Aiming high for young people: a ten year strategy for positive activities is the last part of the Government’s policy review on children and young people. It sets out government plans to help all young people take part in enjoyable and purposeful activities in their free time, to help develop their skills and raise their aspirations.

The strategy aims to:

• foster a more positive approach to young people across society and within communities
• increase young people’s participation in high-quality, positive activities that build resilience and social and emotional skills
• enable young people to have a greater say in the services provided for them.

It illustrates how participation in constructive leisure-time activities can have a significant impact on young people’s resilience and outcomes in later life, particularly in deprived areas. Participation in positive activities helps to:

• improve attitudes to, and engagement with, school and raise educational attainment
• build social, emotional and communication skills
• reduce risk-taking, such as experimenting with drugs or involvement in anti-social behaviour or crime
• improve self-confidence and self-esteem.

The strategy includes proposals for a new programme of capital investment in facilities for young people. The focus of these resources will be youth services that are responsive to the needs of young people, followed by financial capability and inclusion. The Government’s vision is of a network of high-quality, dynamic and attractive places for young people to go in every constituency. Facilities should reflect local circumstances and use existing provision such as community buildings, libraries, and arts centres.

The programme to improve youth facilities will be funded through new investment of £60 million over the next three years by the DCSF  and through re-investment of unclaimed assets from dormant bank and building society accounts. The proposed unclaimed assets scheme will be taken forward though the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill. BIG  is likely to be responsible for distributing surplus assets.

Councils and their partners will be encouraged to develop integrated capital strategies to make the most of existing assets and create more places for young people to go. Government is supporting a range of ‘pathfinders’ in the most deprived areas to develop best practice in the delivery of local integrated capital strategies.

Aiming High for Young People sets out other steps that government will take to address practical barriers that young people face in accessing services. These include PAYP to expand provision of year-round activities for the most disengaged young people.

Pilot projects in nine local authorities are currently testing different ways to make positive activities affordable to disadvantaged young people. Each of the 20,000 young people involved in the pilots will receive up to £40 per month to spend on activities of their choice such as trips to the theatre, sports, music, dance, drama and outdoor pursuits. The pilots will run until March 2009.

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