Resources: Talking point - Are bad youth clubs harmful to youngpeople?

The headline in The Guardian was: "Youth clubs can be bad for you, says report". The argument is that youth clubs that offer few activities for young people could help turn them to crime, drag down their performance at school and give them a lasting smoking habit. Do young people agree?

Does meeting other young people with nothing much to do mean that bad things happen?

Youth minister Margaret Hodge says: "This research tells us that these young people would have been better off at home watching telly than spending their time with others in this way." Is she right? Talk about the problems that might develop if young people do not get a chance to meet their peers. Learning to socialise is an important skill, and sometimes people make mistakes. Is it always a good idea to remove the opportunity to make mistakes? What might the effect be if a generation of young people are not allowed to meet informally? Is the only alternative to going to a club staying at home watching television? Might young people choose to meet elsewhere? Talk about what researchers might find if they studied whether hanging around the street is good for young people.