Govt gives youth facilities 10-year boost
Youth facilities across England will be given a boost over the next ten years as part of new government plans unveiled today.
The Ten Year Youth Strategy will fund “new and improved youth facilities in every community”, to help young people “take part in enjoyable and purposeful activities”, the Department for Children, Young People and Families explains.
Aimed in particular at helping young people in deprived areas, the plans are designed to develop more skills for young people and to raise their aspirations.
The strategy will also encourage more adult volunteers and mentors to offer teenagers more support from “people they trust”.
“This morning I met some young people who have been really involved in helping develop services in their area – that’s what we want to see all over the country. We need to listen carefully and put young people centre stage – both in education and outside the school gates with improved places to go before and after school, at weekends and in the holidays,” commented Ed Balls, secretary of state for Children, Young People and Families.
Children’s minister Beverley Hughes added: “Time and again we see young people defy the negative stereotypes and prove that they are capable of great things. This strategy will give them the funding, support and provision they need to do that.
“I am determined that society takes a more positive view of young people. There is real concern among young people that their achievements and contributions to their communities are being unfairly overshadowed by negative media images and concerns about anti-social behaviour.
“We want to put spending power in the hands of young people – so that they can fulfil their potential, whatever their background. This is a great opportunity to celebrate and nurture the achievements of young people and those who work with them.”
From 2008 to 2011 there will be a £184 million boost for the scheme, along with £495 million of continuing funding and money from unclaimed assets.
The Conservatives welcomed the strategy, but said it was ten years too late.
“Only today a major report says that British teenagers are more likely to get into fights, binge drink, take drugs and have underage and unprotected sex than teenagers in most other European countries,” said shadow children’s minister Tim Loughton.
He added: “We will also look very carefully at today’s announcement to see that the funding to really make a difference is actually there. All too often with Gordon Brown’s government the spin designed to win the good headline is not backed up by the detail.
“For example, once the £150 million of unclaimed money has been spent on building new centres it’s not clear where the money will come from to make sure that they are properly staffed by trained youth workers in the long term.”
