A new Youth Charter will be developed to set out a vision for young people over the next generation and beyond, Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society announced today.
It follows a roundtable the Minister and Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, had with the youth sector, sports bodies, charities and creative organisations last week as part of the Prime Minister’s Serious Youth Violence Summit to tackle knife crime.
The charter will reaffirm Government’s commitment to give young people a strong voice on the issues they care about such as combating serious violence and knife crime, addressing mental and physical health challenges and concerns about the environment and climate change.
It will be developed over the coming months, with Government working alongside youth sector organisations and young people.
Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said: “This is an important commitment to a generation for a generation. The Youth Charter will be a clear message to young people: we back them and are listening to them.
“We’re determined to support young people in reaching their full potential. This charter will set out how.”
Nadhim Zahawi, Children and Families Minister, said: “Every young person, whatever their background or the challenges they face, should have the chance to shape their own futures.
“We’re working together to raise the bar in the opportunities available to the next generation and help improve their outcomes. The Youth Charter reaffirms young people’s place at the heart of policy, making sure their voices are heard on important issues that affect them, from decisions about the environment, the schools they attend, support for mental health, or how we tackle serious violence.”
The Minister for Sport and Civil Society will chair a roundtable with the sector to take this work forward.
The charter will build on the existing support and range of innovative projects currently supporting young people across the country. This includes £90 million from dormant bank accounts that is being used to help some of the most disadvantaged young people into employment.
The Government is also investing £80 million from Government and the National Lottery Community Fund in the Youth Investment and #iwill funds.
The Government has also pledged to renew specific youth work qualifications that were due to expire in 2020, subject to a business case, and review the youth work training curriculum.
It is hoped this will help address the recent decline in the number of people taking up youth work training and give youth workers the skills they need to best support young people.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Government will work with a range of leading national youth organisations, including UK Youth, Step Up to Serve, Youth United Foundation, The Scouts, the British Youth Council, Girlguiding, NCS Trust, National Youth Agency and The Prince’s Trust.
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