No time to waste: A call for joint action to invest in young people

An analysis of the March budget shows it won’t deliver the radical change that is needed to rebalance the economy. We need a skills revolution to unleash the agency and talents of young people, for the economy to thrive now and in the future.

Here at the Roundhouse, we sit in a unique position between our live venue and extensive youth programme.

Across the board, the 8,000 young people aged 11 to 30 that we work with tell us that they want hope and more opportunities for the future. Yet in recent years we have witnessed devastating cuts to youth services, a narrowing of the education curriculum and lost opportunities in the creative industries, as well as other parts of the economy, with stubbornly high rates of youth unemployment.

We need to see urgent action from the government to ensure we don’t leave a generation of young people behind. This requires a mission-led, joined-up approach by the government which harnesses the collective impact of industry and communities and sectors working with young people. The arts and creative industries have a vital part to play, led by young people in the economic, social and cultural development of our communities. We must act now with a bold new plan to:

• Open up opportunities in the school-day to enrich young people’s education

• Invest in high quality venues, studio spaces and youth centres in every community

• Secure pathways to employment and careers, including start-ups and enterprise

We know what works. For example, for every £1 we invest in film projects with young people at the Roundhouse, we create £42.25 in social value, as shown in a recent Social Return on Investment (SROI) study by Social Change UK. That’s an incredible £2.8m return from just £85,000 spent on project delivery. This provides a pipeline of talent for the creative industries and reaches beyond with transferable skills, valued networks, and experiences gained by young people.

There is no time to waste in an election year. With this in mind, we will look to bring together leaders from the youth sector and the creative industries - one of the fastest growing and most exciting industries in the UK - to restore hope and raise aspirations for young people and ultimately raise the creative potential of the UK.

Marcus Davey is chief executive and artistic director at Roundhouse