National Youth Strategy: Explained

A new National Youth Strategy is being launched by the government, which is “designed to put the views of young people at the center of decision making.”

The plans, which were unveiled by Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, have been given an initial £85 million from government and another £100 million from other schemes committed to improving youth outcomes, between 2024-2028. 

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy make commitment in the House of Commons. Pictures from: BBC

 The Culture Secretary called the project “a state of the nation enquiry, into the challenges facing a generation…which will put young people back in charge of their own destiny, starting with better understanding of their lives and needs.”

The project, will put young people across the country will be given the opportunity to “co-produce a new approach with the government”. The aim of the plan is to prioritise the delivering of more coordinated youth services and policy at the local level.

The Government is inviting young people to take part in a series of face to face engagements to ensure “perspectives and aspirations” are at the heart of the decision making.

Spending on youth services has been on a downward trend since 2011, and this initiative will not only help improve the amount of funding for this issue, but also make services more coordinated and targeted, which will help young people get more personalised, direct help.

 The impact this strategy will actually have on young people, the lives they live and the opportunities they are offered, is yet to be seen. Although, even across the benches in parliament, most, if not all will agree that funding into youth services being increased can only be a good thing, after all, the youth of today are the future of tomorrow.