Latest news with #youthwork
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Brilliant' Didcot youth worker set up own club aged 17
A woman who set up her own youth club aged 17 has said she was inspired by her own youth workers. Yasmin Betteridge leads Wallingford TRAIN in Oxfordshire, an offshoot of Didcot charity TRAIN Youth which she attended as a teenager last year. She said her youth workers were some of her "biggest role models" and helped her "build up a lot of confidence". Yasmin won a "highly commended" title at the Oxfordshire Apprentice Awards last month. Yasmin grew up in Didcot and started going to TRAIN Youth aged 11, but said she later found herself drawn into trouble in the town as a teenager. "In secondary school I got into a different friendship group, and would say I was involved in anti-social behaviour," she said."In towns like Didcot and Wallingford there isn't really much to do or anywhere to go."We played to stereotypes of what [adults] and pretty much anybody thought of us." Aged 15, Yasmin was asked by TRAIN Youth to help with interviews for a new staff member. She said: "I turned around to one of our trustees and said 'that'll be me you're interviewing one day'."After doing her work experience with the charity she said she "begged" her manager to set up an apprenticeship, which she then successfully applied for. She then worked for the charity while studying for a youth work diploma and is now a youth worker alongside her university studies. . 'She calms me down' Michelle, a volunteer with the Wallingford group, said Yasmin was an "amazing" youth worker who the young people at the club identified with."I've known Yasmin for a long, long time. She's got a super relationship with all the young people that come through. She's a brilliant individual," she who attends the group, said Yasmin was a particularly good listener. "When I'm angry I talk to her and she just calms me down. I have a feeling she's gone through the same thing."Charlotte, who travels to the group from her home in Benson, agreed: "She's a very easy person to chat to and she's... very understanding."Yasmin said she wanted Train Youth in Wallingford to be somewhere that was both inclusive and safe. "I think the young people of Wallingford know if they need something that they can call my work phone [or] come to us if they need anything."That's pretty much what my idea has been," she added. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Youth workers 'key' to tackling rise in violent crime
Youth workers are key to tackling a rise in violent crime among young people, Scotland's justice secretary has said. Angela Constance was asked on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, whether there was a "direct link" between cuts to youth services and a rise in violenceBut she said there were "many reasons" for the complex problem - with "more than one solution" for dealing with justice secretary's comments came after a number of instances of youth violence - including the death of 16-year-old Kayden Moy on Irvine beach. Constance said the Scottish government had increased health, policing and local government budgets and was focussed on preventing youth violence."The contribution that youth work currently makes in this country and could make will be imperative going forward. It's a key part of the solution," she said. Last week, First Minister John Swinney was quizzed in Holyrood on measures to tackle knife crime after a spate of incidents, including the death of Kayden 17-year-old boys have been charged with his is the third teenager to be killed in 12 months, following the deaths of Amen Teklay in Glasgow in March and Kory McCrimmon who was in May whether the authorities were being "too soft" on young people, Constance said it was important not to focus on the "approaches of the past"."When we look at what has changed in the lives of young people, it's really important that we don't focus on the arguments of the past or the approaches of the past that have not worked," she said."Some of the rhetoric around discipline, around being tough, that we need a tougher justice system, I would suggest is misplaced."What families want is interventions that work, and the earlier the intervention the better." Charity Youthlink Scotland reports a 50% reduction in the number of council youth workers in the last eight Executive Tim Frew told the Sunday Show that the rise in serious assaults was a result of a lack of youth said: "Despite the best efforts of the youth work sector and many others, some of those support services - those youth clubs and activities - are not at the volume they were years ago."Someone who benefited from such services as a teenager was 21-year-old Scott McLaughlin, from Glasgow. He told BBC Scotland News that a youth centre helped him avoid being caught up in gang violence and move into further said: "They helped with even just the simplest things, like I wanted to read a book so they gave me books."As daft as that sounds, it helps you because it shows you a broader horizon from what is in front of you." 'Alienated from society' Scott attended St Paul's youth forum in the city's Provanmill, but worries that cuts to services are having an impact of the next said: "I believe it's to do with a sense of alienation, there's a sense of lack of community. A youth forum can provide that, community centres can provide that."These things are ultimately what can tackle risk-taking behaviour in young people because young people who feel alienated from society have no reason to contribute to society." Opposition parties have accused the government of failing to take responsibility for the rise in youth Labour's justice spokesperson Pauline McNeil said the SNP must "acknowledge their mistakes" and "support key services".Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said the justice secretary had "shamefully" refused to take responsibility for cuts to youth workers.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Youth workers 'key' to tackling rise in violent crime
Youth workers are key to tackling a rise in violent crime among young people, Scotland's justice secretary has said. Angela Constance was asked on BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show, whether there was a "direct link" between cuts to youth services and a rise in violence But she said there were "many reasons" for the complex problem - with "more than one solution" for dealing with it. The justice secretary's comments came after a number of instances of youth violence - including the death of 16-year-old Kayden Moy on Irvine beach. Constance said the Scottish government had increased health, policing and local government budgets and was focussed on preventing youth violence. "The contribution that youth work currently makes in this country and could make will be imperative going forward. It's a key part of the solution," she said. Last week, First Minister John Swinney was quizzed in Holyrood on measures to tackle knife crime after a spate of incidents, including the death of Kayden Moy. Two 17-year-old boys have been charged with his murder. Kayden is the third teenager to be killed in 12 months, following the deaths of Amen Teklay in Glasgow in March and Kory McCrimmon who was in May 2024. Asked whether the authorities were being "too soft" on young people, Constance said it was important not to focus on the "approaches of the past". "When we look at what has changed in the lives of young people, it's really important that we don't focus on the arguments of the past or the approaches of the past that have not worked," she said. "Some of the rhetoric around discipline, around being tough, that we need a tougher justice system, I would suggest is misplaced. "What families want is interventions that work, and the earlier the intervention the better." Charity Youthlink Scotland reports a 50% reduction in the number of council youth workers in the last eight years. Chief Executive Tim Frew told the Sunday Show that the rise in serious assaults was a result of a lack of youth services. He said: "Despite the best efforts of the youth work sector and many others, some of those support services - those youth clubs and activities - are not at the volume they were years ago." Someone who benefited from such services as a teenager was 21-year-old Scott McLaughlin, from Glasgow. He told BBC Scotland News that a youth centre helped him avoid being caught up in gang violence and move into further education. He said: "They helped with even just the simplest things, like I wanted to read a book so they gave me books. "As daft as that sounds, it helps you because it shows you a broader horizon from what is in front of you." Scott attended St Paul's youth forum in the city's Provanmill, but worries that cuts to services are having an impact of the next generation. He said: "I believe it's to do with a sense of alienation, there's a sense of lack of community. A youth forum can provide that, community centres can provide that. "These things are ultimately what can tackle risk-taking behaviour in young people because young people who feel alienated from society have no reason to contribute to society." Opposition parties have accused the government of failing to take responsibility for the rise in youth crime. Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson Pauline McNeil said the SNP must "acknowledge their mistakes" and "support key services". Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said the justice secretary had "shamefully" refused to take responsibility for cuts to youth workers. Teenager arrested after beach disturbance death Police chief appeals to young people not to carry knives
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Labour spending less on youth work than Tories did, analysis shows
The Labour government is spending less on youth work in England than the Conservatives did after a decade of cuts, despite the prime minister's commitment to 'backing young people', analysis has found. The UK's biggest youth work charity said 'warm words won't pay for youth workers' as it called on the government to urgently increase spending on a sector that has been 'decimated' by austerity. 'This should be a moment to turn the tide on one and a half decades of underinvestment,' said Vicky Browning, the chief executive of UK Youth. 'The Labour government does seem committed to young people, but there's no investment in youth work to match. They've got to back up those words with funding that at the very least matches what the previous government was putting in.' The charity's analysis found that in the 2021 spending review and its subsequent national youth guarantee, the Conservative government committed £191.8m to youth programmes including the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) and the now closed National Citizen Service. By contrast, the Labour government has announced £146.5m for youth programmes, including £79.4m of previously allocated funding for the YIF. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has described youth work cuts as a 'source of national shame' as she promised a national youth strategy would be published this summer off the back of a 'national listening exercise'. Browning said the strategy should be a turning point for youth work but warned that 'if it's not funded to be able to deliver genuine change, it's not worth having'. Those working in the sector warned that while waiting for more action from the government, youth centres were closing down and jobs were being lost. 'There is such a struggle for funding – 70% of my time is spent sourcing funds to literally keep the doors open. It's really difficult,' said Debbie Jones, the chief executive of the Corner House Youth Project in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. 'It's a constant hamster wheel of money from short-term pots, and we will have to close if we don't get that. There's a lot of talk at the moment about a national youth strategy but I think the proof is in the pudding and we're still waiting to see what that will look like in action.' The number of local authority-run youth centres in England almost halved between 2012 and 2023, as council spending on youth work reduced by 75%, and about 4,500 youth workers have been lost. Kat Ager, the chief executive of Oasis Community Partnerships, a charity that works with young people, said: 'A year ago, we started hearing some really positive things from government. We've had announcements but they haven't resulted in any new funding. 'We're trying to remain hopeful that there will be something coming, but we're aware of the restrictions on the Treasury and budget so it's getting harder to stay hopeful.' In recent weeks, the prime minister has said he is 'backing Britain's young people'. He also spoke out after the release of the Netflix drama Adolescence to say the risk to young people outside had been 'overtaken by a greater danger, which is what's happening in the home […] in the places where they're on their own'. A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that teenagers in areas affected by youth club closures performed almost 4% worse in high school exams, and youths aged 10 to 17 became 14% more likely to commit crimes. Ager said she had been at events where young people had been asked to speak to ministers about their experiences, but they had yet to materialise in any real change. 'There was this energy and excitement of being in parliament and feeling heard, but then you don't get anything afterwards and for the young people that feels really discouraging,' she said. In its election manifesto, the government committed £95m to the rollout of Young Futures hubs, staffed by youth workers, mental health support workers and careers advisers, but details of this project have yet to be published. A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: 'Youth services are crucial to helping young people live safe and healthy lives. That is why we are investing £145m in youth programmes for 2025-26, which is consistent with funding for 24-25 and provides stability for the sector. 'We have just completed one of the most ambitious listening exercises in a generation to inform a new national youth strategy that will be published later this year. This ensures that young people have a genuine voice and opportunity to shape the policies that affect their lives.'
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
How teens can land a summer job through the YMCA's Youth Work Co-op
With summer fast approaching, many teens are on the hunt for their first job. The YMCA's Westmount and NDG locations are offering a helping hand through their summer Youth Work Co-operative. The program kicks off with info sessions designed to guide young people through job opportunities, teamwork and earning their own income. We spoke with Caitlin Zaloum, a supervisor with TeenZones at the Westmount and NDG YMCAs.
