On a cold, wet winter night in Peckham, the wind howls outside the Damilola Taylor Centre. Inside, however, the sound of squeaking trainers and a fast-paced basketball game fills the warm space. For the teenagers here, this centre is a vital refuge, a safe space in a landscape where such havens have vanished.
A Generation's Plea for Safety
The launch of the government's first national youth strategy in 15 years was marked in this South London community just before Christmas. The strategy commits £500 million to revitalising youth services across the country, a direct response to what Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described as 14 years of "violent indifference" towards young people.
Peckham's Labour and Co-operative MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who is also a Communities minister, recounted a powerful conversation from her election campaign. "I can’t forget one little girl telling me, ‘I’m safe at school, I’m safe at home, I’m not safe in between’," Fahnbulleh said. "That tells you we are not getting it right for young people."
Her vision, developed with the Co-operative Party, is that by 2035, no child in Peckham should be more than a ten-minute walk from a youth service. "If we can create spaces that young people feel are their own, that is foundational," she stated.
Reversing the Legacy of Austerity
The new investment aims to repair the severe damage inflicted on youth provision during the austerity years. Official figures show that local government spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010-11 and 2022-23. This led to the closure of over 1,000 youth centres and the loss of more than 4,500 youth worker jobs.
"Austerity decimated the places that brought young people together," Fahnbulleh explained. "Places that gave them a sense of belonging and a place for them to feel safe and where they could thrive, disappeared across the country." The consequence, she notes, is that young people are now officially the loneliest age group in Britain.
The national strategy includes plans to build or refurbish 250 youth centres and create 50 ‘Young Futures Hubs’ offering career and mental health support. It is linked to broader Labour policies like Votes at 16 and the ‘Pride in Place’ neighbourhoods strategy.
Building Community, Not Just Buildings
At the Damilola Taylor Centre, the impact of a dedicated space is clear. The ‘My Ends’ programme, run by the Active Communities Network, provides structured activities like basketball. For 14-year-old Sammy, who takes two buses to get there, it's transformative. "It’s changed me a lot," he said. "Having somewhere to come makes you more protected."
Volunteer youth worker Omar Mohamed, 25, sees his role as a counterforce to negative influences. "I think young people are suffering from a meaningless crisis," he observed. "What should you do as a young person? What’s my purpose?"
Another attendee, 16-year-old Benedict, values the community. "If I wasn’t here, I’d be at home doing absolutely nothing. Out there is a lot of peer pressure. It’s like a community here." A 12-year-old boy added that the sessions had changed his mentality, teaching him not to give up.
The shadow of Damilola Taylor, murdered 25 years ago on his walk home from a library, still looms large. At a recent legacy event, young people urged a shift in focus. "Let’s stop talking about knife crime, and start talking about inequality, poverty and loneliness," said 25-year-old Tyrell Davis-Douglin.
MP Miatta Fahnbulleh is determined to be held accountable for her ten-minute walk promise. "It sounds like a small thing," she said, "but I’m going to put my heart, soul and everything into it." For the young people of Peckham and beyond, this new strategy represents a long-awaited chance to reclaim their streets and their future.
