Let’s work together for young people

I am delighted to see that Choose Youth is upping its lobbying activities – apart from the vanity project that is NCS, this government seems totally disinterested in honestly creating a level playing field where all our young people have opportunity to develop and thrive.

We know that 60 per cent of the last government’s cuts have yet to be implemented, with a promised further £13bn cuts to welfare that will inevitably hit some of our most vulnerable young people hardest. With the virtual annihilation of services that were there to support these young people, where will they go? How will they ever get onto the Tory ladder of opportunity with the bottom two rungs broken? The challenge for all of us now is to be a collective voice for those who have become completely voiceless, but we must do so with a sound evidence base.

Long before 2010 I was complaining about the sector’s lack of investment in demonstrating its worth. One of the reasons early years has received the funding and the recognition it has for helping to make a difference to outcomes for disadvantaged children is its robust evidence base. I often hear statistics thrown around such as “for every £1 spent we ultimately save £6 – or £7 or £13” (it varies), but I don’t often hear concrete examples of where that has been demonstrated.

We have also, as a sector, all too often been plagued with inter-organisational rivalry.  I well remember former minister Ivan Lewis saying “partnership working is the suppression of mutual loathing in the pursuit of public funds”. I hope the coalition that has formed around Choose Youth will ultimately include all our major voluntary and statutory youth organisations. I hope that there will be a clear strategic approach which engages young people, their communities and those at a local and national level who seek to represent them. Yes, send the proposed Young People and Youth Service Bill to all our MPs, but also send it to councillors, PCC’s, campaigning organisations locally and nationally.

For those of you involved in political parties I would urge you to put pressure on them to respond too. For my own part I am working with a friend and colleague in the Lib Dems, Mathew Hulbert, to set up a Friends of the Youth Service group to keep the issue on the agenda. I would also suggest that Choose Youth appoints Ambassadors from across all sectors, including politicians, other public figures, celebrities, young people, anyone and everyone who is prepared to commit to holding the government’s feet to the fire on this issue. The irony is that in all my time as a local councillor the number two issue (after potholes it has to be said!) was always lack of facilities for young people.

The last five years were bad enough, let’s work together to try to stop the rot, not for our sakes but for the sake of the thousands of young people, up and down the country, who are being robbed of the opportunities their parents took for granted.

Linda Jack, Lib Dem activist

Twitter: @LibDemLinda