Generation Cut: Youth Services

Since 2010, YMCA St Paul’s Group has seen an average of a 53% cut in spending by local authorities in London and Slough on youth services. This includes one Borough where the spending per head on services for young people has dropped to £0.

This 53% cut is just one of the shocking headlines from the Generation Cut report published by the YMCA federation. As a YMCA we believe in fairness and opportunity for all, young people are not just the leaders of the future but the society of today. Slashing spending, removing access not just facilities but youth work support workers and mentors, means that’s today’s young people, we were living in the shadow of Covid, global conflict, rising mental health challenges, and an extreme cost of living crisis, how far left support networks to draw on then in times gone by.

As YMCA St Paul’s Group we deliver youthwork programmes across London, and Slough supporting a wide range of young people during turn time on holidays, evenings and weekends. They include mental health cafes, crime diversion projects, sexual health workshops, football and basketball sessions, holiday camps and fitness sessions. Through these sessions we see the benefit of positive youthwork activities that will help the young people we engage with build physical emotional and social resilience.

We are grateful to the many trusts and foundations that help us deliver these programmes and for the individuals that take part in challenges and fundraising events to help raise money however we can only do so much, that is why we as YMCAs are calling for the Government to develop a long-term, sustainable funding place that focuses on delivering youth services for young people all year round. This funding needs to see ensure that every young person should have the opportunity to discover who they are and what amazing things they can achieve if given the right support.

• Read the full Generation Cut report
• Find out more about Youth Services delivered by YMCA St Paul’s Group

Donate to support our Youth Services

Your donation will help fund YMCA St Paul’s Group’s free youth programmes. We provide young people the opportunities to access the support they need. We need your help to ensure that vulnerable young people in our communities have access to safe spaces, where they can learn crucial life-skills, work on their physical and mental health, and improve their employability.