UK Youth welcomes investment in youth clubs – but need for more funding remains

National charity UK Youth has welcomed the announcement of additional Government funding for youth centres.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced young people across the UK are to benefit from 140 new or refurbished youth centres thanks to the Government’s Youth Investment Fund. 

The DCMS said: “Totalling more than £90 million, funding announced today will support nearly 20,000 more young people per year to access new facilities such as workshop spaces, sports halls, art rooms, recording studios and skate parks.  Activities ranging from dance, drama and music to sport, horticulture and employment skills development will be on offer, giving young people access to opportunities that broaden their horizons.”

It is the latest instalment of the YIF supporting services in areas of the country with high need and low provision.

UK Youth has welcomed the investment, but renewed calls for more funding to support ongoing youth work, alongside the transformed buildings.

Jacob Diggle, Chief Impact Officer at UK Youth, said: “It’s great to see this funding starting to make a difference with improved facilities for young people across the country.

“However, the need for revenue funding – not just capital – has not gone away. While these new centres are opening, there are already thousands of youth centres across the country that are having to reduce their opening hours and hundreds that have closed their doors for good.

“Increasing investment in access to quality youth work is not just a moral imperative, it has much wider economic value.

“UK Youth’s Untapped research has shown increasing investment in youth work can transform the lives of millions and save our country billions every year, whether through improving employment, health outcomes or reducing crime. We urge the Government to guarantee sustainable investment in quality youth work for the next generation, for the benefit of the whole country.”

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as a catalyst for change. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch, a youth employability programme run in partnership with KFC. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes