Chris Neal, who represents the British Youth Council (BYC) in Europe, believes the UK could become ineligible for annual EU funding that it currently receives if it left the union.
BYC calculates the UK youth sector receives about €10m (£8.6m) a year from the European Youth in Action fund, which is managed by the British Council. But this would be jeopardised if UK voters chose to leave the EU in a referendum on British membership planned for 2017.
Neal said: “Young people are facing a challenging future and European investment in youth work initiatives in the UK should be recognised and defended by the UK government, yet talk of withdrawal from Europe could mean we no longer are eligible to apply for these funds.”
“At a time when domestic sources of funding are squeezed, we need to give greater recognition to Europe for its support for youth work – if its future is to be secured.
“The short-term challenge will be how to replace a valued source of funding if we are no longer eligible.”
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