PROFILBARU.COM

Police & Community Youth Clubs (PCYC) or Police and Community Youth Clubs is a network of Australian non-profit, community organisations, founded in New South Wales. In some states such as NSW, they are constituted as an Incorporated Association.^[1]

The mission of PCYC is to get young people active in life; develop their skills, character and leadership; and prevent and reduce crime by and against young people.^[2] The organisation is community-based and involves the provision of low-cost structured activities to children and adults, aimed specifically at the underprivileged persons in the community. The clubs contain a wide variety of sports such as basketball, indoor soccer, weightlifting gyms, dancing, wrestling/grappling, boxing, martial arts, chess, and many other activities and hobbies. Different clubs may have different activities going on to one another. The PCYC has a range of over 66 clubs across the state.

History

The first PCYC was opened in Woolloomooloo, New South Wales on 1 April 1937 by the Police Commissioner, William John Mackay.^[3] They were originally known as the "Police Rotary Youth Club",^[3] 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”.^[4] He praised the Nazi labour youth battalions because, he said, they "subordinate the individual to the welfare of the nation".^[5] Upon returning to Australia, he garnered the support of the Rotary Clubs in Australia, who provided financial report and set up the first Police Boys Club, based on his observance of the Hitler Youth.

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

References

^ About PCYC Archived 2012-09-07 at archive.today, PCYC Queensland
^ PCYC NSW Overview Archived 2009-09-14 at the Wayback Machine, PCYC NSW
^ ^a ^b "PCYC HISTORICAL - FIRST OPENING 1937". Police and Community Youth Club. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
^ "Mission & History - PCYC". PCYC. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
^ Cain, Frank, "MacKay, William John (1885–1948)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 10 December 2018