It is difficult to find fresh words to describe the continuing assault on Youth Services across the country.

What is happening?

The council has approved a widespread cuts package, including massive £1.6 million cuts to youth services which already suffered  £2.3  million of cuts in 2012. This will leave the service over 60% worse off in real terms than in 2011. We believe this will have a significant detrimental impact on young people in Camden as opportunities and positive activities will be slashed.

Here are the headline changes:

• £1.6 million in funding cuts
• 64% cut in universal youth service provision
• closure of two youth centres
• closure of the COOL project funding activities for low income young people
• closure of the Under 25’s Advice Centre
• 70% budget cut to Connexions careers and jobs support for young people
• further cuts to the youth offending service
• 25 to 30 full-time equivalent jobs lost

What can you do about it?

Camden UNISON has launched a campaign against the cuts: Save Camden Youth Services. Here is how you can support the campaign:

• Like our Facebook page here: Save Camden Youth Services
• Follow us on Twitter here: @savecys
• Sign our petition against the cuts here
• Print our paper petition here and get people to sign it
• Respond to the council’s formal consultation, indicating that you disagree with the cuts here
• Write to your local councillor, MP and to local and national newspapers explaining your opposition to the cuts
• Download and print out our leaflet here (A4) against the cuts and give/send it to your friends, neighbours colleagues and families (A5 version here – please ignore when it says about printer margins being outside the printable area)
• Get involved! If you are a young person, parent or member of the community join our campaign – e-mail savecamdenyouthservices@gmail.com or telephone 020 7974 3972
• If you are a member of staff, join UNISON today!
• Join our demonstration against the cuts outside the full council meeting at6 PM on Monday 25 January at the old Town Hall, Judd Street entrance, opposite King’s Cross St Pancras station.

Find out more

More information is available about the campaign in the following links:

• Video of young people talking about the impact of the cuts
• Article by Hannah Morris, a Camden young person in the Camden New Journal about the cuts
• Children & Young People Now article about the cuts

Meanwhile more bad news from Dorset. We’ve received this message.

If you are in Dorchester this Wednesday –

Cabinet meeting 10 a.m, 13th January Dorchester county hall… last chance to save any youth clubs in dorset. “Giving the buildings to interested parties” – providing no staff or professional line management for any and placing whatever full time youth workers left in schools. I feel its a done deal really but hopefully there is enough people there to make their voices heard – an accident waiting to happen. Sad times