Young people need youth work
Life can be tough for young people, particularly those with complex needs and from underserved communities. The pandemic has limited their access to education and reduced their social interactions. Even before that, they faced a struggling economy, cuts to vital services, lack of investment in the youth sector and rising inequality.
Youth work provides critical community support for young people. It can be a lifeline – empowering them to lead productive lives, providing an environment conducive to informal education, and helping build their self-esteem. Sadly, 2020 showed us how undervalued youth work is.
UK Youth’s new 2025 strategy, “Unlocking Youth Work”, outlines our determination to impact young lives through youth work. We will work together to build a cross-sector movement, creating a society that understands and champions effective youth work for all, and then delivers it.
Struggling for support
73%
reduction in local authorities’ spending on youth services in England between 2010/11 and 2019/20
(YMCA)
114%
increase in the number of people aged 18-24 claiming unemployment related benefits (up 267,900 from March 2020 to April 2021)
58%
of respondents to Young Minds survey said that loneliness and isolation were the biggest impacts during lockdown
