The Issue...
You may well ask, what's the need for Serious About Youth (SAY)? In today’s society our youth go to school to gain the skills and knowledge they need to have a successful start in becoming a responsible adult. However, more than often they finish their education with competent academic abilities but without the core skills most relevant to life in the ‘real world’. Studies conducted by Ofsted, CBI and the Prince’s Trust have all found that many young people of school leaving age are not equipped for the labour market and other aspects of life outside of the school environment. These bodies have called on schools to teach young people these vital social skills and this has been recognised by the Department for Education who develop the National Curriculum, as two of the aims of the National Curriculum are that it should enable young people to become "confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives" and "responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society", which has been further highlighted by the National Curriculum's increased focus on developing social and emotional skills (the SEAL programme and the PLTS framework). Ofsted has also recognised the importance of young people developing adequate social skills as one of the criteria that it now judges schools on is how well they 'promote community cohesion' to their students. Employers have also complained that even graduates are starting work with inadequacies in communication, organisation, personal presentation, attitude and other ‘life’ and social skills, which has been further reinforced by young people themselves who stated, “many of us do not feel fully prepared for life in the adult world” and that there is a need to, "...fund and promote youth groups that help to teach us essential life skills..." in the ground breaking Young Citizens' Action Agenda, issued to the Prime Minister in December 2008.
How Does SAY help...
The impact of young people lacking an awareness of the life and social skills needed in today’s society is clear for all to see. With the high youth involvement in the worst riots the UK has ever seen in August 2011; major problems with gangs; youth crime; school exclusions; the number of young people out of work and/or classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training); the prevalence of teen pregnancies and other social issues affecting young people, it is clearer than ever that young people need hope as well as support and guidance to make successful choices in life. It is also clear that something must be done to reduce the strain on parents, the community and the budgets of the Police, the NHS, Schools and the Government who are all trying to manage the emotionally and financially expensive outcomes caused by these issues. All these issues are well documented in Government papers and covered by the media. However, at SAY, we do not believe it's all doom and gloom for our youth! They are our 'tomorrows'! We believe in the potential, abilities and energy of young people and feel that if they feel believed in and if their choices are inspired, guided and supported by positive input and effective life and social skills, they will make outstanding contributions to society. SAY's workshops are specifically designed to address the issues highlighted effectively, as well as support schools and youth organisations to improve the life and social skills of the young people they serve, by using relevant methods and resources such as highly interactive group activities, popular youth music and role models, contemporary poetry, multimedia and vocationally-based principals. For more details of the skills and issues that each of our workshops address, please review 'What We Do'. So, if you're Serious About Youth too, then help us to help the young people in your life....