Youth Club Closures Led To Increased Offending And Worse GCSE Results

Youth club closures during the 2010s caused increased criminal offending and worse GCSE results.

That’s according to new research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The report compares offending rates and exam results among teenagers who live in an area where all local youth clubs closed, with those among teenagers whose nearest youth club stayed open.

Base 51 is a charity which has been supporting 11–25-year-olds in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire for over 30 years.

They provide mental health support with counselling, run a youth club and LGBTQIA plus group, support those who have been through trauma, and provide lots of other creative and educational activities.

Although they are still operating, Base 51’s Head of Fundraising and Events Verity Woods say they too have been impacted by cuts:

“In 2022, we lost our funding from Nottingham City Council that led to us moving to a new building in Peachy Street just by the Victoria Centre.

“It's been really difficult and we're having to find new grants, rely on corporates and individuals giving donations, and events to help support the charity.

“But we're still always here for young people and we'll do whatever we can for them, fighting for their rights and their right to a safe place in the city.”

The IFS research found that those who lost access to a youth club were 14% more likely to engage in criminal activity in the six years following closure.

The offending rate amongst residents aged 10 to 17 went from 14 per 1,000 to 16 per 1,000.

Base 51’s Programme Manager Jeniesha Dodson said she’s unsurprised by these statistics:

“Young people are not getting access to services such as sexual health services, mental health services, drug and alcohol services because they haven't got access to the youth clubs where they could talk to a trusted adult.

“And also just boredom levels - you've got nothing to do, you're out on the streets.

“Young people have got a lot of energy, and they're going to get into trouble if they've just got nowhere to go and put that energy in a positive way.”

Aswell as the impact on offending, teenagers whose nearest youth club was closed went on to do worse in school.

The study concluded that the impact on educational outcomes was even more severe for pupils entitled to free school meals.

Base 51’s Verity Woods says this is another area where the loss of youth clubs has been felt:

“Youth clubs are inspiring places, you come in, talk to youth workers about your career and your future and get inspired.”

“Some young people don't have that at home, or even at school.”

Her colleague Jeniesha Dodson says that youth services which are still running, such as Base 51, work hard to fill gaps in education:

“We run employability programmes, where young people work with local businesses and banks, do workshops with and build their CVs.

“But without the youth club inspiring those young people it impacts their self-worth.”

Overall, the report argues that the societal costs of increased crime and lost education far outweigh the initial savings from youth club closures.

Despite the funding challenges, some organisations such as Base 51 are still providing important community services for young people in the East Midlands.

Verity Woods says it’s a challenging but highly rewarding process:

“What I'm most proud of is the level of commitment and dedication that everyone here shows towards supporting young people.

“We've got young people that come to come to us as young people, then start as volunteers and are now paid members of staff as well.”

Jeniesha Dodson says that despite the odds, places like Base 51 are still having an impact:

“I’ve seen young people coming into the youth club issues and seen them then grow and flourish into adulthood.

“We still have young people coming back to see us, to thank us to say we've saved their lives.

“I'm still passionate about young people and the work that we do and I hope I've got 30 more years left in me as well!”