They also urged the government to properly fund youth services. While the £100m promised in the Spring Statement aimed at policing has its role to play, it does not tackle the root cause of knife crime, the charities said.
The youth unemployment rate stood at 11.8% in February 2019, and is far higher in areas of deprivation, compared to an unemployment rate of 4.0% for the whole population. With limited opportunities available, some young people can become marginalised, disconnected from the statutory support available and ‘hidden’ from the statistics, researchers in London Youth’s Hidden in Plain Sight report added.
With employment at a high, there are thousands of vacancies and employers investing to support young people into employment through apprenticeships, work placements and other opportunities. However, the charities pointed out that young people need access to relevant mentoring schemes and role models to show them pathways to these jobs.
They said that a joined up, local response is necessary, along with more funding for youth outreach organisations and mentors.
James Ashall, chief executive at Movement to Work, said that knife crime is not an issue that can be solved by one single body: “As a coalition of employers we can support people into employment once they are known to us, but it’s organisations like London Youth who are part of local communities that can support young people to find their way to MtW and employers. Positive mentorship is critical and we must address this. It is not a problem that can be solved in isolation by individuals; it needs society to come together to provide the right pathways, mentors and opportunities to find support.
“Employers now working with MtW have found that these young people are loyal, develop badly needed skills and that current workforces enjoy mentoring them. Meaningful employment is key to positive ambition; if young people see a bright future and potential careers, with positive guidance, we will all benefit, and looking at things starkly, fewer lives will be lost.”
Youth workers and employers can improve young people’s lives when they work together, added Rosemary Watt-Wyness, CEO of London Youth London, said: Youth clubs are embedded in their local communities, they help young people build confidence and develop life skills critical to their future economic success. Young people choose to attend youth centres and build trusted relationships with youth workers which are key to inspiring them about the future. Our employability work has proven the positive outcomes young people achieve when employers and youth organisations work hand in hand.”
It is also vital that mental health issues among young people are addressed, said Brian Rubenstein, CEO of IHEART: “It’s vital that young people realise their in-built potential. It’s crucial to help them see how they can build resilience and self-confidence and, for many, this will also involve meaningful work that provides good lifestyles and ambition. Combining an understanding of what constitutes their own innate mental health with a placement through Movement to Work will provide the means of realising that potential when they take up jobs or go back into education. This will help to reduce crime amongst young people, which is so often the result of the mistaken belief that there is no potential within them for a positive life.”
