Judges’ Award 2024 Silver £5-15 Million
We teamed up with actor and writer Ben Bailey Smith to launch a new film highlighting the damaging impact of cuts to youth services in the face of the cost of living crisis – with young people’s futures at risk.
The film features Bailey Smith, who is a former youth worker himself, playing pool at a youth centre as he reflects on the vital support youth services provide and the potentially devastating consequences for young people if they are allowed to disappear.
The film is part of our wider campaign alongside Pears Foundation to secure more funding for youth services and ensure that every young people has access to the support they need.
UK Youth is a leading charity that is unlocking youth work for all young people.
Young people are growing up in a complex and increasingly challenging world. There are severe pressures on their mental health, employment prospects, and hope for the future.
Our Vision is that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives and youth work is an essential tool to help young people navigate challenges and set them up with skills for life.
But over ten million young people are currently unable to access this life changing, and even life-saving support. We work to ensure that society understands, champions, and delivers effective youth work for all. To do this, we:
Campaign: Develop and test innovative youth development content to enable youth organisations to increase the quality and sustainability of their work. We deliver equitable outdoor learning experiences to support young people to develop.
Convene: Bringing people together from across different sectors to learn, spread effective practice, and work together to solve the shared problems facing young people.
Pioneer: Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with young people and the youth sector. We shape the future of youth work funding and policy, using pioneering research.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
