26 July 2007
Gordon Brown hosted a Cabinet meeting with a difference this morning to highlight the Government’s new ten-year youth strategy. Most of the other members were teenagers from around the country who were given the opportunity to question the PM about facilities and opportunities for young people.
The meeting was organised by Make Space, which campaigns for out-of-school opportunities for young people. Mr Brown, who gave up his usual seat at the Cabinet table to allow the 17-year-old "youth mayor" of Lewisham, Wilf Petheridge, to take charge, listened to the young people’s suggestions for activities and things to do.
The PM told them:
"Young people contribute an enormous amount to society, and the views of young people have had a big influence on the Youth Strategy we are publishing today.
"Now we want to hear from young people themselves. What are your priorities, where do you want to take this over the next few months, and how do we get the message out across the country that something’s actually happening?"
During the hour long discussion, young people debated a range of priorities for teenagers, including crime and anti-social behaviour, youth activities, local transport and community relations.
Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes, who also attended, said:
"One of the things we want to start to do is call for people to stand up for young people and cut through all this negative stereotyping.
"It’s about saying to the British public, look, we have got fantastic young people in this country and it’s time to start celebrating them."
Ms Hughes later outlined the Government’s strategy on positive activities, which she described as "the most ambitious commitment to all our young people for decades", in Parliament.
It promises major investment in an "exciting, modern, up to date place for young people in every community". Working alongside young people themselves, local authorities will lead public, voluntary and private sector partnerships, to develop new facilities and ensure all young people can reach them. The Government will particularly target the most excluded young people in the most deprived communities.
There will also be a new fund to develop a national institute of youth leadership and older teenagers will be supported in setting up social enterprises in their communities.
The strategy additionally sets out a ten-year workforce reform programme to ensure "stronger leadership, and more skilled and creative people working with our teenagers - good role models who can relate to and inspire young people from all backgrounds".
- Make Space (opens in new window)
- Department for Children, Schools and Families (opens in new window)
Watch a film of the young people’s visit
The young people who attended the Youth Cabinet filmed their visit as part of Mediabox - the DCSF’s £6 million fund that enables disadvantaged young people to make creative media projects about the issues that are important to them.