Youth hubs in Middlesbrough offering support to young people
Research shows 17% of 16 to 24 year-olds in Middlesbrough aren't in education, employment or training
We're hearing about the importance of having youth clubs for young people in Middlesbrough.
We told you yesterday 17 percent of 16 to 24 year-olds in the town aren't in education, employment or training.
The Centre for Cities said more than a third of so-called Neets are concentrated in the nine largest cities in England in which Middlesbrough's on the list.
The think tank said its study revealed “stark differences” between areas, with young people in some cities and large towns more than three times as likely to be Neet as those in others.
Rob Johnson, senior analyst at the Centre for Cities, said: “Getting young people into work or training is a national challenge that will be won or lost in England’s cities.
"Interventions will only get us so far if areas lack jobs or training places. Mayors need the powers to tackle the barriers that young people face, whether that’s skills, training, or the ability to actually get to jobs and courses from where they live.”
The KFC Youth Foundation Youth Hub in Middlesbrough (KFCYF) offers free support, mentorships and aims to boost confidence and skills.
22 year-old Lewis Hornsby is a youth worker there and he said: "I have firsthand experience of how hard it can be to be a young person without anyone on your side. Growing up in a deprived area left me feeling isolated and directionless for a lot of my early years. Now I am on a mission to make sure young people in my local area don’t have those same experiences.
"All too often, young people in these communities have to develop a level of maturity beyond their years. At the Hub, they can leave some of those pressures at the door and simply be young. It gives them the space to discover, things about themselves, about each other and about the futures they want.
"I literally get to watch with my own two eyes how simple the solution to this crisis is. It's all about community, support and safety. Being able to provide that has given me a real sense of purpose, and my only hope is more people wake up to the reality so many young people are facing, and chose to help them at every turn.”
“At the Hub, they can leave some of those pressures at the door and simply be young. It’s all about community, support and safety.
"I think it is important for young people to have a safe space where they can express themselves. I feel like it does not just offer them that space; it also offers them a form of informal education, such as how to be confident and what to do if they need advice. No one really teaches that, and it is not something that is usually taught in school. It is important for us to provide a space where young people can come and learn those skills.
"I was out of work for a while myself. Everywhere I applied wanted experience, but nowhere was offering experience. That was the main thing for me. After a long time applying for so many jobs, you lose the motivation to keep trying. I feel like we help build that confidence by showing young people that they can do it, they can keep applying, and they will eventually get there.
"There is a lot of anti-social behaviour, and there are all sorts of challenges that people face, including unsafe environments. It all builds up in a young person's mind. Having a safe space where they can come and let go of that is really important, somewhere they can let go of the challenges that young people face in these sorts of areas. From my experience, I did not really have that space to go to and be like a kid.
"We have a programme called the Mentorship Programme, where I go into schools and spend about an hour one-to-one with a young person. The best thing is when you have been doing it for, say, six weeks, and you can see in the moment that you are helping, even though you do not know what goes on behind closed doors. To then be told that you have made a massive impact is probably the most rewarding part.
"We want to support as many young people as we can. I think it is incredibly important for spaces like these to be available all over Middlesbrough and across the country. Every young person should have a safe space. For you and me, our home might be our safe space. But young people do not have a choice about where their home is or who is in that home."
The KFC Youth Foundation
The Foundation's own research finds the number of Youth Clubs has more than halved (-56%) in the last 15 years, leaving two million young people across the UK (40%) with no access to a safe space outside their home and school.
With local authority spending on youth services falling 73% since 2010, the research found the decline in safe spaces across the UK is leaving young people vulnerable to isolation and negative influences. Half (50%) of young people who have experienced a youth club closure said they spent more time alone in their bedroom as a result, with one in three (31%) spending more time in public spaces, and one in five (17%) spending more time with people who were a bad influence.
In contrast, the overwhelming majority of young people who had access to a youth space over the course of their life reported feeling a greater sense of belonging (94%) and improved mental wellbeing (32%). Those with regular access to a safe space were more than twice as likely to feel connected to their community (60% vs 29%) and over 20% more likely to have clear goals and aspirations for the future (74% vs 61%).
Tyler West, KISS Presenter & KFC Youth Ambassador said: “Since the beginning of our special partnership with KFC, I have seen first-hand the impact of the KFC Youth Foundation on young people’s lives.
"Visiting the Middlesbrough Youth Hub allowed me to hear and see how much of a difference these safe spaces are making to young people from backgrounds so similar to my own.
"Every young person deserves to feel safe and have a space to be themselves. I’m proud to be supporting the KFC Youth Foundation on their mission to help young people fulfil their full potential.”
Caden, KFCYF Middlesbrough Youth Hub user, said: “The KFC Youth Hub is such a fun place to be, and I always look forward to coming here. I’ve made loads of new friends, learnt new skills and tried things I wouldn’t normally get the chance to do. The Hub has made my time after school so much more exciting, and it’s somewhere I can have fun, be with my friends and always feel safe and welcome.”
Claire Ashley, KFCYF Middlesbrough Hub Manager, said: “At the Middlesbrough Hub, I see first-hand just how much having a safe, welcoming space can mean to a young person. Seeing the change in the young people who come through our doors is incredibly rewarding.
"We watch them grow in confidence, discover new interests and develop skills they can carry with them into school, work and everyday life. We must strive to make sure every young person in our communities has somewhere to go, where they can feel safe, supported and free to be curious.”