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Fiona Aish & Jo TomlinsonBog'liq Grammar for IELTS - Collins English for ExamsUnit 10 Youth
Track 13
As part of this m odule on youth, today we are going to look at current youth initiatives in the UK.
Some of which are more successful than others, I m ust say. The last governm ent spent a lot of
money on setting up initiatives that sadly have been left in desperate need of funding since the
new governm ent has come into power.
Firstly, volunteering schemes are incredibly successful in the UK. These schemes are cheap to
run, which is a huge benefit. In addition to this, the schem es are com m unity based. This means
that the benefits are spread widely throughout each local com m unity. The uptake has doubled in
the last ten years and I believe this is an area where more focus should be placed.
Secondly, sports clubs are a huge youth initiative, w ith more than 20,000 em erging in the
last ten years in England alone. Although the num bers are very positive, these schemes are
expensive to staff. If these are to continue to flourish, this area w ill need a significant cash
injection.
Lastly, there are a certain num ber of drama clubs th a t have emerged in the last ten years.
Although it was thought that these would be hugely popular, they have actually attracted only
sm a ll num bers of students. Moreover, they are costly, and finding a venue fo r such clubs has
proved d iffic u lt as many local halls are running at capacity. As a result of these factors, these
clubs are not likely to continue in the long term .
To conclude, as we can see, some of the schemes are flourishing, yet many are short of money
and other essential resources. In order to enhance the youth experience, the governm ent m ust
identify new schemes which are cost effective, yet enjoyable to teens.
Track K
So, w hat other initiatives could the governm ent focus on? Well, due to the success of the sports
clubs, new ‘open spaces’ initiatives are being discussed, fo r example fo o tb a ll tournam ents in
local playing fields or athletics days in local parks. This could regenerate local areas and renew
interest in activities fo r young people. Staffing would s till be necessary, although young people
could take an active role in organizing and managing com petitions. This could cut down staff
costs significantly.
In addition to the open spaces scheme, there has been discussion of reinvigorating the 'taste of
w o rk ' scheme, which gives young people a chance to get w ork experience in a variety of jobs in
th e ir school holidays. However, this scheme has m et w ith harsh c riticism from some politicians
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