Police & Community Youth Clubs (PCYC) or Police and Community Youth Clubs are a network of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n non-profit, community organisations, founded in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. In some states such as NSW, they are constituted as an Incorporated Association. The Mission of PCYC is to get young people active in life; develop their skills, character and leadership; and prevent and reduce

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

by and against young people. The organisation is community-based and involves the provision of low-cost structured activities to children and adults, aimed specifically at the

underprivileged Social privilege is a theory of special advantage or entitlement, which benefits one person, often to the detriment of others. Privileged groups can be advantaged based on education, social class, caste, age, height, weight, nationality, geogra ...

persons in the community. The clubs contain a wide variety of sports such as

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...

gyms A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and many other activities and hobbies. Different clubs may have different activities going on to one another. The PCYC has a range of over 60 clubs across the State.

History

The first PCYC was opened in

Woolloomooloo, New South Wales Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in ...

on 1 April 1937 by the Police Commissioner, William John Mackay. They were originally known as the "Police Rotary Youth Club", and later, "Police Boy's Clubs". In 1936, Mackay visited England, Germany, Italy and the US with the brief of “reviewing the methods of combating crime”. He praised the Nazi labour youth battalions because, he said, they "subordinate the individual to the welfare of the nation". Upon returning to Australia, he garnered the support of the

Rotary Clubs Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

in Australia, who provided financial report and set up the first Police Boys Club, based on his observance of the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

States

Name & locations of PCYC's in each state. * Police Citizens Youth Clubs NSW * Police Citizens Youth Club Queensland * Western Australia Police & Community Youth Centre * Tasmanian Association of Police & Community Youth Clubs * Victoria Police & Citizens Youth Club ** Blue Light Victoria *** Kyabram Blue Light (Central Victoria) *** Bendigo Blue Light *** Alpine Blue Light *** Mernda Blue Light * Canberra Police & Community Youth Club

History

States

References

External links