Government unveils ambitious plan to tackle youth isolation crisis and deliver real life opportunities
Government plans will offer young people somewhere to go, something meaningful to do, and someone who cares about their wellbeing in moves to strengthen their connections in real life
- Ambitious 10-year plan to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home and equip them with skills to boost their resilience and stay safe online
- National Youth Strategy to deliver up to 250 new or refurbished youth centres, 50 Young Futures Hubs, and new support for youth workers, backed by over £500 million of investment
Young people across England will benefit from over £500 million of government investment as the first National Youth Strategy in 15 years is published today, setting out an ambitious delivery plan to rebuild youth services over the next decade.
‘Youth Matters’ has been co-produced with more than 14,000 young people across England through a landmark ‘State of the Nation’ survey. It represents a fundamental shift in how the government will support young people over the next decade - turning the tide from isolation online, to real life connections.
Local government spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010/11 and 2022/23, with more than 1,000 youth centres closing and over 4,500 youth worker roles being lost. The Prime Minister has spoken of young people being “collateral damage” over the past decade and how this must be turned around, with the government investing in the potential of young people - offering them the chance for real life connections to support their talent and potential.
A centrepiece of the National Youth Strategy centres around additional investment to transform youth services. The government is committing over £500 million of new funding, which will:
- Build or refurbish up to 250 youth facilities over the next four years, as well as providing equipment for activities to around 2500 youth organisations, through a new £350 million ‘Better Youth Spaces’ programme. It will provide safe and welcoming spaces, offering young people somewhere to go, something meaningful to do, and someone who cares about their wellbeing.
- Launch a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029 as part of a local transformation programme of £70 million, providing access to youth workers and other professionals, supporting their wellbeing and career development and preventing them from harm.
- The first eight hubs to be operational by March 2026 are in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, County Durham, Nottingham, Bristol, Tower Hamlets, and Brighton and Hove.
- Support organisations in underserved areas to deliver high-quality youth work and activities through a ‘Richer Young Lives Fund’ worth over £60 million.
- Boost young people’s wellbeing, personal development, and essential life skills through a new £22.5 million programme of support around the school day in up to 400 schools.
- Recruit and train youth workers, volunteers and other trusted adults with £15 million of investment.
- Strengthen youth services through £5 million to improve local partnerships, better information sharing, and digital infrastructure, ensuring young people receive high-quality, safe, and effective support in their communities.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said:
“As a dad and as Prime Minister, I believe it is our generation’s greatest responsibility to turn the tide on the lost decade of young kids left as collateral damage. It is our moral mission.
“Today, my government sets out a clear, ambitious and deliverable plan - investing in the next generation so that every child has the chance to see their talents take them as far as their ability can.”
“That is also why we will ensure that if you choose an apprenticeship, you will have the same respect and opportunity as everyone else, as we get two-thirds of young people in higher-level learning or apprenticeships.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
“The challenges facing young people today are urgent and demand a major change in direction. For too long, youth policy has been an afterthought. This generation deserves better.
“Young people are the most digitally connected but also the most isolated in generations with many wanting more meaningful real life connections. Young people have been crystal clear in speaking up in our consultation: they need support for their mental health, spaces to meet with people in their communities and real opportunities to thrive. We will give them what they want. Today’s National Youth Strategy puts young people at the heart of decision-making and begins to rebuild the youth services that were decimated over the past decade.
“From Young Futures Hubs in local communities to hundreds of millions of pounds invested in youth facilities to transforming the services that support them - we will give young people somewhere to go, something meaningful to do, and someone who cares about their wellbeing. They have spoken - now we’re delivering for them.”
Over the next decade this strategy will also reverse the decline in local government spending with plans for:
- Half a million more young people to be given access to a trusted adult outside their home, helping equip them with essential skills, such as resilience or how to manage their online safety, to help them transition to adulthood and adapt to a digital world.
- The government aims to halve the gap in who gets to do meaningful activities between richer and poorer families. This covers after school activities, as well as those in the evenings, weekends and holidays
- It delivers on key government missions within the Plan for Change: spreading opportunities, making streets safer and taking pressure off the NHS.
What young people said
The measures respond directly to the landmark ‘State of the Nation’ survey commissioned by the Culture Secretary, and published alongside the strategy today. It sets out the reality of what it is like to grow up in England in 2025, painting a vivid picture of their experiences growing up in a world shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, an always-on digital world, and ongoing global uncertainty.
It reveals stark concerns from young people about a lack of mental health support, growing social isolation and an absence of youth services in their communities.
While young people today are the most digitally connected generation, the report highlights that they face unprecedented levels of isolation, among the highest globally. They want more opportunities to connect in person safe spaces to go to, better mental health support, guidance for their education and careers, greater access to enriching activities and opportunities, and tools to engage positively online and offline.
Building on recent investment
The National Youth Strategy marks the start of a decade of sustained investment in young people, building on:
- The Culture Secretary’s ‘Every Child Can’ commitment, backed by £132.5 million from the Dormant Assets scheme in June.
- The Department for Work and Pensions’ £820 million funding package announced this week to support young people across Great Britain into employment and training, creating almost 300,000 more skills and training opportunities for young people on Universal Credit, and a £725 million package of reforms to the apprenticeship system to help tackle youth unemployment and drive economic growth, with thousands more young people expected to benefit over the next three years.
- In September the Prime Minister set bold new targets for apprenticeships of two-thirds of young people participating in higher-level learning – academic, technical or apprenticeships – by age 25, up from 50%.
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently announced over £400 million will be invested in new and upgraded local community sport facilities over the next four years, plus Sport England’s £250 million investment in youth sport and physical activity.
ENDS
Additional quotes:
Leigh Middleton OBE, CEO of the National Youth Agency: “The National Youth Strategy puts young people at the centre of change, reflecting what they have said they need: safe spaces, trusted adults, and real opportunities to thrive. Youth work is essential in delivering these plans, and the Strategy makes that clear. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure this ambition is matched with action, delivering equity and lasting improvements for every young person.”
Alex Holmes OBE, The Diana Award: “For a quarter of a century The Diana Award has shown what happens when you back young people with trust, resources and a platform. It’s been inspiring to see this National Youth Strategy built with young people, not just for them. The next 10 years must be about turning their ideas into action and giving young people the tools and confidence to hold us, as adults and institutions, to the promises we’ve made.”
Jonathan Hopkins, Centre for Young Lives (member of the DCMS Expert Advisory Group): “This is a strategy by young people, for young people that we all benefit from. It is a generational shift in how young people are seen and heard. Backed by commitments like Young Futures to turn lives around, it will deliver a more confident and close knit society.”
Dan Lawes, CEO of My Life My Say: “I’ve seen firsthand that the greatest successes of the National Youth Strategy come from one simple principle: putting young people at the centre. Its strength lies in the fact that youth voices didn’t just contribute to its composition — they shaped its direction, its priorities and its purpose. By listening to young people every step of the way, we’ve created a strategy that is not only credible and representative, but one that I hope will deliver real, lasting change.”
Paul Lindley, entrepreneur, campaigner, author: “This Youth Strategy puts young people exactly where they belong — at the heart of decisions that shape their lives. By rebuilding the local places, services and relationships that help them feel seen, supported and able to belong, it tackles the postcode lottery of opportunity and invests in a generation whose potential is extraordinary.”
Sophie Pender, Founder, The 93% Club: “The National Youth Strategy represents hope: targeted investment in the working class communities too often overlooked. It strengthens our mission to show the state schoolers, the kids on the council estates, the ones whose youth has been shaped by limited resources, that they matter too.”
Kadra Abdinasir, Associate Director of Policy, Centre for Mental Health: “The National Youth Strategy is an important cross-government opportunity to strengthen young people’s mental health. Trusted adults, safe community spaces and early support are all key to preventing mental health problems escalating. By expanding these opportunities nationwide, the strategy can help ensure every young person feels supported, connected and able to thrive.”
Zafeera Karim, Member of Youth Parliament, said: “From a teacher, I learned, ’If someone says you are the future, say no. I am the present; I have things to do now.’ Those words resonate because young people are already acting, supporting one another, and taking on responsibilities that often go unseen. This National Youth Strategy matters because it has the potential to listen to these realities, address structural barriers, center voices too often excluded from decision-making, and provide practical support that engages with the work already happening. My hope is that this strategy will recognise what young people and their communities are already doing today and strengthen this work with sincerity at its origin and soundness in its fulfillment to create responsible, lasting change.”
Notes to editors:
- The full National Youth Strategy and the State of the Nation report are available at GOV.UK.
- Youth summaries of both the main strategy and report are available alongside associated research.
- The ‘State of the Nation’ survey engaged 14,134 young people and was conducted in partnership with Savanta, My Life My Say, the #iwill Movement and Youth Collaborators
- The consultation included focus groups, discussions and workshops with Ministers, officials and youth sector organisations.
- A Youth Advisory Group of 14 young people from across England was convened to help shape the strategy.
- According to the latest statistics from the OECD, 15-year-olds in the UK spend more time on their digital devices than the average OECD country.
- In a study of 40 countries, 11, 13 and 15-year-olds in England ranked among the highest in reporting that they feel lonely most of the time or always (HBSC, 2022).
- According to the Office for National Statistics, there are about 10.6 million young people aged 10-24 in England.