A Bigger Role For Communities In Inspiring Young People

Young people will get extra encouragement to unlock their talents as part of a £10m Inspiring Communities initiative, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced today.

The Government's New Opportunities White Paper argued that social mobility has improved in recent years. Some 600,000 youngsters have been lifted out of poverty in the last decade.

The proportion of young people from lower income families going to university has gone up.

However, the White Paper also recognised that in some deprived areas, young people are less likely to aim high.

They do not always make the link between doing well in education and doing well in life. Low self esteem, low aspirations and limited horizons can act as barriers to success.

What happens in schools is crucial to addressing underachievement, but a child's sense of what they can achieve is influenced by factors beyond the school gate. Lack of inspiration or support from friends, families or peers can all play a part.

Inspiring Communities is about investing in locally conceived, locally delivered projects that will get whole communities standing behind the talented young people in their midst and make sure that communities play a bigger part in fostering and investing in that talent.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said: "Sometimes a young person can't get the breaks they deserve or don't have a sense of what's out there for them because the people around them fail to see their potential.

"We need to turn this around.

"The communities where young people live should not hold them back; they should be the source of inspiration and practical support that will help them to achieve. This programme is about getting all the people in communities who want the very best for their children and for their area to work together to make the difference."

Inspiring Communities is a joint initiative from the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Cabinet Office.

"It has also secured support right across government, with a further 11 government departments committed to encouraging ambitious and creative work locally.

(JM/BMcC)