Target: Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Goal: Provide disadvantaged kids more opportunities for betterment.
Youth clubs have long been a haven for children who are facing struggles in health, safety, education, and overall well-being. While the need for services provided by organizations like the YMCA has soared, especially following the effects of the pandemic, funding in many areas of the world has been in a reverse freefall. In England and Wales, for example, youth services spending plummeted by ten percent in the past year.
The long-term statistics for England are even more stark, with funding dropping roughly 75 percent in 15 years. A sizeable percentage of regions report severe deficiencies in these services, and about one in ten regions have no youth centers. Unsurprisingly, these shortages are found in the most underserved communities. This deprivation can have lasting ramifications for kids, as they lose critical opportunities for socialization, exercise, and enriching learning experiences.
Sign the petition below to demand England’s leaders make good on their pledge to help children in need.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Streeting,
With the recently unveiled youth strategy, now is the time to fully invest in the rejuvenation of youth clubs. Troubling reports have revealed a serious drop in youth services over the past decade, with nearly half of local authorities reporting at least one area with a vastly elevated level of youth need. From Knowsley to Nottingham, these deficiencies are most severely impacting kids who could benefit from these services most.
Please develop a targeted, well-thought plan of investment that will accommodate and uplift areas already beset by crushing inequality. Youth clubs can and have set vulnerable children on a more promising path of progress.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko
