Would a youth club for people on the spectrum be a good idea?

From what I've heard disco nights or social groups haven't worked very well when they've been tried, and the few social events for people on the spectrum I've gone to myself were pretty lifeless.

I think what is needed is probably something every parent wishes was still an option, NTs as well as children on the spectrum, a supervised, relatively quiet and dignified social event, like the old fashioned school dance, over-chaperoned by teachers (no kissing, no untoward physical contact), and restricted to ballroom dancing and lemonade.

Trouble is now it needs to be incredibly loud, incredibly crowded, full of UV and strobe lights, probably chemically assisted, and basically very very "in your face".

So I wonder if all teenagers really crave that all the time, and wouldn't settle for something less intense once in a while.

There used to be something called a milk bar, where kids could gather and drink milk shakes, and listen to a relatively low volume juke box, but even those developed dangerous elements.

From an ASD perspective what is wanted is a mix of NT and AS kids in a sensorily manageable environment. The last thing most AS teenagers want to meet up with socially is a room full of other AS teenagers - they want to meet others their age, possibly preferably not AS, even though they also want to be treated the same rather than as different, and want a quieter environment than NTs would want.

The way to explore this is to contact local councillors (county as well as town/borough,city). They have enablement funds some of which is supposed to be directed at young people. I know because I was account holder for several years for the disbursement of such a fund, and attended the meetings trying to set up youth facilities, against a barrage of opposition from NIMBYs and old grannies, wanting the young kept out of sight.

If there is a way of setting up safer quieter youth social environments, they should have some insight.

From what I've heard disco nights or social groups haven't worked very well when they've been tried, and the few social events for people on the spectrum I've gone to myself were pretty lifeless.

I think what is needed is probably something every parent wishes was still an option, NTs as well as children on the spectrum, a supervised, relatively quiet and dignified social event, like the old fashioned school dance, over-chaperoned by teachers (no kissing, no untoward physical contact), and restricted to ballroom dancing and lemonade.

Trouble is now it needs to be incredibly loud, incredibly crowded, full of UV and strobe lights, probably chemically assisted, and basically very very "in your face".

So I wonder if all teenagers really crave that all the time, and wouldn't settle for something less intense once in a while.

There used to be something called a milk bar, where kids could gather and drink milk shakes, and listen to a relatively low volume juke box, but even those developed dangerous elements.

From an ASD perspective what is wanted is a mix of NT and AS kids in a sensorily manageable environment. The last thing most AS teenagers want to meet up with socially is a room full of other AS teenagers - they want to meet others their age, possibly preferably not AS, even though they also want to be treated the same rather than as different, and want a quieter environment than NTs would want.

The way to explore this is to contact local councillors (county as well as town/borough,city). They have enablement funds some of which is supposed to be directed at young people. I know because I was account holder for several years for the disbursement of such a fund, and attended the meetings trying to set up youth facilities, against a barrage of opposition from NIMBYs and old grannies, wanting the young kept out of sight.

If there is a way of setting up safer quieter youth social environments, they should have some insight.