Call for youth group collaboration to increase influence

The recommendation comes in a report by youth sector charity Partnership for Young London called Who Stands for Youth?, which also calls for greater collaboration and support for youth groups in submitting funding bids is also being called for.

It says: “Throughout our conversations with representatives across the sector there has been a clear recognition that increased collaboration would be of great use to organisations attempting to shape youth policy.”

Collaboration should include more sharing of staff and expertise to help the sector as a whole. This would also help youth groups make local lobbying of MPs and councils more focused and effective, the report argues.

In addition, youth groups should not be afraid to share data and analysis to help each other in ensuring there is good youth service provision in each area, picking up on emerging youth issues and establishing where there are gaps in provision.

The report found less than half of the sector are adopting co-operative campaigning or lobbying strategies.

Greater collaboration is especially needed as the sector has been hit hard by funding cuts and an erosion of influence at a Whitehall level since the coalition government took power in 2010, says the report.

Under the coalition youth policy was moved from the Department for Education to the Cabinet Office and the report details figures from Unison that show 2,000 youth sector jobs have been lost and 350 youth centres have closed since 2010.  

Restrictions in funding have also hit charities’ ability to lobby, as groups focus on frontline delivery, the report adds.

This week the Labour Party’s manifesto made no mention of ensuring youth services are a statutory service, prompting concerns from Partnership for Young London that further erosion of the youth sector’s influence is on the horizon.

A spokeswoman for Partnership for Young London said: “In the context of Labour dropping statutory youth services from their manifesto, now more that ever a strong voice on youth policy is needed. This report explores why it's not happening, and how it could.”