Youth work is more vital now than ever
Andy Hillier
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
This year is shaping up to be the most challenging one for youth services in recent memory. Further cutbacks in public services coupled with nearly one million 16- to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training are going to place a huge strain on youth services just at the time they are most needed.
The signs are already there that youth service funding will be viewed as one of the "easier" cuts in children's services. In December, Oxfordshire County Council proposed slashing funding for youth support from £3.7m to £1.4m by 2013 as part of an overall £18m reduction in its children, young people and families budget. At the end of October, Birmingham City Council announced that it was reducing its youth service spend by almost £1m over two years. This could lead to the loss of a number of services, including a drop-in service for sexual health advice.
While it's naive to think that youth services can escape cutbacks, there needs to be a wider awareness about the valuable role they play during a recession. As our feature on the W13 Youth and Connexions Centre shows (see p14), well-run youth services can provide young people with precisely the opportunities they need during challenging times. These range from finding them volunteering projects to teaching them practical skills such as clothes-making and, perhaps most importantly, providing them with emotional support and a friendly adult to listen to their concerns.
Perhaps a New Year's resolution for everyone connected with youth work is to convey to those key decision makers in their areas that youth work is about far more than giving young people somewhere to simply hang out.
Andy Hillier, editor, Youth Work Now, andy.hillier@haymarket.com
