At last, a sensible solution from Martin Kettle to the current crisis of youth misogyny, knife crime, mental ill health and radicalisation (After Southport, Westminster is floundering. It should look to Idris Elba, 30 January). Those of us in the youth and community sector have watched successive governments demolish our excellent universal, statutory service, leaving it hanging by the fragile thread of short-term, problem-focused charity funding.
Isn’t it plain to see that social education is fundamental to steering young people towards sociable, conscious and contented lives? While youth work is not a panacea, it offers a curriculum based on understanding adolescence, building positive relationships and bringing out the immense talent and creativity of young people.
Our work involved (and still involves for the remaining workers) actively reaching out to vulnerable, disenchanted, often angry children and young people, and isolated (sometimes just as angry) lone parents and older people. Social education used to be universally free for everyone.
And who will pay? As the old adage goes: £1 in early life saves hundreds later, on prisons and psychiatric care, and prevents devastating human misery. It’s time to stop floundering. Bring back the universal, state-funded youth and community service and reinstate the dissolved programmes in colleges, councils and universities.
Dr Annette Rimmer
Manchester
• During Idris Elba’s television programme on knife crime, it was hard to watch and learn about all the needless deaths (TV review, 29 January). With youth club funding slashed and high school exclusion, none of this was surprising. The young man who has come under the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence scheme, and was taken in by his favourite football team, has changed his life and moved away from knife crime.
The funding for this scheme runs out soon. When clubs such as Manchester City can pay a certain football player £500,000 a week, isn’t it about time a small percentage should be taken to help this sort of programme across the country?
Linda Theobald
London
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
