YOUTH work leaders in Scotland have launched a major new national campaign calling for significant investment in the sector.
The #InvestInYouthWork drive was launched with celebrity chef Tom Kitchin, an advocate for the life-changing impact of youth work. The campaign is calling for investment in youth work services to be returned to pre-austerity levels and for the strengthening of the statutory basis for youth work service.
YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work, said a recent Unison report, Youth Services at Breaking Point, showed youth service spending in Scotland was down by more than £11 million in the last three years alone.
Commenting on the launch of the campaign, which took place at Citadel Youth Centre in Leith, Tim Frew, the CEO of YouthLink Scotland said: “The positive impact of youth work is beyond doubt. However, it’s clear from the figures that the funding being allocated is being reduced each year at local level.
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“This is having a detrimental impact on many young people who are not able to access services they need. It also has a knock-on impact on the voluntary sector provision of youth work.
“This is a real tipping point for youth work in Scotland. We are calling on politicians of all parties to work with the sector to restore youth work budgets and strengthen the statutory basis for providing youth work services.”
Kitchin, who works with Citadel Youth Centre, offering training opportunities in his restaurant to local youngsters said: “My message to national and local politicians is, without youth work all over Scotland, the consequences are disastrous. Youth work offers safe spaces for young people, and helps them to go on and achieve great things in life.
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“Some of the projects I have done with Citadel have been so rewarding, I’ve seen the incredible journey some young people take. It’s massively important to invest in youth work.”
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