Her bemusement stemmed from the fact that virtually every question from delegates following her speech related to the proposed youth activities opportunity card - and they were far from positive in tone (see p2).
The youth sector has significant doubts about opportunity cards as a vehicle to facilitate youth activities and "shift the focus of services from the supply to the demand side". While Hughes sees the card as empowering young people, many see it as bringing market forces into youth services and neglecting the "supply side" they see as intrinsic to any national youth offer.
These concerns are valid and need thorough testing in whichever of the 60 organisations that have expressed an interest are chosen to pilot the scheme, but this concentration on the opportunity card to the exclusion of all else is unhelpful.
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