A card offering useful information and retail discounts for young Whakatāne District residents has been released by the Whakatāne District Youth Council.

Youth Council spokesperson Sophie Butler says the Youth Card is available to anyone aged between 11 and 20 years old and is currently being distributed at Trident High School and Whakatāne High School. “The cards are also available at all the places that are offering discounts for cardholders, as well as from the Whakatāne District Council and District libraries,” she says.

In addition to discounts for cardholders, Ms Butler says the card is also designed to carry a serious message. “It provides contact numbers for various groups and aims to offer students help lines that they can call if something is troubling them. So, basically the card is there to provide somewhere for youth to go to if they need help.”

Retailers currently supporting the Card with discounts include WhakaMax Movies, Buket Turkish Kebab House, Video Ezy Whakatāne and the Whakatāne Cycle Centre.