- £88 million investment to support youth clubs and schools to offer more after-school activities, while enabling organisations like the Scouts and Guides to deliver more places in local communities
- Action delivers on Plan for Change and manifesto promise to back young people growing up in a digital-first world, with opportunities to build essential skills for life and work
Young people across the country will benefit from a major new expansion of youth services and activities outside of school, as the government takes action to re-connect young people with their communities.
Far from the default being outdoor activities, young people today are spending more and more of their time detached from the real world, either stuck in their bedrooms or behind a screen, throwing up huge challenges for them and their loved ones to overcome. Today the government takes bold action to give young people a better alternative, so they are supported rather than left behind.
Announcing a new £88 million package of support to transform opportunities for young people across the country, the Prime Minister will make clear that this government is picking this challenge up and seeing it for what it is – a worrying trend – and delivering real-life solutions for the long-term, investing in opportunities for young people.
Applying a grown-up approach to tackling a problem faced by parents and young people up and down the country, this government is investing in children’s futures. From new climbing walls and outdoor adventures to music lessons and volunteering, this package means that youth clubs and schools will now be able to offer more opportunities for young people to get active and connect with others, while building their confidence and broadening their horizons.
For far too long, young people have been locked out of their future, with youth services in England seeing a decade-long decline in investment of over 70%.
This government is turning the page. Backed by nearly £88 million, the package also delivers on the Prime Minister’s promise to support parents and keep children safe – offering more opportunities in structured environments that help encourage young people off the streets.
It builds on wider action through the Plan for Change to back young people’s futures, including by extending voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds, announcing the £500 million Better Futures Fund for young people’s support services, and launching new guidance to protect young people from online harms.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
Growing up today is hard for young people. As they navigate their way through the online world, too often they find themselves isolated at home and disconnected from their communities.
As a government, we have a duty to act on this worrying trend. Today’s investment is about offering a better alternative: transformative, real-world opportunities that will have an impact in communities across the country, so young people can discover something new, find their spark and develop the confidence and life skills that no algorithm can teach.
Through our Plan for Change, we’re backing parents by not only protecting our young people online, but giving them the support and opportunities they deserve so no child falls through the cracks.
The Building Creative Futures package announced today includes:
- £22.5 million over three years to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools. This will give pupils access to extra-curricular activities such as sport, art and music, outdoor activities, debating or volunteering that support wellbeing and essential skills around the school day.
- The launch of the Better Youth Spaces programme, a £30.5 million fund to improve youth club infrastructure in areas with the highest levels of child poverty. This will go towards smaller capital projects such as new gym equipment and climbing walls.
- The rollout of the Local Youth Transformation pilot, an £8 million programme to support local authorities to deliver a high-quality out-of-school offer. It will provide the tools, guidance and funding, to assess, improve, and invest in impactful local youth offers.
- The third phase of the Million Hours Fund, a £19 million joint investment with The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver over a million additional hours of youth work in areas with high rates of anti-social behaviour.
- £7.5 million for the Uniformed Youth Fund, creating thousands of new places in youth organisations like The Scouts, Guides and Volunteer Police Cadets in areas of unmet demand.
Today’s investment is the latest step towards the government’s National Youth Strategy. Due to be published this autumn, the Strategy will be shaped by insights from over 20,000 young people engaged through the ‘Deliver You’ programme and will set out a long-term vision for youth policy across government.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
We know that strong local youth services are the bedrock of thriving communities that give our young people safe spaces to learn, grow and reach their potential.
Today’s announcement is just the beginning. As we develop our National Youth Strategy ahead of its launch this autumn, we are already delivering on our Plan for Change by putting young people at the heart of our mission-led government ensuring they have the support and opportunities they deserve so that no one is left behind.
The investment today complements and builds on the work already underway to ensure every pupil has equal access to high quality extracurricular activity as well as PE and sport. This includes a new national network to build strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies to identify and break down barriers to sport and dance for children who are less active. New guidance to support schools to offer equal access to high-quality extra-curricular activities will also be published later this year.
Expanding youth provision will also have an impact in tackling child poverty and helping families access great local services. Children affected by poverty can face significant barriers to accessing after school and youth clubs. Today’s announcement will help ensure that every child, no matter who they are, what their circumstances are or where they live, has the opportunity to participate in sports, arts, and other activities.
