‘Hope and relief’ as seaside town’s last youth centre saved | Young people
The last remaining youth center in one of England’s most deprived coastal areas has been saved from sale after a long campaign by the charity which called it home for 13 years.
In November, the Guardian revealed that the center at Ramsgate, on the Kent coast, was at risk of being auctioned off by Kent County Council, despite an independent report estimating that the center was saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs, including for mental health, youth justice and social care services.
Pie Factory Music, the charity based at the youth centre, has provided a social space for young people aged 8 to 25 for many years, but also offers services such as advice, employment advice, life skills sessions, support for young refugees and creative and music projects.
After a campaign launched in September 2024, Pie Music Factory was able to buy back the freehold of the Ramsgate youth center. This is partly due to a £535,000 grant from Labor’s Pride in Place strategy, which aims to invest significantly in disadvantaged communities across the country.
“Knowing that our future in construction is secure fills us with hope and relief,” said Zoë Carassik, executive director of Pie. “We are deeply grateful to the Pride in Place program and everyone who has helped us. »
However, she said the government’s national strategy, Youth Matters, announced late last year, needed to be backed by real investment and “not just words” to prevent this happening elsewhere.
“We should never have had to campaign to save Ramsgate Youth Center – the last dedicated youth center in the area – in the first place,” she said. “This must not happen again.
“Youth services should not rely solely on charities like ours. That’s why we are urging local MPs and the Communities Minister to go further in strengthening statutory protections for youth services and review the legal duty of councils to provide youth services,” she said.
A report published last year by the YMCA found a 73% drop in funding for youth services in England and a 6% year-on-year fall in Wales between 2010 and 2024. In August, the Labor Party announced it would invest £88 million in youth clubs and after-school activities.
The Guardian visited Ramsgate as part of its series Against the tide, which explores the reality behind research showing that young people in deprived coastal areas are three times more likely to live with an undiagnosed mental health problem than their peers living in equivalent inland locations. Another report from University College London reveals that the lack of services and spaces for young people is a significant problem in coastal towns.
Brian Horton, interim chairman of the Ramsgate Neighborhood Board, who signed the grant to Pie, said: “The board is making a clear statement: we are committed to providing safe and positive spaces for the next generations to thrive. »
