Having started my role as a Youth Social Action apprentice in August 2023, my end point assessment is rapidly approaching and it seems like a good opportunity to look back and reflect but also look to the future.

Going back to the beginning of this role, I had made a life changing decision in my fifties to try and convert my volunteering experience in youth work into a career.

I like to think this was quite a bold move, especially when you consider that in real terms spending on youth services fell by 64% between 2011/12 and 2021/22. There is also a correlation between youth club closures and young people engaging in criminal activity with young people who have lost access to a youth club 14% more likely to engage in criminal activity in the six years following the closure.

Despite this, I think there is room for optimism with research showing the positive impact youth work has for young people. Of course, following the election of a new government it is clear youth work has an important role to play if Labour are to deliver on their mission to Reclaim the Streets. Labour have committed to creating a Young Futures Programme with a network of hubs where young people can engage with youth workers, mental health support workers and careers advisors to help prevent young people being drawn into crime. Our colleges have an important role to play in helping to train the youth workers of the future with the profession having lost 4,500 youth workers since 2011. Without a qualified workforce, the government will not be able to deliver on the promises in their manifesto. In a recent National Youth Agency workforce survey it was found that 47% of the respondents have no recognised youth work qualification.

When I reflect on my own development throughout my apprenticeship, I am confident that the skills and knowledge that I have gained have made me a more effective youth worker, both at work in my colleges and in my voluntary role. I have been able to focus on facilitating youth led projects and have enjoyed immensely seeing the learners pride and satisfaction when they see their ideas become a reality.

This year at Weston College, Avon and Somerset Police invited learners to take part in a Youth Ethics Committee to capture their views around stop and search. They appreciated the chance to have their voices heard. Projects like this that create better community links with the police will be an important way to make our young people part of the solution to reclaiming our streets. In my work as a Youth Social Action apprentice listening to young people, concerns about youth violence and knife crime are a recurring theme. If we are to help our young people navigate this issue and ‘Reclaim our Streets’ qualified youth workers will be essential.

Anne Draper, Youth Social Action apprentice