A new National Youth Strategy, to be led by and for young people

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced plans for a new National Youth Strategy last week “led by and for young people”.

Lisa Nandy reinforced the need to transfer power into communities. Reaching young people at the local, regional, and national levels will be core to ensure that “funding flows to the things that matter to them”. The Secretary of State has committed to working closely with the whole youth sector to transform their work so it better supports youth workers. That also includes the aim of building back capacity for youth work at the statutory level. The first step of this process will be the launch of a Local Youth Transformation pilot.

We look forward to providing London-specific platforms for the input of youth workers to this strategy, in addition to the vehicles for young people’s engagement and co-production.

London Youth, Chief Executive, Pauline Daniyan commented:

This is the first phase of setting out the DCMS announcement. A summary of the topline strands relating to the National Youth Strategy, relating to funding, the withdrawal of the NCS programme and other initiatives can be found below.

Summary of key measures:

• The National Youth Strategy will “complement” plans for the launch of the first trailblazer Young Futures Hubs and Local Prevention Partnerships overseen by the Home Office.
• A youth advisory board will be established to work with the government to develop the strategy and young people will be invited to take part in engagement activities with ministers.
• £85m of capital spend will be allocated to young spaces. This includes £26m of new funding for youth clubs to buy new equipment and carry out renovations.
• £100m from the next tranche of Dormant Assets Funding will be used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028 to “support the provision of services, facilities and opportunities for young people across the country”.
• Funding will also be used to launch a Local Youth Transformation pilot, designed to support local authorities to rebuild youth services following more than a decade of funding cuts.
• The previously announced youth guarantee will see eight trailblazer employment, education and training pilots rolled out in spring 2025 across areas with high levels of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
• DCMS’s Creative Careers Programme is designed to increase opportunities for young people to access careers in the arts, and continue investment in local sports facilities.

We will keep you updated on how these measures will be taken forward, as and when the details are worked through by DCMS.

To get involved in our ongoing policy and advocacy work, please get in touch with Clare MacNamara at [email protected]