Over 1,200 council-run youth centres closed down in the last decade sweeping young people into gang and knife culture
At a year-end community event held last Saturday at the Calabash Centre in Lewisham, I engaged with Daniel Pink, the project director of Ubuntu, to discuss the changes he has observed over the decades working with Lewisham's youth. "With the closure of youth centres, young people are left with no option but the streets," he remarked. Ubuntu Learning & Leadership Community Ltd has been active for over two decades in Lewisham, South East London, where approximately 26% of the population is of African and Caribbean descent, among over 300,000 residents (according to the UK Office for National Statistics 2021 census). The organization provides a safe and inclusive environment, successfully engaging residents across generations, thereby offering project leaders a comprehensive insight into community dynamics. Below is Daniel Pink's interview.
According to Daniel Pink, the closure of safe spaces where young individuals could gather under the guidance of youth workers has left them with no alternative but the streets. His perspective aligns with national statistics. A June 2024 article by Unison, the public service union, highlights this tragic societal issue with the headline "Closure of more than a thousand youth centres could have lasting impact on society." Research by the union indicates that funding cuts have resulted in the closure of over two-thirds of council-run youth centres in England and Wales from 2010 to 2023. This amounts to a staggering 1,243 closures, leaving just 581 centres operational by the end of March last year. For some local authorities, the closures ran into high double figures, including Tower Hamlets Council, which closed 57 youth centres, Gwynedd Council with 49, and Birmingham City Council reducing its total by 42. "The loss of so many facilities and the specialist workers who run them has put teenagers at risk of isolation, gang and knife culture, or engaging in anti-social activities," explains Unison. In another article published this month, Unison warns "When young people lose their services, we all pay more." It emphasizes that "prolonged failure to invest in children’s and youth services has created a ticking time bomb for society and the economy." The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports in their November 2024 article titled "How cuts to youth clubs affected teen crime and education" that approximately 30% of youth clubs in London closed between 2010 and 2019. Their working paper, The effects of youth clubs on education and crime, explores the impact of these closures on teen crime rates and educational outcomes. The two main findings are:
Teenagers whose nearest youth club was closed performed worse academically. For instance, London youths who lost access to a nearby youth club scored nearly 4% of a standard deviation lower in their GCSE exams. The impact was more severe for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, whose scores fell by almost 12% of a standard deviation, equivalent to more than a grade lower in one subject.
Youth club closures resulted in increased criminal activity. Young people who lost access to a youth club were 14% more likely to engage in criminal activities in the six years following closure, with the offending rate increasing from 14 per 1,000 to 16 per 1,000. Notable increases were observed in acquisitive crimes, drug offences, and violent crimes.
Young people today share the same aspirations as previous generations: to live fulfilling lives using their talents and skills, to be recognized, and to contribute positively to their communities. However, the environment they inhabit has significantly changed. Underfunded services and governmental cuts send a disheartening message to the youth, who represent society's future, that they are undervalued. Youth clubs, which are free after-school programs, provide a safe space for teenagers to socialize, receive support from youth workers, and participate in various activities, including music and sports. Similar programs exist in many countries and have historically been popular in the UK. In 2009, 40% of Londoners aged 11 to 16 reported attending these spaces weekly, according to the 2009 Greater London Authority (GLA) Young Londoners' Survey.
It is imperative to urgently reverse the negative effects of funding cuts on the well-being of our young people. Youth centres must be reopened and adequately staffed. While initiatives like Royal Mail's ban on sending knives to combat knife crime are positive steps, they do not address the root causes of crime. To the House of Commons Representatives, all I want for Christmas is our Youth Centres back!
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