PRESS RELEASE : New National Youth Strategy to break down barriers to opportunity for young people [November 2024]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 12 November 2024.

Young people will be invited to be part of a national conversation to help co-produce the Strategy to unlock opportunities in every community.

• Plans launched to create new National Youth Strategy by young people, for young people, as part of the government’s mission to improve opportunity
• An initial £85 million from government and £100 million from the Dormant Assets Scheme committed to improving youth outcomes

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 today by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

Young people from across the country will be given the opportunity to 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 Strategy will prioritise delivering better coordinated youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level. It will make sure decision-making moves away from a one-size-fits all approach, handing power back to young people and their communities, and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector. This will help deliver on the government’s missions, spreading opportunities, making our streets safer and taking pressure off health services.

To kickstart the process, the government is inviting young people to take part in a series of face-to-face engagements to ensure their perspectives and aspirations are at the heart of decision making. They will then be asked to share their views as part of a ‘Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Nation’ conversation on how best to help the next generation of young people.

A youth advisory board will be established to work with the government throughout the development process, alongside in-depth engagement with youth organisations, industry leaders and academics specialising in youth issues.

Following a pandemic where young people were denied valuable experiences, and with the pressures of social media and new technologies growing ever present, the Culture Secretary firmly believes that the challenges facing young people today are urgent and pressing, demanding a substantial change in direction of approach to young people and youth policy-making.

As part of this shift in strategy, the Culture Secretary has confirmed in the House of Commons the difficult decision to wind down the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme from March 2025. The government believes that a new approach is needed to support young people with the challenges of today.

More than £85 million will be allocated in recognition of the urgent need for more youth facilities. This will include £26 million of new funding for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake much needed renovations via the Better Youth Spaces programme. Existing youth centre projects already underway via the Youth Investment Fund will also be completed as part of the Government’s commitment to young people.

The Culture Secretary has also announced that £100 million from the next tranche of dormant assets funding will be used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028, supporting the provision of services, facilities and opportunities for young people across the country.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said:

For too long, the nation’s young people have been deprived of a meaningful seat at the table in the decisions that directly impact their lives.

That is why this Government is committed to taking a bold, transformative approach to young people – one that walks alongside them and values their experiences and perspectives, rather than assuming we can simply swoop in and fix things for them.

Through the co-production of a new National Youth Strategy, we will put young people back in charge of their own destiny, starting with better understanding of their lives and needs.

This will allow us to shape policy that not only keeps up with the rapidly evolving challenges of today, but is also effective in ensuring that opportunity for young people is abundant in every postcode.”

Minister for Youth, Stephanie Peacock said:

The challenges faced by young people across the country are profound, yet this generation remains resilient and hopeful, driven by an ambition to create a future where opportunities are abundant, regardless of circumstances or postcode.

To match this ambition, our approach to policymaking must adapt to embrace young voices and listen to their aspirations for a better future.

Real change doesn’t happen overnight, and we’re committed to a long-term approach that unites multiple areas of government to work side by side with young people to find solutions together.

As the new National Youth Strategy is developed, the government will continue to support access for young people to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and volunteering opportunities. In addition, the government is committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity for all young people across the country by:

• Launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot. It will provide tools, guidance, peer challenge and funding to build back local authorities’ lost capability in the youth space, sowing the seeds for a much-needed rejuvenation of local youth services.
• Expanding the Creative Careers Programme, which will open up new opportunities to access careers in the arts, and continue investment in multi-sport facilities that provides young people access to quality sports facilities on their doorsteps.

This funding will complement the creation of a new Youth Guarantee to ensure every 18-21 year old in England is earning or learning, with eight trailblazer areas to be rolled in Spring 2025 and more details to be announced in the upcoming Get Britain Working White Paper. It will also complement the set up of the first trailblazer Young Futures Hubs and Local Prevention Partnerships.