CYPN reports that the Choose Youth coalition, of which IDYW is a member, continues to call on Labour to include a commitment to protect the funding and status of youth services if the party forms the next government.  Its online petition  has gathered 6,520 signatures backing its call for Labour to commit to protecting services. The petition argues,  “By 2015, youth service provision may have disappeared entirely in many parts of the country and could certainly be the first public service to disappear. We know this issue is important to you so please take the lead and ensure that Labour’s commitment to a sufficiently resourced statutory youth service is included in your election manifesto for 2015.”

Full story at ‘Campaigners urge Labour to back statutory youth services in manifesto’.

Meanwhile In Defence of Youth Work, together with Youth & Policy and the University of Birmingham, is organising a day of debate and consultation, Youth & Policy Manifesto for Youth Work Launch and In Defence of Youth Work Practitioner Seminar, on Tuesday, April 21 in the School of Education, University of Birmingham.

This event brings together the two most prominent debates in the youth sector over the last decade regarding: • the defining features and processes of youth work practice; and • the need (or not) for statutory funding of youth services.

More details this week.