Regional director of The Prince’s Trust charity Jonathan Townsend tells STUART ARNOLD how many young people have lost hope for the future and need urgent support.

EARLIER this year leading youth charity The Prince’s Trust revealed how an estimated one in five young people in the North-East had experienced symptoms of mental illness as a result of being out of work or education.

Its Macquarie Youth Index made sobering reading for anyone concerned about the wellbeing of young people.

Twenty one per cent of those questioned for the survey said they had experienced at least one of the following as a direct result of unemployment – suicidal thoughts, self-harm, panic attacks, being described anti-depressants, feelings of self-loathing, insomnia, feeling inferior to others, difficulty controlling anger, drinking large amounts of alcohol and taking drugs.

A quarter of people aged 16 to 25 said they always or often felt down or depressed as a result of their circumstances. Meanwhile, those who had been out of work for six months or more were more than twice as likely as their peers to believe they had nothing to live for.

“It’s shocking to think that thousands of young people feel so desperate about their lives,” says Jonathan Townsend, regional director of The Prince’s Trust, which last year worked with almost 4,000 disadvantaged young people in the North-East.

“These individuals need urgent support and it’s frightening to think their lives could be wasted if they aren’t given help. I regularly meet young people who tell me that their life wasn’t worth living before they received support from The Prince’s Trust. Many faced years of unemployment, leading to depression, anxiety and panic attacks.”

The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics for January this year show that 7,745 18 to 24 years old in the North-East were claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance benefit for more than six months. While that is down on October’s figure of 8,970, it still represents a significant number of young people with no real structure to their lives – at a time when adult unemployment has been gradually falling. It also doesn’t include those claiming Employment and Support Allowance who through illness have only limited capability to work, but are still seeking career opportunities.

Last month it was announced The Prince’s Trust had been awarded £1.4m from the Big Lottery Fund in order to help 18-24 year olds who have been out of work or education for at least a year in one of the worst affected areas for youth unemployment, Middlesbrough. In some parts of the town youth unemployment is as much as 35 per cent – about three times the national average.

Mr Townsend says he is proud that in areas like Middlesbrough The Prince’s Trust already runs a variety of programmes proven to help young people re-build their self-esteem and move into jobs or education. Much of its work in the town is via the Fairbridge programme (previously Fairbridge in Teesside) which combines one-to-one support with group activities such as rock climbing and sailing.

“The aim is to reach vulnerable young people who have lost all hope for the future, providing positive adult role models who can boost confidence, motivation and ultimately give them the support they need to find a job,” he says.

“Helping these young people into work is absolutely vital. Having a job transforms their lives, gives them a stable routine, as well as the satisfaction of being able to provide for themselves and their families after years of relying on benefits.”

CASE STUDY

Joe Ripley, from Middlesbrough, has been out of work and education since last summer.

He left his former school, Nunthorpe, with ten GCSEs and went on to secure a place on an apprenticeship programme within the chemical industry, but this was cut short and he is currently seeking a new career path.

Although he has some health issues and is on Employment and Support Allowance, the 19-year-old – who has a bronze award from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme – has secured some voluntary work with Teesside Hospice. He has also undertaken training courses arranged by the charity Shaw Trust and received help through The Prince’s Trust Fairbridge initiative.

“I have been looking for a job and I really want to work, but the majority of the time when you apply for things you don’t even get an e-mail back which is really disheartening and you feel dreadful,” he says. I’d like a customer service-type job where I could interact with the public and progress my career or perhaps something science based.

“There’is support out there, but people don’t seem to be hiring at the moment and I also need more experience. Apprenticeships are brilliant and provide an incentive to learn, but there aren’t many of them around. I’ve been doing bits and pieces and volunteering is helping build up my confidence. It helps pass the time and I do really enjoy it, but it is not the same as having a job on your CV.

“I don’t want to live off the taxpayer and I don’t particularly want to go back to college as I have plenty of qualifications already. Employers and the Government need to focus on the younger generation as we are the workforce of the future.”