Fixers Investigates: Poverty of Opportunity in Kent

Fixers Investigates: Poverty of Opportunity in Kent.

Fixers Investigates : Poverty of Opportunity in Kent.

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contents Forewordp3 Executive Summaryp4 Introductionp5 Methodsp6 Educationp7

- Revamp the Curriculum - Support - Class Discipline - Bullying - Recommendations -

Homep13 - Family -

- Affordability - Case study - Recommendations -

Access, Connectivity and Employmentp17 - Public Transport - Case study - Employment - Connectivity - Recommendations -

Services and Provisionsp21

- Attitudes towards Young People - Mental Health - Case study - Recommendations -

Conclusionp25

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FOREWORD I don’t come from a privileged background.

When I moved to the Isle of Sheppey from Gravesend I was 11-years-old.

I didn’t go to school immediately because there wasn’t a space for me, and I became socially very awkward. School is where my anxiety developed, and although I did receive pastoral support to help with this I didn’t enjoy my time in education. Eventually I left with one GCSE. At home, things have been just as hard. My mum is disabled, she has severe cognitive delays, which means she cannot be on her own. She cannot read or write so she always has to be with someone. My dad used to work, but he has been struck off all my life to be a carer for mum. He also has a number of health problems, including diabetes and asthma. My older sister has similar disabilities to my mum, so I have to help out around the house with the things no-one else is capable of.

Despite all of this life is still difficult. I can’t rely on my business at the moment and it’s hard looking for jobs round here. I do not have my own transport and being on the island there is not much around here. Public transport is not reliable and if I don’t get home by 6pm then I’m stuck because the buses don’t run at night.

Things need to change. I’m hopeful this report will enable people to understand what life is really like for young people in Kent, to realise the challenges we face are real barriers to success. But we have a lot of ideas, some incredibly simple, that could change the outcomes for the next generation.

I ask you all to read them and do what you can to help create a better future for me and my peers.

- Liam

I’ve had to watch my dad struggle day-to-day with keeping the freezer full and trying to balance the bills. I don’t want this life anymore.

I want to break out of poverty.

I started building the foundations of my own business when I was 16, developing a clothing brand called English Pharaohs. I wouldn’t have been able to get this off the ground without the support of loads of people. The Prince’s Trust enrolled me on to their enterprise programme and I went on a Colyer Fergusson backed film making course where I learnt video editing skills. All of this has been invaluable in helping my business.

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Liam

Executive Summary This report sets out the experiences of nearly five hundred young people who came together to define what life in Kent means to them and how it can be shaped better for their peers.

The work, entitled Fixers Investigates: Poverty of Opportunity in Kent, aimed to find solutions to the barriers these young people identified to their progression.

The young people represented all thirteen authority areas of Kent and some came from the most deprived areas of the county. Many had important and pressing stories to tell, but their positioning within society meant up until now their voices had been silenced.

They discussed their lived experiences of social mobility; explained how these experiences had shaped the way they are today; and most importantly used these experiences to suggest solutions.

The top recommendations coming out of this report are: For schools to implement life skills lessons to teach children about tax, VAT, and other essential parts of adult life.

To increase subsidies and concessions to make public transport more affordable.

For all opportunities to be better advertised on platforms used by young people.

This report has been created from their voices, and stands as a genuine representation of their views and recommendations. They ask you to consider their experiences, and use their suggestions to start a serious conversation to bring about change.

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INTRODUCTION The basic principles of social mobility are about ensuring a person’s job and the amount they get paid are not tied to where they started in life. It’s about a fair society and making sure people from all backgrounds get equal opportunities and choices from the outset – at home, in school and at work.

Perhaps the most concerning statistic emerging from the report is that 18-24 year olds are the age group least likely to understand what the term social mobility means, and therefore a discussion about young people’s views towards their own social progression seems highly appropriate.

It is a subject the government is concerning itself with more and more over recent years, setting up the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Mobility in 2011 to discuss and promote the cause of social mobility; to raise issues of concern and help inform policy makers and opinion formers.

In celebrating its 50th year, the Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust commissioned Fixers to speak to young people in Kent and hear what they believed was holding them back. It is our experience that in every neighbourhood, in every district, you can find a young person experiencing deprivation and hardship, who has faced ill mental health, bullying, abuse and poverty of opportunity.

Our unique approach gives these young people a voice, so they can set a precedent to stop others from experiencing the same hardships.

The government’s Social Mobility Commission publish an annual barometer assessing the attitudes of 5000 members of the public on the issue, and the 2018 report paints a picture of pessimism on behalf of younger people.

It summarised ‘it is typically younger generations who feel more acutely that background determines where you end up, with almost half (48%) of 25-49 year olds agreeing with this statement compared with 38% of those aged 65 and over1.

It goes on to say only a fifth of 18-24 year olds believe they have a better level of job security compared to their parents and just 22% of those aged 25-49 think their housing situation is better than their parents’ compared to 60% of those aged 652.

This report aims to give young people a voice in shaping the future for others, compiling the views and opinions of over 400 young people from Kent, recorded across 12 regional workshops. It will cover influencing factors and barriers, including relationships with peers, family, connectivity, work opportunities and income, the use of social media, as well as interaction with services, and the availability of information on opportunities for social progression. Their views will be considered alongside relevant statistics and research.

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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/766797/Social_mobility_barometer_2018_report.pdf

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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/766797/Social_mobility_barometer_2018_report.pdf

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Methods Our experienced Young Person Coordinator for the region, Stephen Fenning, travelled across Kent and held workshops with young people aged between 16 and 25.

Many of these young people came from disadvantaged backgrounds, some had been excluded, others were unemployed and many suffered with their mental health.

Twelve workshops were conducted with a total of 480 young people. The aim of these workshops was to learn more about the barriers these young people faced in life.

During each section, the young people were invited to speak about their experiences and suggest solutions to the problems they faced.

Key themes and findings from the workshops have been analysed and written into this voice-led report.

Names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals and images used are from projects completed by young people in Kent. More information about all this work can be found at - www.fixers.org.uk/nobarriers

The workshop participants were asked to consider what opportunities they would take up if they were available to them. They discussed what support they would like to see given to young people in the future and debated the quality of help currently on offer.

The conversations were divided into four sections: 1) Education and Training 2) Home 3) Access / Connectivity / Employment 4) Services / Provisions

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Education Schools have the power to be formative and transformative. They have the power to enable young people to grow into confident, resilient and happy adults who have the skills and knowledge to make positive contributions to the societies in which they live and the world around them.Yet the young people we spoke to felt life at school was not a true reflection of life outside it.

Cited reasons included a focus on academic performance over more creative and expressive subjects, alienating those pupils wanting to pursue careers outside of English, Maths and Science and leaving them unenthusiastic about their education as a result. This focus on academia was thought by the pupils to come at the expense of practical knowledge and experience, with many frustrated that a grasp of Pythagoras was held in higher regard than an understanding of taxes and VAT, which would become an important part of their adult lives.

Many also felt let down by educational establishments failing to prepare them for the workplace. Sporadic careers advice and little support for developing CVs and personal statements, left them feeling at sea when it came to applying for jobs.

Students want to see the implementation of a dedicated ‘life-skills’ lesson, focussing on practical knowledge outside of the curriculum.

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They also believe the promotion of work experience options beyond the school gates would help ease them into employment.

Revamp The Curriculum In 2015 the Career Colleges Trust surveyed3 1000 pupils and found 76% of them felt their school only taught them the information relevant to their exams, as oppose to educating them about topics integral to their lives as adults. Further research has shown these desired life skills are regarded as universally important by those within the education sector. In 2017, 1,361 practising teachers, 1,133 employers and 2,612 young people were surveyed separately to compile the ‘Life Lessons’ report for the Sutton Trust’s APPG for Social Mobility4 which summarised: ‘There is a wide recognition of the importance of life skills, with 88% of young people, 94% of employers and 97% of teachers saying they are as or more important than academic qualifications.’5 The report also found more than half of teachers believe life skills are more important than academic qualifications to young people’s success and 72% believe their school should increase their focus on teaching life skills.6

https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/schools-are-too-focused-on-exam-results-and-dont-prepare-students-for-the-workplace-surveyfinds-10469021.html 4 https://www.suttontrust.com/policy/all-party-parliamentary-group-on-social-mobility/ 5 https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Life-Lessons-Report_FINAL.pdf 6 https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Life-Lessons-Report_FINAL.pdf Fixers Investigates : Poverty of Opportunity in Kent.

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It’s a view shared by the young people in Kent we spoke to.

‘Schools only accommodate fact based learners, not visual learners.’ – Connor

‘Tests we have to take don’t relate to the work environment we end up in.’ - Jack

‘Alternative subjects for those that want different types of learning experiences, such as sports or hospitality, should be offered.’ – Janan

‘The curriculum is the biggest problem at school.

We need to be taught life skills and what support is available. It would take the pressure off when we leave school.’ - Lisa ‘We want to be taught about mortgages, budgeting, confidence, talking to professionals, cooking, bills and debt, but this doesn’t happen in schools.’ – Abi Pupils want to see classes in life-skills mandated in all schools to equip them with the tools required for independent living.

The pupils wanted schools to recognise them as individuals, in order to better adapt their teaching style and realise not everyone benefitted from traditional methods of tuition.

They suggested teachers should be taught about different learning styles, so pupils could progress by processing the same information in a different way.

Some suggested this could be offered as a voluntary lunch club if there was no space in the curriculum.

It wasn’t just life-skills lacking from the curriculum the young people challenged.

There was a recognition that people have different learning styles and these weren’t necessarily accommodated in the classroom – leaving some students unable to progress.

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Support Another common theme running through conversations about school was the lack of support available for young people.

Many spoke about feeling overwhelmed by the pressures to make the right GCSE choices and do well in exams yet described having no-one to turn to when these feelings got too much.

When asked about the barriers they faced at school, many of the young people taking part in our workshops spoke about emotional ones – listing peer pressure, low self-esteem, relationships and stress as some of the top issues.

‘We need emotional, mental, physical and academic support but teachers are too busy.’

– Emma ‘Support staff are no good, they are not approachable.’ – Dave ‘Teachers don’t care about the welfare of students, it’s all about results and rules.’ – Alex ‘There is a lack of emotional support, it’s all focused on academics. I had mental health issues and ADHD, I would just be sent out of the classroom.’– Jason

Ninety one per cent of these support workers believed their contributions supported pupil learning and 83% said their contributions helped pupils feel safer.

Their work also meant improved behaviour in the classroom and decreased workloads for teachers.

Yet despite these benefits support staff can bring to the young people, a third of those surveyed reported their schools had made cuts to pastoral roles. Those who are left report not having the time, space or privacy to talk to children.

The impact these cuts are having on a generation of school children was clear.

The young people we spoke to had suggestions on what schools could do to improve the outcomes for themselves and their peers. They questioned whether private companies or charities could offer schools reduced-rate support packages, while others recommended targeting help at particularly stressful times, like during exams.

‘I was promised sessions to help with my anxiety, but they never happened.’ - Amy Often the lack of support in schools can be attributed to austerity related policies, which has led to cuts to these pastoral services.

Last year Unison surveyed 3,000 school support staff who were helping pupils with concerns ranging from parents splitting up, bereavement, mental health, the misuse of alcohol and drugs at home and family members falling ill7.

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https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2018/11/cuts-school-support-staff-leave-vulnerable-children-ri/

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Class Discipline ‘If I was a head teacher I would bring in external companies to help support students during exam time.’ – Ella

We’ve already established poor pastoral support can make it hard for individual needs to be met.

‘There needs to be better funding for support for students emotionally.’ – Tom

Young people experiencing problems at home, or struggling with their mental health, can become disruptive in the classroom.

In a bid to continue with lessons in large classes, teachers will often dismiss disruptive pupils from class and give no time to getting to the root of the problem.

‘I think mental and emotional support for students should be compulsory.’ – Ben There was recognition on the collaboration between parents and schools, with some suggestion improved communication between the two could benefit pupils. Others believed the power of peer support could help plug the gap left by pastoral support cuts.

‘Send emails and advertise the issues to parents. Also talk to people in class with group discussions. Have a student council or mentor or peer support program that can help young people to open up in a safe space and feel support.’ – Dan ‘Help us talk to people we can relate to, this could be other students.’ – Sarah

‘I would get isolated for a whole month and fall behind on my studies. When I was suffering no-one cared enough.’ – Jack Those who weren’t disruptive resented the impact their peers had on their ability to learn.

‘Teachers can’t focus enough on the really hard working students because they’re having to police the disruptive ones.’ – Ellie ‘Teachers focus too much on bad students whilst there are loads of good students who need attention.’ – Sam In general, the experiences of the young people suggest a lot of teachers get overwhelmed by class sizes, and are not equipped to deal with issues in the classroom, with many pupils feeling unsupported as a result.

‘I want teachers to better understand the impact isolation has on us so they will stop using it and start helping instead.’ – Jack

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Bullying Another issue raised by the young people was bullying, which seemed to be prevalent in all schools attended by the young people we spoke to.

‘We had a lot of different teachers, some were really bad and they couldn’t control the class because they didn’t know us. My education suffered as a result.’ – Sarah

They felt not enough was done to raise awareness of the issue, and the perpetrators did not realise the effect their actions had on the victims.

How young people interact with their peers, and adjust to social, economic and educational comparisons are all defining factors in how well they engage with their education, and consequently, how well they can use their education to move beyond their social position.

‘The biggest issue for me at school is bullying; it’s about stigma and stereotypes. Schools need to help people be more open minded and tolerant of diversity, this will prevent bullying.’ – Dave ‘Bullying impacts your mental health and there aren’t trained professionals in schools to deal with a young person who is experiencing this.’

– Nicole Whilst there are no statistics relating to the prevalence of bullying in UK schools, a 2018 report by the Education Policy Institute found research indicated ‘more than half of young people have experienced some form of peer victimisation in their lives, with approximately two in five reporting some type of bullying, including cyber-bullying, in the previous year.’

Recommendations For schools to implement a ‘life-skills’ lesson to teach children about tax, VAT, and other essential parts of adult life.

Pastoral support to be prioritised in school budgets or for schools to look at alternative, more cost effective ways to provide emotional support to pupils.

To educate young people about diversity and clamp down on bullying.

Other barriers touched upon by the young people we spoke to include a lack of extra-curricular activities on offer.

They believed if these activities were offered, and subsequently enjoyed, they could help broaden their skill set which in turn would enable them to move beyond their social position.

An inconsistency of teachers, and the reliance on supply staff to plug the gaps was also identified as a barrier preventing them from getting a good education.

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https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/bullying-a-review-of-the-evidence/

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perspective ART

a workbook for anxiety sufferers by

Existing Project examples

an anxiety sufferer

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HOME During the workshops, discussions about the poverty of opportunity focused on what was going on at home that affected their chances to achieve in the future.

There were stories of neglect; conversations on the impact of growing up in a broken home and how a lack of disposable household income seriously impeded their opportunities.

Young people also discussed the barriers they face to independent living and highlighted the cost of renting or buying a property prevents many of them from leaving home when they would like.

Family Parents from all backgrounds and all walks of life want to do what is best for their children.

They have a huge part to play in the educational experiences of young people along with their emotional and physical development.

The household income is likely to have a significant impact on opportunities children can access, with those on lower incomes unable to pay for extra-curricular activities and tuition.

‘Some people don’t have as much money and they miss out on a lot of things, I see it all the time.’ – Sarah ‘If your family don’t have a lot of money then it’s hard to consider going to uni, I worry about the future.’ – Ben This is supported by The Sutton Trust’s Parent Power 2018 report, which found a parent’s ability to influence their child’s educational development ‘differ substantially according to the social class of the parent, limiting the social, cultural and financial capital they can pass on to their children.9 Another key discussion area for the young people was the impact broken homes and neglect has on their ability to study, and the knock-on ramifications in entering the employment market.

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https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Parent-Power-2018.pdf

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‘How parents act around children affects children’s behaviour, they have a huge influence.’

– Izzy ‘If parents are arguing, mine argue all the time, it leaves you feeling negative and low. You feel like you can’t switch off from it.’ – Natalie ‘My parents went through a divorce, it was really difficult. I couldn’t concentrate at school, I was depressed, my parents didn’t care.’ – Jack ‘There was emotional abuse in my family which wasn’t obvious to the outside world.’ – Alex

They also wanted support services to have more powers to intervene and protect children.

‘Teachers, doctors and nurses need to be trained to be able to spot the signs of a child who could be in an abusive environment.’ – Chloe ‘Police and social services need to have more power to seize a child who is in danger.’ – Mo ‘We need more safe houses, and they should be promoted so we know where to go.’ – Lucas

‘I feel there is a lot of neglect and this leads to low self-esteem and trust issues.’ – Nathan The young people want to see more support offered to families going through a tough time, particularly for parents. They suggested drop-in family counselling sessions and support groups for parents with older children – a recognition of the drop-off in help available to parents when children start school.

‘Parents need support too, so they can support their children. There should be free groups for adults on how to be better parents.’ – Sasha ‘I don’t know who should provide it, but there should be neutral spaces for parents and children to talk, where we can access help.’

– Leanne

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Affordability The Social Mobility Commission describes an individual’s access to affordable housing as ‘a crucial part of anyone’s wellbeing.’

A home provides a person with a comfortable base from which to organise all aspects of their lives, but for young people, it seems finding affordable accommodation can be difficult.

Between 1997 and 2017 home ownership amongst young people declined sharply, according to the Social Mobility Commission’s Time For Change report. It stated: ‘As a proportion of household income, housing costs have risen fastest for the poorest. The poorest fifth now spend more than 31 per cent of their household incomes on housing costs.

In contrast, the richest fifth spend 8 per cent.’10 ‘The price of living has gone up compared to our wages. If we do work we’re not even making enough to live comfortably.’ – Ethan ‘Even if I was to take x amount from a 40-hour week, in the long run even though I pay my council tax and everything, I still wouldn’t have enough money. I’m better off being on benefits, you get more money per week to live on than what you would do working.’ – Max For many, the costs associated with living independently lead to a reluctance or inability to move out of their family homes. In other cases it can result in a dependence on benefits.

CASE STUDY – Anonymous ‘When I was a baby my dad murdered someone.

My mum hid this from me when I was growing up. A few years ago she hit the bottle hard and I was caring for her, then she got sectioned and I lost our house.

I was homeless and told there was a 10-month waiting list for a council house.

I slept in a car for two weeks before being put up in a winter shelter.

I was lucky, people from the council listened to my story and now I am on the right path with my own flat. If it wasn’t for that and the winter shelter I would be locked up right now, selling drugs and doing dirty deeds because you can’t get a job when you’re homeless.’

Recommendations The creation of safe spaces parents and children can go to for support and advice on difficulties at home.

An increase in the minimum wage to enable young people to get a foot on the property ladder.

The young people we spoke to believe an increase in the minimum wage would help them get a foot on the property ladder and break the benefits cycle many find themselves in.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/622214/Time_for_Change_ report_-_An_assessement_of_government_policies_on_social_mobility_1997-2017.pdf 10

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Existing Project examples Fixers Investigates : Poverty of Opportunity in Kent.

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ACCESS, Connectivity and Employment During the workshops we asked the young people about the ease with which they could move around their communities and what issues they faced when trying to access support.

The conversations revealed problems with a transport system not meeting their needs and long waits for services designed to help them during times of crisis.

Many believed better, more affordable public transport was the answer to improving their poverty of opportunity as it held promises of allowing access to employment, services and a social life.

Public Transport In March 2019, the Government published a report Inequalities in Mobility and Access in the UK Transport System11.

It found that ‘mobility and accessibility inequalities are highly correlated with social disadvantage’ and acknowledged young people living in low-income households are more at risk of these inequalities. The report writers called for an ‘urgent need for policies to more explicitly recognise the important social value of transport’.

We should not underestimate the impact inaccessible public transport has on a young person’s ability to progress. As the cost of driving and owning a car can be prohibitively expensive, the majority of 16-25 year olds find themselves relying on trains and buses to get to school and college; to jobs and services.

Public transport was a hotly debated topic during our workshops, with young people venting frustrations over the cost and poor reliability of public transport networks in their communities.

‘I have a 90 minute walk to a bus stop, so I can’t really rely on it. It makes things very difficult.’

– James ‘We need more buses in rural areas.’ – Cali ‘Buses are unreliable and late.’ – Ella ‘I walk 40 minutes to a train station and 90 minutes to school. I can’t get the bus to school because we can’t afford the ticket.’ – Connor ‘We need buses to be more frequent and for bus timetables to be made more available on social media. The timetables should be posted in schools too.’ – Cara

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/784685/future_of_mobility_access.pdf 11

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The cost of public transport was also discussed as a prohibitive factor.

‘You can’t get a child ticket before 9am but we need the bus to get to school. It needs to be changed to 7am so more kids can get the bus cheaply.’ – Fiona ‘My school bus pass now costs £400, it used to be £50.’ – Brook ‘Outside of Dartford, travel costs are very high, it makes it difficult to do anything; our passes don’t even count at the weekends.’ – Sienna ‘Travel is a lot for parents to afford.’ – Ethan ‘Young people that live on the outskirts of London struggle more because of local transport. We shouldn’t have to spend so much money just to get around.’ – Jane Solutions suggested by the young people include a Kent Oystercard, which could give them cheap access to public transport all year round.They also want transport companies to consider extending free travel to the age of 18.

CASE STUDY – Adrian Thornton-Smith ‘There are about 1,100 young people living in Romney Marsh and most of us rely on public transport.

It is almost impossible to get a bus early enough in the morning to get to an office job starting at 9am. If we can do this, then the buses home mean we have to leave work early.

We can’t stay in town with our friends because the last bus home is at 7pm, meaning having a social life is virtually impossible. The bus stops are isolated, dark and not sheltered, making them dangerous places to wait – particularly in the winter.

Public transport in our community is so bad it affects everything we do. It has a part to play in all the decisions we make and ultimately leads us to feel isolated; left behind as the rest of the world goes on.’

When reviewing timetables, routes and stops, the council should take into consideration the needs of young people – to get to school or college, into work and to access services.

Consulting with this cohort should be mandated to ensure their needs are being met and they are being given the best opportunities to progress beyond their social boundaries.

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Employment Up until now, all the discussions in this report have been influenced in some way by parental income.

‘We need more vacancies for casual employment, not full time, when we’re at school.

This was we can get experience of working.’ – Jo

One way for young people to gain some financial independence is through employment.

However, finding work can be difficult for young people who lack experience and connections into the job market.

‘Employers need to have a more open mind and policy about hiring people in school or just out of school.’ – Isobel

One of the biggest barriers young people face is the need for work experience and the challenges securing placements.

Work experience is now increasingly essential to securing both university places and graduate jobs, and although schemes like the Social Mobility Foundation’s One +1 are helping match young people into work experience placements, the individuals we spoke to would still like to see more done in this area.

‘We all exist in a catch-22: We need experience to be hired but we are not able to get experience.’ – Sarah ‘Careers advisors at school should help us get work experience, they should advertise opportunities for us.’ – Ben ‘I can’t get a job because I have no experience, yet I can’t get the experience.’ – Jaydon ‘We’re not looking around for jobs because we know we’ve got to go on these courses to get qualifications or experience.’ – Jack One suggestion was for employers to put more of an emphasis on providing training and qualifications for young workers with little or no experience while on the job, to help improve their future prospects and earn higher salaries.

Another area they felt could be improved was the number of casual vacancies in their communities.

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‘We need more companies to invest in apprenticeships and other smaller businesses to build each other up, so that smaller businesses can then employ apprentices and not just the bigger ones, because the bigger firms aren’t round here.’ – Faith

Connectivity On top of the lack of jobs, the young people said finding work and accessing services often came down to how visible the opportunities were online. This was a problem for those who did not have consistent access to home internet, relying on public Wi-Fi to surf the web.

‘There should be a broad internet access for everyone, it should be a human right.’ – Tom

Recommendations To increase subsidies and concessions to reduce the cost of public transport.

For businesses to be encouraged to give work experience to young people.

For opportunities to be better advertised on social media, so young people can engage with them remotely.

‘It’s expensive to have 24-hour access to the internet, and many places charge for it. There should be a scheme that subsidises the internet for a few hours a day, like free school meals.’

– Jess Even with good internet, young people expressed frustrations at opportunities not being advertised in the places and online spaces they frequent.

‘There should be a Newsround for teenagers – a section for University information, that’s accessible online.’ – Andy ‘It’s important for young people to be informed about things around them, and not to feel isolated. More effort should be placed creating videos with links for more information.’ – Saskia Ofcom estimate more than a fifth of 16 to 25-year-olds spend more than seven hours online a day.

If more was done to publicise opportunities through platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, young people would be more likely to engage with them than they would be if they were promoted through traditional channels and job boards that many would not think to check.

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Services and provisions We asked the young people about how they filled their spare time; their opportunities to live healthy and active lives; their experiences accessing healthcare and questioned the support they receive from services such as the police and social services.

Many felt their local authorities did not provide enough spaces for young people to visit outside of school hours to pursue hobbies and socialise with others. This was felt acutely by some who had experienced the benefits of attending a youth group, but were forced to look elsewhere for entertainment when the service was cut.

‘There’s no-where to go when you need to get out of the house, no youth clubs.’ – Ben ‘Kids go to the park, adults go to the pub, there’s no in between.’ – Nathan Research by the YMCA suggests this decline in youth services is a loss felt by children all over the UK, as local authorities face increasing budget cuts resulting in vital sevices being closed or forced to operate less frequently.

Kent County Council is not immune to these cuts, and last year announced plans to slash youth service budgets by more than 50% amounting to £1.7m. This proposal accompanied the closure of 24 youth centres.

‘We need more youth centres and sports centres with internet that allow meetings to develop social skills and confidence – these are essential skills that you need later on in life.’

– Lenny ‘There are no designated places for teens so we just stay at home and watch videos. We’re not building social skills.’ – Claire ‘There need to be more youth clubs, with games consoles, sports halls and healthier food.’

– Sarah ‘We want more activities to do. There aren’t a wide range of places for young people to spend time, when not in the house or school.’ – Mia ‘There’s a lack of sense of community; I just sit at home gaming because there’s nothing else to do.’ – Jason

Their 2018 Youth Consequences report found in the period between 2011 and 2017, local authority spending on youth services had decreased by £737 million, representing a total decline of 62%. Subsequently, youth services accounted for just 5% of local spend on children and young people in 2017.12

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https://www.ymca.org.uk/wp-content /uploads/2018/04/Youth-Consequences-v).2.pdf https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2016/08/23996.pdf

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Research has shown a lack of these services can have negative effects on the lives and futures of young people.

Unison’s A Future at Risk report surveyed service providers from 180 local authorities to see how they thought the decrease in youth groups had affected the children in their communities. Eighty per cent said the young people felt less empowered, with 65% saying they believed those affected found it harder to get jobs. But, more worryingly, many believed the space left by the absence of these services drove young people to fill their time with criminal activity; 70% spoke of a rise in increased alcohol and substance abuse, and 83% reported increased crime and anti-social behaviour in their communities.13 ‘Having nothing decent to do puts you on a bad path and that’s why Margate has got a bad name, because of all the drugs going on.’

– Tyler

Attitudes towards young people Perhaps it’s this increase in anti-social behaviour that is leading to poor opinions of the younger generation amongst those born before the 1970s.

The ‘millennials’, as this generation of young people is called, have been labelled lazy and irresponsible by commentators – and it has not gone unnoticed by the young people themselves.

‘There is a negative perception of youth and a stigma around young people.’ – Joseph ‘People in positions of power look down on you, we’ve got a bad name so why are they going to listen to us?’ – Tia ‘People have a fixed mind set about us, I don’t think that will change.’ – Jayden The young people felt society could do a lot to get to know young people and understand the challenges they face in this modern world.

‘There needs to be more awareness of the good teenagers out there, for example the ones doing voluntary work. There needs to be more activities set up between the young and the old generation.’ – Will

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Mental Health Another area touched upon not just in these workshops, but by many young people working with Fixers, is mental health.

An individual’s health can directly impact on their chances for social mobility, with both physical and mental ailments becoming potential barriers to a person’s ability to access opportunities and employment in their local areas.

The young people we spoke to felt health services, both at school and within their local communities, were largely inadequate, due to long waiting times and a lack of funding.

Mental health services were a particular focus of our conversations, with many saying accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) was a difficult process.

‘Mental health and self-esteem are big issues with my friends – many can’t progress because of it.’ – Millie ‘I had to wait for months before seeing a counsellor.’ – Jess Along with more mental health support in schools, the young people suggested signposting to online self-help would be a positive interim measure while they are waiting for professional advice.

CASE STUDY – Anna Maria ‘When I was at secondary school I found the pressure to achieve was too much.

I’m an introvert naturally, so this meant I also struggled to make friends. Without anyone to talk to I bottled up a lot of stuff and started to suffer with anxiety and depression.

I was not alone in this. I later discovered lots of my peer group and other people at school struggled with their mental health. I think teachers and students should be taught how to spot the signs of someone struggling with depression, it will help people feel they can open up and ask for help.’

Recommendations For Kent County Council to recognise the value of youth services and commit to finding alternative solutions to provide affordable spaces for young people to go and socialise.

Positive news about young people’s achievements to be celebrated and challenge the negative stigma associated with the generation.

For schools to offer mental health support and signpost to free online resources.

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The Young people behind projects Fixers Investigates : Poverty of Opportunity in Kent.

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CONCLUSION Young people across Kent have spoken openly about their experiences growing up, going to school and living in often challenging home environments.

They have identified the main barriers put in their way which have prevented them from having the best start in life.

They have debated the need for schools to shake up the curriculum to include life skills lessons which will give them a solid footing when starting out after leaving mainstream education.External research has shown the value of this practice and the high numbers of teaching staff who support the call for these lessons to be mandated.

Staying on the topic of schools, young people want better careers advice, from a younger age, which will help them not only realise the importance of GCSEs but give them something to aspire to during their education.

At home, the young people we worked with spoke about challenging dynamics between parents which affected their chances to achieve in the future. They wanted more recognition of the impact growing up in a broken home can have on a young person’s mental health and called for the creation of safe spaces where parents and children can go to for support and advice.

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The inability to move freely around their communities due to high bus prices and poor timetabling was another big frustration voiced by the young people we spoke to. They would like to see the creation of a Kent Oystercard, offering discounted travel at all times.

These challenges are not new, but the voices in this report adding to the large body of evidence already in existence are. It takes a lot to speak out about the challenges you face on a daily basis.

We ask you to listen to what these young people have said and to consider their recommendations for change.

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