Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced the first national youth strategy in 15 years, backed by £500 million, to address what she described as decades of 'violent indifference' towards young people. The 'Youth Matters' plan aims to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home, boost resilience, and teach skills including online safety.
The strategy includes funding for up to 250 new or refurbished youth clubs over four years, 50 hubs providing professional support in areas such as Birmingham, Nottingham, and County Durham, and new support for youth workers. Nandy said young people today are the most digitally connected but also the most isolated generation, and that England is an 'outlier' compared to other countries on issues like loneliness and wellbeing.
Speaking at the launch in Peckham, south London, Nandy said young people had been shaped by the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis, global uncertainty, and an always-on digital world. She warned that the online environment remains toxic despite child protection measures in the Online Safety Act, but noted that most young people do not want an Australian-style social media ban, instead wanting help to navigate online spaces.
Local government spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010-11 and 2022-23, with more than 1,000 youth centres closing and over 4,500 youth worker roles lost. Nandy said the strategy aims to restore young people's sense of self-worth and put them 'back in the driving seat of their own lives'.
