UK Youth Insights: Youth workers share their new years wishes for young people for 2024

Youth organisations supported by UK Youth have been outlining their hopes for the next year. 

As 2024 begins, a number of groups supporting young people’s mental health have shared their wishes for the coming 12 months. 

The groups are among 99 beneficiaries of UK Youth’s Thriving Minds fund, which sees an £11 million investment by Julia and Hans Rausing and the Westminster Foundation into youth organisations, to support them to improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing. 

Through the fund, UK Youth is working with grantees over a three-year period to develop partnership capabilities and capacity, to support and enable them to provide high-quality youth work in their communities.   

Grantees include Success Club, in Enfield, London, which supports young people at risk of academic and social under-achievement through providing wellbeing and personal development activities.   

Tony, from Success Club, said: “My New Year wish for young people in 2024 – and this might be a bit of a harsh one – is that they understand life is for living, so let’s live life, rather than take life.” 

Proud2Be is a grassroots, queer-led social enterprise which supports and enables LGBTQIA+ people in Devon to thrive.  

Proud2Be youth services coordinator Mel said: “My New Year wish for young people in 2024 is for young Trans people to not feel so isolated and attacked as what’s been going on this year. 

And senior youth support worker Charlie said: “My wish for young people in 2024 is that everyone can feel part of the communities around where they live and around who they are.” 

Matt, from community-led sports and wellbeing charity Sport at the Heart, based in Brent, London, said: “My New Year’s wish for young people in 2024 would be more warm spaces inside a safe space where they can engage with youth workers and have somewhere to go, rather than being outside and looking for a place of comfort.” 

Valentina, of Play for Progress, which is based in Croydon, London, and supports unaccompanied young people seeking asylum, said: “My New Year wish for young people in 2024 is that they can find the space and people that help them believe they can achieve whatever they want.” 

And Rosie, a youth worker with Young People Cornwall, which “engages, inspires and supports young people across the county, with youth work that makes a difference”, said: “My New Year wish for young people in 2024 is to be able to fulfil all their ambitions.”

Project Zero works to engage young people in Waltham Forest, London, in positive activities to promote social inclusion and reduce anti-social behaviour with the aim of zero lives lost related to knife crime and violence. 

Nia, from Project Zero, said: “My New Year wish for young people in 2024 is that they are able to feel accepted in who they are and they are able to feel like they can be that person without any judgement.” 

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners, UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org 

As well as mental health, UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch, a youth employability programme run in partnership with KFC. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes.