Third of youth clubs in London fear closure by end of year
A recent Guardian article highlighted that childcare difficulties in London are beginning to mount as coronavirus hits the finances of youth clubs and school holidays have started, with almost a third of them facing closure. New data from the charity London Youth found 31% could struggle to operate within six months, more than a quarter (27%) were in difficulty with running costs and 47% had furloughed staff.
Lucy Stephens, Founder and Co-Headteacher of The New School, said, ”If youth services weren’t in a state of emergency before (debatable) they are now. This is incredibly short-sighted, and concerning for young people because what is left is a piecemeal approach from charities and other local projects.”
“It is a postcode lottery that reinforces inequality and is reliant on strong marketing for young people to know what is out there for them. With mental health issues rising exponentially, youth clubs are in a prime position to signpost, support, and provide a safe venue for young people. With increasing challenges for young people in the 21st century, we need to be backing local youth clubs and bigger youth organisations, not shutting them down.”
The services that are available for young people are often highly dependent on where they live.
“Schools could and should be able to take up some of the slack, but instead structural inequality and systemic racism within schools, perpetuated by zero tolerance behaviour policies, an authoritarian adult lens that doesn’t support young people’s voice and an intense and increasing focus on standardisation means that schools currently exacerbate the problem. It doesn’t have to be this way though, if we focus on relationship, partnership, young people’s agency and an alternative means of holding school’s accountable we can mitigate *some* of the fallout from these austerity policies that are decimating the youth sector.”
OnSide is a charity whose goal is to keep facilities for your people open, and running in the very best way possible. They provide young people aged 8–19 years old (25 for those with a disability) across the country with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to in their leisure time; occupying their bodies and minds with fun activities, learning new skills and socialising in a safe, positive way. OnSide Youth Zones are there for young people in deprived areas, where the alternative for many is spending their evenings on the streets or isolated in their bedrooms, surfing the internet. If you’re passionate about provision of youth clubs for young people or want to find a Youth Zone near you, please visit the OnSide website.