UK Youth is calling on the Government to urgently provide immediate investment in the youth sector to avoid an unprecedented crisis.
Follow @connectmycareer
At a time when young people most need support, the youth sector is facing an unprecedented funding crisis with many youth organisations at real risk of closure and 2 in 3 projected to be unable to meet costs in four months’ time.
This blow to the sector comes on top of almost £1 billion of funding cuts to youth services in England and Wales since 2011, forcing more than 1,000 children centres and 760 youth centres to close.
Together with members of the Back Youth Alliance and young people, UK Youth has called for:
- All existing financial commitments for young people to be honoured – including the £500 million Youth Investment Fund
- An immediate release of funding for the youth sector to ensure vital support reaches young people at this crucial time
- A targeted, cross-sector recovery strategy for and with children and young people, informed by an inquiry into the impact of Covid-19
Leaders across the youth, education and corporate sectors have come together with celebrity backers and young people to demand that the government urgently invests in youth services.
In an open letter to The Times, more than 100 senior figures and celebrities – including Caitlin Moran, Bear Grylls, Kathy Burke and Michael Sheen – have voiced their concern that youth services are being starved of funding at the very time when investment in young people has never been needed more.
Career Connect CEO Barry Fletcher says: “Career Connect fully supports the call for the Government to urgently invest in youth services. The threat to the UK’s youth sector is now a very genuine one that risks destroying the vital network of support services that young people rely on to lead successful lives. We ask everyone to support this plea to the Government for urgent support to ensure that our young people get access to the services that they need and deserve.”
If you would like to support this initiative, please share this story on social media, using the hashtags #BackYouth and #StandWithYouth. You can also contact your MP and urge them to support the campaign.
