The Youth Matters Strategy

A joint statement from our CEO and Deputy CEO

The Youth Matters Strategy is an important step, and we’re glad to see positive national attention on young people again. We also want to recognise the huge amount of work that has gone into getting it this far — from young people, youth workers, partners and national organisations.

We respect the young people who shared their experiences to shape this strategy. They represent around 1% of young people in England, but it is still the largest youth involvement in a government consultation to date, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. Their honesty matters. At the same time, we must keep creating spaces for the other 99% to share their views too. The time, energy and honesty everyone has contributed deserves real credit and respect.

But we also need to be clear about what this strategy does and what it doesn’t do.

Right now, there is less new funding than many expected, and several of the announcements are repackaged or already-known investments. After more than a decade of cuts, what the sector really needs is honest transparency about what is genuinely new and what is not. Without that clarity, it’s hard for any of us to be on the same page, build trust, plan properly or work together on long-term solutions. Sometimes the most helpful thing government can do is just be clear with us from the start.

Despite this, youth organisations, including NE Youth, have carried on, because young people rely on us. The truth is, the sector has kept going regardless of funding, and young people have always been the real drivers of change. A national strategy helps, but it’s not what keeps the work moving. Young people do.

We also have questions about whether government is set up to deliver and monitor this strategy in a way that young people will actually feel. A plan only matters if young people can look back and say, “Yes, things have improved,” and if they can hold all of us to account when they haven’t.

There is still a lot of structural and system-level work needed. And while this is a ten-year strategy, it will only stay relevant if it is refreshed regularly to reflect what young people tell us as their lives and needs change.

For this to work, there must be clear accountability. We believe two things would make a real difference:

A dedicated minister with the authority to work across all government departments, ensuring that policies for young people are joined-up, consistent and actually delivered.

We’ll keep campaigning for full UK-wide incorporation because it would make children’s rights legally enforceable, not optional. It would give young people clear ways to challenge decisions when their rights aren’t upheld, reduce inequalities, strengthen accountability across services, and offer long-term security that their rights will outlast political cycles and funding changes.

NE Youth is here to support our members and young people to understand this strategy and what it could mean for them. Our door is always open, and we welcome suggestions about how we can bring people together to reflect on new and upcoming policy announcements.

At NE Youth, we will keep doing what we’ve done for 90 years: providing safe spaces, trusted adults, real opportunities and a place where young people shape what happens next. And we’ll keep working with partners, government and young people themselves to make sure this strategy leads to real, visible change in the North East.

Young people deserve long-term commitment and systems they can trust.

Jon and Gemma 

Youth Matters: Your National – Youth Strategy

Youth Matters: State of the Nation

Research and analysis: The Big Ambition Analysis for the National Youth Strategy