4 December 2020
UK Youth is delighted to announce that it has been chosen as a partner for this year’s Guardian and Observer Charity Appeal.
We were selected by the newspaper group along with two other youth-focused organisations; Young Minds and Child Poverty Action Group.
This year’s charity appeal will highlight the impact the pandemic has had on young people and the organisations that support them.
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, young people across the country have missed out on education and youth work activities, leaving many feeling lonely, detached and isolated. They also now face an uncertain future jobs market as the UK economy struggles to bounce back from the pandemic.
The impact has been felt by youth organisations, many of which have had to reduce or close projects during the outbreak.
The crisis comes against a backdrop of extreme austerity for youth organisations. The total year-on-year cuts to youth sector funding is close to £6bn, bringing cuts totalling more than 70 percent in less than ten years.
The Guardian and Observer charity appeal provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the importance of supporting young people at this time and raise much-needed funds for youth organisations. Last year’s appeal raised a total of more than £1m for the partner organisations.
UK Youth collaborates with thousands of youth organisations and individuals to collectively reach millions of young people, many of whom face barriers to opportunities. Our mission is to work as a nationwide movement to deliver innovative youth services, grow effective practice and campaign to increase support for youth work. We work with others to ensure that the youth sector is strengthened, supported, and that provision is youth-led. Together we support young people to acquire the skills, resilience, self-belief, trust, confidence and connections that equip them to thrive and empower them to contribute, at every stage of their lives.
Funds raised from the charity appeal will be used to support UK Youth’s work as well as grassroots youth initiatives across the UK. The appeal will run from Friday 4 December until the end of January. Donations can be made here
Lindsay Marsden, our Director of Partnerships & Fundraising says “We are delighted to be selected as one of the Guardian and Observer’s charity appeal partners and we want to thank them for recognising the support young people need right now. This appeal will enable UK Youth to continue delivering vital services to young people, and the youth workers that support them, at a time when they need our help the most.”
“For lots of young people, life has got even harder this year. Covid-19 has had a catastrophic impact on young people’s mental health and employment prospects. But there is a solution to supporting young people out of this crisis. The money raised through this appeal with invest in local youth services- sending a message to young people that we believe in them and their ability to thrive.”
For more information on the appeal, please click here.