Back Youth Alliance statement on Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announcement

“Every young person should have access to safe spaces, trusted adults and enriching activities in their communities. We welcome the Government commitment to developing a new national youth strategy built on the views, ideas and experiences of young people from every corner of this country.

“We welcome the strategic ambition from the Secretary of State but we urge her to address the immediate impact on current provision which is enabled by NCS, to provide the youth sector with clarity, support and funding going forward.

“The closure of the National Citizen Service in April 2025 is a sad day for the sector. Our thoughts go out to our colleagues at NCS and the thousands of youth workers up and down the country who have delivered more than a million experiences with young people under the NCS programme. This will be a deeply unsettling time for them.

“We must ensure this funding and learning is retained by the youth sector to make sure we deliver the Government’s mission of breaking down barriers to opportunity. Many projects relied on NCS funding, and the Secretary of State must now ensure we deliver for those organisations and those young people so they can continue to thrive each day, without a break in service.”

To read the statement in full, click here.

The Back Youth Alliance was created to champion solutions together with young people for our most pressing challenges, speaking with one voice and ensuring that funding delivers the greatest impact. Members include: Scouts, The Centre for Youth Impact, YMCA George Williams College, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Girlguiding, Onside, National Youth Agency, YMCA, UK Youth and Youth United Foundation.

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 9,000 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 

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. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes