Shanghai’s clubs and KTV bars aren’t the healthiest of playgrounds for expat kids. But in a land where foreign currencies can go far – and being asked to show ID when buying booze seems like an anomaly – that’s exactly where many youth can end up one alternative that 17 year old Natalie Wigle has been able to turn to is Interkom Youth, a student group linking up 14 international schools in Shanghai with social events and community activities beyond the classroom. The organisation has held interschool dances, bowling and paintball outings, coffee houses and other activities where Wigle has not only been able to meet students from other schools, but also gain leadership experience.

“I’ve been to pretty much all of Interkom’s dances,” says Wigle, a Concordia International School student who was born in Tennessee. “Their events give kids in Shanghai an opportunity to hang out and meet people from other schools, instead of going to clubs and drinking.”

    Wigle also volunteered to lead the decorations committee for one of Interkom’s largest events, the Arts Charity Extravaganza, a student-run fundraiser for local charities that features musical performances, a fashion show (pictured top left) and art exposition.

    “It was a really great experience that helped me learn about planning in advance and meeting deadlines,” says Wigle, who was responsible for leading 12 students on the decorations team.

    “It will be good for future job opportunities, but it was also really meaningful to me since we were giving money to the Starfish Foster Home. Hard work means a lot I guess.”

"We try to find opportunities for them to make friends, make memories, and to make an impact.”

    Community Center Shanghai started Interkom Youth in 2007, after some international schools voiced concerns about how they were having trouble addressing issues of drug use and underage drinking among some of their students. The youth group has sought to build positive social avenues for expat teens in Shanghai, says Interkom’s director Ron Mona, and dissuade them from “falling prey to illicit activities” in clubs and bars, which seemed like one of the only social venues that were available to youth back then.

    “For someone that young, someone who’s still maturing, these just aren’t the best places to make friends,” Mona says. “At Interkom, we’re trying to enrich students’ experience in Shanghai since it’s such a unique place. We try to find opportunities for them to make friends, make memories, and to make an impact.”

    That, Mona says, is why Interkom is now organising more activities in which youth not only meet new people outside their own schools, but also give back to the community and enrich themselves outside their classrooms. In September for example, Interkom held its first charity fair, an event showcasing volunteer opportunities for youth in Shanghai.

    Although each of the city’s international schools organises their own extracurricular activities, there is a need to bridge them all together in Shanghai, says Victoria Plekenpol, a parent of two children who frequently participate in Interkom’s events.

    “You hear so many stories that cause concern here, but I don’t want to tell my kids to stay at home and say I don’t trust them,” says Plekenpol, who often volunteers for Interkom as a chaperone. “Interkom is nice because it allows me, as a parent, to let my kids go out and have a great time, while I know they’re in a safe, healthy environment.”

Web: www.interkomyouth.com