Youth unemployment rises sharply – a further 78,000 young people are out of work

Press release, September 2011

Churches Together England, Frontier Youth Trust (FYT) and the Church Urban Fund (CUF) are investigating young people’s experiences of unemployment and are inviting groups to take part in this research.

A deep concern regarding the extremely high rate of unemployment among young people – currently about 20% – prompted the Churches Together England Urban Affairs Group and partner organisations FYT and CUF to investigate the issue further.

Bishop Roger Sainsbury, Chair of Churches Together in England Urban Affairs Group and President of FYT, said “Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges we face in our nation today and unless it is tackled in a positive way the implications, particularly for our urban areas, are very serious. It is vital we listen to the voices of young people and that is why I believe FYT’s youth unemployment research is so important.”

FYT and CUF will be holding a series of research events to hear from young people first hand. Researchers and young people will share a meal together. Over the course of the meal, the young people will be invited to take part in a number of activities about their experiences of unemployment, their future hopes, their self-perceptions and how they are seen by others. They will also be asked to suggest ways of making a positive difference for young people seeking work in the UK.

Dave Wiles, Chief Executive Officer of FYT said, “As well as highlighting the experiences of young people, our findings will enable us to make informed recommendations around which we can campaign for change. We are committed to minimising the devastating impact of unemployment early in life and to significantly improving the experiences of these vulnerable members of our society.”

How to get involved

John Wheatley and Debbie Garden, researchers from Frontier Youth Trust, are keen to hear from groups who are willing to take part in the research process. There are 2 ways of taking part: a researcher can visit the group and facilitate the research activities; alternatively, groups can download the research process from the FYT website, facilitate it themselves and send their results to the FYT office.

Debbie Garden encouraged youth workers to get involved saying, “We know that young people from deprived backgrounds are disproportionately represented in these statistics. For young people starting with diminished aspirations, the added impact of unemployment on self-esteem and hope for the future is an especially cruel and damaging blow. If you are working with young people who have past or present experiences of unemployment, please join with us in working to understand and address these issues.”

For further information about hosting a youth gathering, please contact debbie.garden a_t fyt d_o_t org d_o_t uk , visit www.fyt.org.uk or telephone 01216873505.