Plans for a new National Youth Strategy designed to put the views of young people at the centre of decision-making on policies that affect them has been unveiled this week by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Young people from across the country will co-produce a new approach with the government towards the support services, facilities and opportunities they need outside the school gates to benefit their lives and futures.
“The government believes that a new approach is needed to support young people with the challenges of today,” Nandy said. “This will allow us to shape policy that not only keeps up with the rapidly evolving challenges but is also effective in ensuring that opportunity for young people is abundant in every postcode.” The strategy announces that:
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has committed more than £85mn to creating and implementing the strategy. This will include £26mn of new funding for youth clubs to buy new equipment and carry out renovations.
- Existing youth centre projects already underway through the previous government’s £300mn youth investment fund will also be completed as part of the government’s commitment to young people, according to DCMS. The funding, which will be released during the next financial year, will also be used to launch a Local Youth Transformation pilot, designed to support local authorities to rebuild youth services following more than a decade of funding cuts.
- It will boost the DCMS’s Creative Careers Programme, designed to increase opportunities for young people to access careers in the arts, and continue investment in local sports facilities.