities, having a youth centre available is crucial.

"It really is critical to have a place where they can go when they're without adult supervision," said Ian Legaree, the director of sport, recreation and youth for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. "There's a critical time period of three to five p.m. where if you don't give them something positive to do, they're going to get into something not positive."

The Inuvik Youth Centre Society is starting to re-form its board of directors, which will hire staff for the youth centre and provide direction and a vision for the new building. Right now, the board has only four members, and is looking to recruit more.

"Some long-term Inuvik residents who have an idea about what youth need (would be ideal)," said Jonathon Michel, a board member. "It would be great if we have a youth willing to dedicate to the board and society and willing to put in the time to speak on behalf of a group of youth."

Right now the board is preparing to create a vision and a strategic plan for its focus. The key part of that is to get staff in place and eventually volunteers to provide core programming.

The Town of Inuvik sold the former youth centre on Mackenzie Road to the Inuvik Community Corporation in May 2010. The town expected the new youth centre to be open by the end of summer 2010, but it will now likely be the end of summer 2011 or fall 2011.

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