Joe’s Place Youth Centre is encouraging kids to Level Up at this year’s Voltage, Saskatchewan largest chem-free New Year’s Eve party for teenagers.
The yearly event will have a superhero theme, as teens get to hang out with Batman, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and other caped crusaders. But the Level Up theme has a deeper meaning, according to Joe’s Place founder Joe Dueck.
“There is so much pressure nowadays to be perfect, to appear perfect on social media and anxieties that come out of that,” Dueck said.
“We just want to challenge kids to realize that they are amazing, they’re incredible and they’ve got gifts and talents that can be used to make a difference, their ‘superpowers’ if you will, to not only really rise up and level up in their own lives but to help their peers around them level up as well.”
The night will kick off at Hillcrest Church with registration from 8 to 9:30 p.m. With more than 500 kids expected, it’s recommended those planning to attend show up no later than 9 p.m.
Once registration is finished, the fun begins.
Several rooms will be filled with activities including axe throwing, laser tag, bazooka ball, nine square in the air, and virtual reality games.
This year Joe’s Place has teamed up with several of the local dog rescues to fill a room with puppies.
“We have a chance for kids to get swarmed by adorable fur balls in the puppy room,” Dueck said.
Robertson Implements will be giving rides in a 1,000cc turbo-boosted Maverick X3 dune buggy. A mobile escape room will be parked outside and kids will have half an hour to escape.
A number of contests will take place through the night, as Joe’s Place will be giving away several prizes including an X-Box One, a Nintendo Switch, and a Canon professional DSLR camera.
Two $600 mountain bikes will be given away in the Canadian Tire Bike-In-A-Box contest. In this contest, the youth must break down an old rusty bike using a hammer and put it into a small box.
The first team of two to get the bike in the box wins the brand new mountain bikes.
“If you ask the youth to take apart a mountain bike with a hammer it does create some entertaining spectator moments,” Dueck said.
Juno award-winning band The Color will ring in the New Year at midnight and will hit the stage for second performance at 4 a.m.
Also at 4 a.m. will be the mega prize session, where the winner will get to choose an iPad, a 55-inch Sharp Aquos Smart TV, a mountain bike, or a full-sized suit of Iron Man armour.
Tickets to Voltage are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Dueck recommends buying tickets in advance in case the event is sold out.
Advanced tickets are available at Joe’s Place, John’s Music, The Shop, and Hillcrest Church.
