A ten-year strategy announced today by the Government signals a step change in the quality and quantity of activities for young people in Medway, according to Gillingham MP Paul Clark.

Under the proposals announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) where Mr Clark acts as parliamentary aide to the Secretary of State, Ed Balls, an extensive programme of investment and reform will aim to tackle many of the negative stereotypes of young people in society.

Under the proposals, the youth opportunity and capital funds will be massively extended.

The funds, which put spending power in the hands of young people, will be given a further £173 million over the next three years – more than doubling the investment on the policy to date. Those in the most deprived neighbourhoods will receive a further £25m.

Medway has already benefited from over £280,000 in the past two years which has helped to fund a variety of youth projects.

The plans also mean that Medway’s young people could have direct influence over at least 25 per cent of Medway Council’s budget for youth activities by 2018.

Mr Clark, who has recently called for young people to have a greater say in local decision-making believes the strategy will transform the opportunities available to young people.

He said: “There is undoubtedly a new emphasis under Gordon Brown’s government to prioritise the opportunities available for young people in Medway and across the country.

“The measures contained in today’s announcement will translate into unprecedented opportunities for young people in Medway to engage in their communities and to help address the severe lack of facilities for young people in Medway.”

Unclaimed bank assets will provide additional monies to create modern, new places in every community for young people to go. An additional £82 million of public money will be available to help achieve this.

Medway Council will also be expected to lead a partnership with voluntary and private sector partners, as well as young people themselves, to develop new facilities for young people and deal with problems that can acts as barriers to young people accessing services.

The strategy is the result of a joint review between DCSF and the Treasury and incorporates the views of young people themselves.

The central idea is that young people gain confidence, personal and problem-solving skills by taking part in organised activities. It also, crucially, seeks to ensure that all young people are able to enjoy their teenage years.

Mr Clark believes that whilst a greater number of young people are taking part in community volunteering and achieving better exam results than ever before, a minority are not sharing in this success.

He also claims that media coverage of young people is, on the whole, unrelentingly negative.

Over 70 per cent of media stories about young people are negative. Research shows that 98 per cent of young people say they feel stereotyped, criticised and their achievements unfairly disregarded.

To combat this, the Government is promising to help teenagers set up social enterprises in their communities, encourage more interaction between generations and to promote volunteering and mentoring among adults.

Voluntary organisations, like the Sunlight Centre could also be offered further financial help under the plans.

Voluntary groups with a proven track record in working with vulnerable young people will be given access to a £100m pot to expand and sustain their activities in the future.

As well as funding, the government also plans to attract more graduates in to youth work, to create a new generation of role models for young people.

Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of the Sunlight Centre said: “I am truly delighted that Paul has raised this issue. Getting young people involved in decisions particularly for things that directly affect them is something that the Sunlight trust applauds and promotes.

“Our own youth committee has recently benefited from £30,000 of investment from the Youth Opportunity Fund and those involved have learnt so much by leading the project. Building consensus, dealing with conflict, managing committees, applying for funding – all of these skills are learnt when young people are given the opportunity to participate in the process of delivery. It can have a vast impact. The proof exists here at sunlight.”

Mr Clark has said the strategy will complement his local Respect campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour by addressing the root causes.

Mr Clark said the strategy struck a sensible balance between existing measures to tackle anti-social behaviour through punitive measures and addressing those areas where we need to do more to support young people in Medway.

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Notes to Editors
1. For further information or an interview with Paul Clark ring Scott Young 07743 823668
2. Additional investment figures are on top of £495m of existing baseline funding
3. Paul Clark MP is Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
4. The full strategy will be available from www.dcsf.gov.uk shortly