FORUM FOCUSES ON TEEN NEEDS; YOUTHS SEEKING MORE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Daily News Staff Writer

When it comes to entertainment, local teen-agers want quality and quantity.

They hope to get that message out tonight, during a forum titled ``Your Ticket to Entertainment.'' High school members of the Inter-Community Student Council of the Conejo-Las Virgenes Future Foundation are hosting the forum.

``They feel there needs to be more home-based entertainment,'' said Fran Brough, adult adviser to the group. ``They would like to see the local movie theaters bring back reduced rates for students. They would like to see more events at the Civic Arts Plaza, more acts that appeal to young people.''

Students also would like to see more events like dances held jointly between the high schools, she said.

``It's dialogue,'' she said of the forum. ``And what they want to do is keep open the lines of communication between the youth and leaders in a position to make a difference.''

She said students are not necessarily looking for change, but an explanation ``would let the youngsters know why the situations are the way they are.''

``The topic of youth entertainment has been a concern for the youth in the community for a very long time,'' said Alyssa Nelson, 17, student chairwoman of the Inter-Community Student Council and Newbury Park High School senior. ``A lot of youth feels there is not a great variety of entertainment offered to young people in the community and that we are unable to find activities that accommodate people of our age group.

``We felt (the forum) would be a good way to address it and inform youths what is available to them.

``We've invited people from the school districts and local businesspeople and hope that they will listen to our concerns and inform us what is available. Part of the problem is we feel there are some activities available to youth, but we just don't know about them.''

Tom Mitze, theater director of the Civic Arts Plaza, will attend the forum to hear the students' concerns. He said the theater presents a variety of shows that appeal to all age groups but agreed more youth-oriented shows are needed.

``We don't have as many rock shows as young people would like,'' he said. ``We don't have many presenting them for one thing.

``It's awfully difficult to show (rock acts) in a place like this. Swing is a big thing now, but we are not a dance hall but a concert hall. It's difficult to have a swing band playing dance music with people who can't dance (in the theater).

``It's real difficult to find shows that only appeal to one segment of the population. Usually they appeal to a broad segment.''

Other community leaders invited to attend the forum include Ralph Bessard, teen services specialist, and Doug Hooper, associate planner, both from the city of Agoura Hills; Westlake Village City Councilman Mark Rutherford; and Elizabeth Dee, counselor at Thousand Oaks High School.

This is the group's second forum for this year. The first focused on improving the relationship between youths and law enforcement, Brough said.

``As a result of that forum, the Sheriff's Department has a new program where they invite kids in on Saturday and kind of show them what the department has,'' she said. ``It kind of builds up a confidence level and makes them more friendly. Kids felt they were being stopped unjustly and that (deputies) were always ragging on them.''

The Inter-Community Student Council is in its second year of planning youth-oriented forums. Members include students from Newbury Park, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park, Agoura, Calabasas and La Reina high schools.

The Conejo-Las Virgenes Future Foundation is a nonprofit group that finds ways to improve the community.