In a new £10 million scheme, “uniformed” youth clubs will be set up in 400 urban areas

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....couts-and-guides.html

It's got to be start, but will this type of thing provide the answer?

The report states that scouting etc are mainly 'middle class activities.

/// Andrew Stunell, the communities minister who has identified 11 areas that would benefit from the clubs, said: “If you go into middle-class areas you find middle-class scout groups and other uniformed youth clubs, but if you go to Tottenham they are much thinner on the ground. ///

As far as I know Scouting groups have been set up for years in all towns, villages and cities areas, and have received no government funding, they have been run on a voluntary basis on voluntary funds.

[albaqwerty]

so 10 million of UK tax payers money goes towards certain areas?
Waste of time, effort and money unless they plant on enforcing them to attend and threaten to cut the parent's benefits for not attending.

[sp1814]

It's an[i answer, rather than [i]the] answer.

If we take as fact, that there are fewer scouts/brownies/cub scout associations in poorer areas, then Government spending money on establishing these groups is a good thing.

Better to spend money guiding kids in a positive direction, rather than using the public purse to process them through the judicial system at a future date if they go down the wrong path.

[albaqwerty]

So Scouts or Guides never end up going through the justice system then SP?

[Mick-Talbot]

Ooooh, looking at that link I noticed Mo has another double.


I cannot imagine that the kids from the areas they are targeting will even want to join the scouts.

[TheNovice]

Albaqwerty - I think you'll find the quite a few areas are to benefit, the most needy ones. And why not try it? Can't keep criticising every attempt made. And £10 million in the scheme of things is no great amount. If you can enage youngsters you have a chance. Worth a go me thinks.

[sp1814]

albaquerty

Undoubtably - but setting up schemes for kids to get involved in, rather than just hanging around sounds like a good thing to me. I can't see any real downside.

[argorstran]

I welcome it - it's a good idea and £10m will not make a huge dent in the public purse .

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

Can you honestly say 'hand on heart' that some will give up their gang membership, hand in their guns and knives and put on a scout uniform, let alone a police cadet one?

[Jordyboy9]

i agree with mick-talbot,and albaqwerty,waste of time effort and money.

[anotheoldgit]

I remember when I was in the Scouts a six foot ash pole, a sheath knife and a small axe were standard equipment.

Imagine what uses these would be put to in some of today's urban areas?

And who says things are no worse today?

[sp1814]

It's saddening to think that some think this would be a waste of money - as if kid from deprived areas should just be written off...

[Mick-Talbot]

sp
I have a 14 year old. I have never heard him swear, he is not cheeky at all, has no interest in gangs, cheap lager or knives.

But if I told him I was taking him to join the scouts he would probably tell me to flump off. My 9 year old would most likely say the same and I wouldn't blame him.

I don't begrudge the scouts any money but I think this 10 million is more likely to get shared out between existing scout groups, who from my experience are always on the Want.

[emmie]

if they stop shutting the clubs that were already being run by youth workers, football coaches, then we wouldn't need to be doing this.
Scouts, army cadets, guides, all have their own groups, so that is not needed. but keeping an army of young, seemingly disaffected youths off the streets, out of gangs is a never ending battle, and the government could make a start by not closing anything that is useful for for them

[emmie]

some may agree of disagree about boxing as a sport, but boxing clubs have been a traditional way of getting young lads off the street, doing exercise and learning discipline, in often undisciplined lives. The latest recruit was a young lad who was going off the rails in spectacular fashion, but boxing was the making of him, heading a first class team of boxers at the Olympic Games.

[sp1814]

AOG

The point of this scheme is to encourage volunteers to form youth groups, and yes - kids can and do change their lives around. Let me out the question back to you - does every kid who was ever in a gang spend the rest of their lives as criminals?

I would be surprised if that were the case.

M-T...isn't the point of the exercise to create new groups, not just simply fund existing ones? Also, with reference to your post - there's a big difference between not wanting to join the scouts and not having the opportunity to join the scouts.

[Mick-Talbot]

I am going to assume you have not got any kids , sp ?


M-T...isn't the point of the exercise to create new groups, not just simply fund existing ones?

Yes but like I said it will more likely than not go to the existing groups.

[eyethenkyew]

Words like "deprived" and "disadvantaged" have been used to describe these youths. Why are such adjectives used in the first place, and who exactly are they referring to? The Press are clearly far too lily livered to admit the truth of it, so let me chuck in a hand grenade.

The facts are that they are primarily referring to young blacks, so why beat around the bush? These hairbrained schemes are a way of throwing money at inner city gangs, most of whom comprise black kids, to try to appease them, their 'anger', their 'frustrations', their perceived 'alienation' and so forth.

Unfortunately it will probably result in total failure at a monumental cost to the taxpayer. The gangs will totally ignore such 'goody two shoe' activities because it would be completely 'uncool' for them to be seen to conform to what most of us call normality.

Another waste of time and money. No doubt the do gooders on here will lambast my cynicism and 'defeatist attitude', but I prefer realism - not fantasy cloud cuckoo land.

[sp1814]

M-T

Are you saying that because your kids have no interest in joining a scout group, that NO kids are interested in joining a scout group???

Seriously?

ETY - alternatively, there will be a number of kids who will want to join the scouts from an early age (black, white, Asian etc), who would love to join the scouts, or some other youth group. Remember, seven year olds aren't generally in gangs yet. This would be a great age to get them involved in a formalised youth club.

There are kids who could turn one way or the other, and this outlet would provide that in the same way that some kids take up a sport.

I don't see any difference between funding youth groups and funding council run sports centres.

Would you close those down?

[emmie]

sp, get on to your local council and tell them, as everyone should to all councils, stop shutting these much needed facilities down. That is what they have been doing, and not just here in London. Cost cutting they say, what the hell do they do with the money that is generated i wonder, from rent, council tax, penalty fines and anyway they can screw the people. Pay fat cats in council to push pens around, instead of keeping the facilities going. Some of these kids are not bad, they just need some direction

[sp1814]

em10

I'm lucky enough to have a local council that seems to prioritise amenities for kids, but then we don't live in what could be described as a 'deprived' area. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment that some kids need direction, rather than being inherently bad. An inspirational teacher, youth worker, scout or brownie leader can make a world of difference.