News and opinion

As a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) member, my role is to represent young people, serving as a bridge between young individuals and the organisations that shape policies and legislation affecting their lives. I represent the diverse voices of youth, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to know that their voices are not only heard but are…

A couple of months ago, we blogged about what focused deterrence is, the challenges in implementing focused deterrence in the UK, and how we’re supporting local areas to implement it. We’ve since published findings from the first six months of delivery of the Youth Endowment Fund- and Home Office-funded focused deterrence programme and evaluation. One…

Youth work week is here, a good time to reflect on this important profession, practice, and approach. A profession that evoked passion in me and has been a driving force in my career, I imagine there are thousands within the youth sector who would say the same – you might be one or working with many…

…because young people matter! For those in the youth sector, the role of youth voice lies at the heart of all we do. This is integral to my role as YEF’s Youth Voice and Project Officer. I am part of the Youth Understanding team and I believe it is very important that youth voice is…

It feels like everyone’s talking about focused deterrence. Since joining YEF eight months ago, it’s the intervention I’ve been asked most about; How can we deliver it in our local area? Is it really that effective? When will the findings from YEF’s multi-site trial be ready?    Alongside growing interest from government departments, we’ve seen an…

The UK riots in August 2024 brought to light significant issues facing the nation’s young people, with a worrying number of teenagers involved in the disturbances. As the situation has calmed, it’s become clear that many of those arrested were young people, prompting crucial discussions about how the justice system handles teenagers and what steps…

Two questions I get asked a lot as head of the Youth Endowment Fund is “does social media cause violence?” and “what do we do about it?” So, here’s my attempt at some answers. Does social media cause violence? The short answer is we don’t know, but I think it’s likely. Here’s the thing: there…