Jack Chat

Whether or not Stephen is elected in Henley on 26th June I have no doubt it will not be long before he is an MP - and one who will be a real champion for young people and youth work.

A couple of weeks ago I got interviewed about the credit crunch by a journalist from the New Statesman I am quoted in this article "Drowning in Debt" pontificating on one of my favourite subjects, passive consumerism and its impact on young people. A comment left on the article by a young person reinforces my point:

"I currently find myself staring down the barrel of £18,000 worth of debt; £13k student loan and the rest in overdrafts, credit cards and bills. I, like many my age, have consigned myself to a lifetime of debt in an almost fatalistic fashion; without the means to own anything of real value privately and with a collapsing economy there seems little reason to care. Despite having an excellent credit rating still I cannot help but toy with the idea of declaring myself bankrupt as to allow myself a clean slate for my future. Again, many my age also feel like they have been forced into this situation. We are products of our time; with little depth to the world past the consumerist façade we find ourselves living in and stuck in a quagmire of insurmountable debt that we will realistically never lose there is little hope left for the generation that will soon be in charge."

The position many young people find themselves in, particularly those who are most vulnerable, arises from a number of reasons. Not least that the benefits system often leaves them destitute and unable to meet even their most basic needs. But that is not the whole story as the quote from the young person above indicates. Our young people are growing up in a very different landscape, certainly from the one I did. Not only has consumer choice exploded, but so also has the availability of credit. Young people are starting out in life often saddled with student debt, in a housing market that virtually excludes them and a looming pension crisis. In such a climate, credit (which research shows many young people do not regard as debt so long as they pay their minimum payment), appears a seductive solution. Centrepoint (the youth homelessness charity) published a report a couple of years ago "Too much too young" criticising the targeting of young people with credit offers, of most concern was that a significant number of young people had been targeted after they became homeless and were living in hostels. And the peer pressure young people face also contributes to their need to be seen to be wearing the "right" trainers for example, regardless of other financial commitments.

A couple of years ago I was at a Foyer in East London, involved in a session on money management. I had said how much I resented buying something and then going into the shop a couple of weeks later to see the same item reduced. One of the young women said that didn't bother her, when I asked why she said "because I would have had it first".

The reasons for the credit crunch are multiple, but no-one can surely deny that an I want it and I want it now - throwaway consumerism contributes to over indebtedness. I am old enough to remember the days when a designer label was something you only saw in Vogue and shops had at most 4 changes of clothes collections a year - now it is every couple of weeks!

In my work on the FSA Financial Capability Strategy, we are training those who work with young people to support them to be more financially capable. Like trying to deal with teenage pregnancy the greatest challenge is that of changing behaviour, you can know everything, have the skills to do everything, know why you should....but if that doesn't result in behavioural change it is meaningless.

Multi-culturalism. It is one of those words that we all decode in our heads according to our own beliefs and values.

My take is to look at what may be the opposite to "multi-culturalism", "mono-culturalism". How boring is that? My only reference point for mono-culturalism is the United States, aaah yes, the kind of mono-culturalism that expresses itself in the dark corners of Abu Ghraib, or the quiet streets of Fallujah. The Royal United Services Institute report, that has lead to this issue being raised suggests deference to multi-culturalism is to blame for the terrorist threat. The RUSI spokesperson, speaking on the Today programme earlier this month, suggested that we had the evidence in the 7/7 bombings. But he failed to explain this logic in relation to 9/11. There was also a suggestion that immigrant Muslim communities were at fault for not integrating. Well, integration is a two way street.

I know a little about this having spent a good deal of my working life working within the Muslim community. I also know from personal experience how difficult integration is, I was estranged from most of my family for many years because I married an Asian. I also witnessed the discrimination he suffered, for example when he was looking to buy a house in Luton the estate agents only ever sent him houses in Bury Park, the Asian area of town. When we were looking to buy a house in Stockport, if I went to estate agents on my own I would be told about areas which were very nice, no foreigners............I used to enjoy going back in and introducing my husband! So, as I say, to crack this nut we need a little more honesty about the underlying racism that still impacts upon our ability to truly build community cohesion. We cannot insist that people adhere to this or that culture, that way lies facism. And yet, to hear some of the commentators one would be forgiven for thinking it was just a question of Mr Brown announcing that from now on we were to be a mono-culture nation and that would do it!

So, let's have some honesty. It is not multi-culturalism (the existence of a number of cultures?) that is the issue, it is the nervousness about Muslims who appear to live in closed communities, with an idea that out of them springs an anti-western anti-Christian discourse that feeds the minds of the young who then become suicide bombers. But, we have one important missing factor. The young people who get radicalised are often on the surface very well integrated, or, if not, they are estranged from their own community as well. So, what are we saying? As a former youth worker I am well versed in the idea of "moral panic" - it seems to me this is exactly what we are witnessing. A notion that distorts and exaggerates reality, fuelled by a sensationalist media. Yes, there are young people, disaffected and angry, driven to become involved with terrorism, but I think that has more to do with the idealism of youth, the power of a strong religious belief and, dare I say it?, frustration at our foreign policy. It has little or nothing to do with a notion of "multi-culturalism". This nonsense would be amusing if it were not so dangerous. All the time we are being deflected by a misplaced moral panic about multiculturalism we are unlikely to begin to even scratch the surface of a solution.

The news that one in five of our children are growing up in homes dependent on benefit is indeed shocking. There is the normal moral panic from some (Robert Whelan, of the Right-wing think-tank Civitas, quoted in the Telegraph "We need a stick to get people off benefits. The whole welfare policy has been based on carrots, which are not working. These people have now eaten so many carrots it's amazing they haven't turned into rabbits.") but this doesn't address the real imperative, to improve the life chances of these children. When research demonstrates how clear the link is between poverty and academic achievement there is surely a need for a complete rethink about our education system. With able children from poor homes being overtaken by their less able middle class peers by aged 6, this radical rethink must be within a context that is also tackling the underlying scandal of child poverty. Children who live in overcrowded, poor quality housing, who are unable to eat properly or keep warm, are immediately disadvantaged when it comes to learning.

Whilst choice is an important aspect for any parent, the reality is, for many of those already disadvantaged, choice is a myth. So my argument is that the mantra should be about quality. Whatever your background you should be guaranteed a quality education. It is striking that the outcomes sought through Every Child Matters do not include equality. That might be a start. There also needs to be a recognition that for some of our children school is a nightmare (recent research suggested as many as 1 in 7 hate school). More effort should go into developing new approaches to learning. I often joke that I left teaching because I was interested in learning, but there is an element of truth. Youth workers have a toolkit of skills and an approach that seeks out and utilizes the "hooks" that engage young people in learning. They have a flexible enough approach to be able to seize and exploit every opportunity. Now of course, with the voluntary engagement of young people and without the constraints of a classroom, they have an easier task than most teachers. But I would suggest that a more creative and flexible approach to learning, particularly for those who are clearly turned off, would reap dividends.

The fact that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world we are still failing so many of our children is shameful. There is so much to do, perhaps fundemental changes within formal education is a long term aim, but in the short term, far more investment could be going into the non formal sector along with a recognition of the important contribution good youth work makes to the life chances of some of our most marginalised young people.

The news over the past few weeks has been dominated by concerns about a drop in the housing market, a tightening in the availability of credit, the huge hike in energy costs and the continuing moral panic about over-indebtedness.

I have found it interesting in my role as Youth Policy Adviser at the FSA to observe the differing reactions of front line workers and managers to our offer of free training in Financial Capability for youth work intermediaries. For some, the penny drops ('scuze the pun!) immediately. An ability to manage your money is a key life skill, it is critical in improving economic well-being yet it is an area that is often neglected in work with young people. For others, it is not a high priority, working with young people with chaotic lives, why would they be interested in being able to manage their money better?

A while ago I visited a young tenants project where they were doing some work on managing money. I asked the manager if his workers had had any training. "No" says he, "So how do they deliver the sessions?"  "On the basis of their own experience" - which left me reflecting on whether he would have asked them to deliver a sexual health session on the basis of their own experience........I don't think so!

Whilst for young people with chaotic lives money may not be the most important issue they are having to deal with, it often has an impact. For example, s/he may have a drug habit that has lead to them getting into debt. S/he may have been thrown out of home and is not only having to deal with the emotional and physical upheaval, but also with trying to pay bills and make ends meet. Mental health problems can often lead to money problems and vice versa. So, I would argue, beginning to take control of their money can help a young person develop the skills to take control over other areas of their life.

In England, economic wellbeing is a desired outcome for all young people and yet all too often it is interpreted as being just about getting a job. It is far more. Many young people who get a job struggle to keep it if they are unable to manage their money. And whilst the impact on young people of the credit crunch may not be as high as on their parents, for those who are not in education employment or training, (NEET) any debt, with little resource to repay it, can be completely crushing. Rainer recently published research showing that 77% of young people have been in debt by the age of 21. To quote

"For young people reliant on benefits, long delays and the complexities of the system were a major cause of debt. Rainer found that these debts are leading to crisis point for 1 in 5 young people who, after paying bills and debt repayments, are left £50 a month or less to cover food and other expenses. 1 in 10 young people are left with nothing.

It is those young people who are vulnerable in other areas of their lives who are hit the hardest.  85% of homeless young people are in debt and Rainer's research showed that the young people it supported are left with an average of just five pounds per week.

Rainer Chief Executive Joyce Moseley said:

"Young people tell us that being in debt is now just part of the norm, but it can quickly become a millstone around their neck.  In addition to the stress it can cause, there is strong evidence that debt can prevent young people from living independently or taking part in education or even eating healthily."

Our training, covering banking, budgeting, credit and debt, as well as ideas for embedding financial capability into practice,  is free to intermediaries working across the UK with the NEET group. 

I find myself spitting blood this lunchtime. So Jack Straw is building more prisons. We already lock up more people than anyone else in Europe, what are we saying about the failure of our society? Dear Mr Blunkett, on WATO, "we don't want to lock up petty offenders but we want to stop them reoffending" er, right, lots of evidence is there, that imprisoning people stops them reoffending? We know that most prisoners have mental health or drug related issues, even the Tories drew attention to this, but why oh why didn't we hear an announcement that demonstrated this government is really interested in rehabilitation and cutting crime? I would have been the first to congratulate them had the announcement today been for more secure mental health facilities and more drug rehab units, combined with an injection of funding into preventative work. This is cheap populist rightwing press pleasing topsyturvy logic.

Last week I was really distressed to hear the story of the death of Liam McManus, a 15 year old, who was in Lancaster Farms YOI, half way through a 6 week sentence for breaching a supervision order. 15 years old, a child, what the hell are we doing locking up our children? And the truth is, that it is young men that get locked up at a rate of 3/4,000 a month. Young men, who with the right opportunities and guidance could be going on to turn their lives around, instead we send them to the best University of Crime known to man!


As Francis Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, says,

"The purpose such a short sentence was meant to serve a troubled boy of 15 utterly escapes me. Prison is simply not appropriate for most children and there is a threat that regimes will actually get worse. The Howard League has just responded on the use of batons in YOIs. We have reiterated our belief that batons will merely exacerbate the existing problems rather than tackle the root causes of their behaviour."

So, what a sad day and frankly admission of failure from a government bereft of vision and imagination and clinging onto power by any means.

I awoke one morning earlier this month to the news of the government's "radical" (their word not mine) approach to tackling the perennial problem of NEETs (those young people Not in Education Employment or Training). Force them to stay in education until they are 18. Is this the same Gordon Brown advocating this who apparently advocates votes at 16? So we will accept that at 16 you are old enough to pay taxes, join the army, get married and maybe vote..........but not decide your future for yourself? And, if you decide you would rather not...........you will be sent directly to jail, whoops, sorry, fined but not sent to jail. You will however have a criminal record. Hmmm, so, you are not at school, you are not at work, but you are going to pay a fine. Now that is a well thought out policy if ever I heard one!

So I was particularly pleased to read Nick Robinson drawing attention to the important role youth work can have in re-engaging young people. I have said elsewhere that I left teaching and went into youth work because I was interested in learning, this is a little tongue in cheek, but there is an element of truth.…...for so many children and young people school is part of the problem not the solution. We don't put lime loving plants into acid soil and blame the plants if they don't thrive, but we do that to children every day of the week.

School is a prison for a lot of our young people, for some, it teaches them to hate learning rather than see it as something that is life enhancing. Ipsos MORI  research disturbingly found that 23% of young people don't like school most or all of  the time.

I am at a loss to understand how Ed Balls thinks criminalising young people who are already marginalised is going to help? I am reminded of a young woman I worked with who hated school. She was regularly self-harming. Her mother would put her on the bus to school and she wouldn't get there. Mum (living on benefits on her own with other children) was desperate, she had done all she could do, she ended up in court, being fined because her child wasn't at school...... I tried to talk to the inclusion unit at the County Council.......what this young woman needed was time out. Couldn't she have it? Couldn't they just accept that maybe with time away she would eventually come round? NO.

On another occasion I was doing a piece of research and interviewed a young man of 17 I was working with, someone who was constantly in trouble with the police. My first question was, "what was the worst thing that ever happened to you?" his response was "school". At the end of my questioning I asked, "If there was one thing you could change about your life what would it be?" His answer? "I'd go back to school." We have to structure our education system around our children, not the other way round. Our education system is fine for the many but a nightmare for the few.

I have personal experience. My son struggled with school. When he dropped out I had to hold my nerve, after all, I did the same thing and ran away to join the army at least he didn't do that! Now, he is back, doing his A levels. I dread to think what would have happened if he had been forced to stay on until he was 18.

There is a lot in the proposed bill to commend it, of course the more opportunities young people get to learn the better, it is just the element of compulsion that I regard as counterproductive. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut invariably fails. The key to this problem is not enforcement it is engagement.