Brexit was always going to be a disaster for so many, but as is usually the way, it’s young people who felt the biggest impact. The rejoining of Erasmus is a meaningful win, next we need the right for under 25s to live and work in the EU. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

The world’s greediest person.

How dare we include asylum seekers in the conversation about asylum seekers 🙄

Can we call them the 10 greediest people in the world please!?

✅ Vote! Vote! Vote! ✅ So much hard work was put into the curation of our new film, so it feels so rewarding to be shortlisted for the Smiley Charity Film Awards. Please vote and share with your networks! Vote here‼️- smileycharityfilmawards.com/films/about-...

SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten. "I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA

Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?

A million young people aren’t in a job or training. Britain has a problem | Richard Partington

We can finally share our new film, kindly funded by helpfilm and beautifully curated by Orlando Del Maestro. Check it out below: www.youtube.com/watch?si=jsX...

The big day is finally here! 👏

So it’s ok for these numpties to migrate to another country because of political differences, but not for others to migrate to another country to flee war, persecution, environmental disaster or severe economic hardship.

"Trump has ordered a crackdown on Antifa, as if Antifa were an actual organisation with a head, phone number, or a committee. "MAGA is associating people who protest with a radicalised terrorist network that they have created in their own imagination" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/maga...

British.

For those who don’t work in youth work, it’s hard to describe how bleak it is out there. We just pulled the rug on a generation of young people and are now shrugging our shoulders and hoping social media is the cause of all ills because then it feels less of our fault

"More than half of the young people involved said they would like to reduce screen time, but 46% felt “unable” to. And then came the kicker: “93% of young people who have attended a youth centre say it has made a positive difference to their lives.”"

This. Is. Brilliant.

Wednesday, before Yom Kippur came in, I took three friends from my local Jewish community around the Houses of Parliament. /

The wait is finally over. For the past 6 months we’ve been working hard behind the scenes on an exciting and important change, and we are now very proud to let you know that from November this year, Spark! will become Youth Careers Collective.

“Let’s call it for what it is: bullshit. The truth is, politicians have talked about little else but immigration for decades and in the most dehumanising ways. Polanski added: “Stop the boats’ is all we hear. Well, today I'm saying ‘stop the bullshit’.” www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

1243 youth centres have closed since 2010. 42 percent of local authorities have no council-run youth centres in their area. I wonder why so many young people feel disconnected. (From harpercollins.co.uk/products/how...)

'Farage's core claim is that he somehow speaks for the British people, that his views reflect the “commonsense” views of the silent majority. It’s not true. On issue after issue, including those that define him, he is out of step with most Britons.' Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

There is no organisation called Antifa, at best it’s a loose affiliation of activists, with some vague common values and goals, i.e. being anti-fascist. What this made up classification as a terrorist organisation means is, they can lock up/disappear whoever they want by just calling them #Antifa.

Our CEO, @mattlent.bsky.social and our Head of Impact, Jay St.John Levy, were pleased to be at the launch of the #YouthCensus2025 this afternoon, hosted by Youth Employment UK. An important annual census into the experience of young people across the country.

We all need to be having these conversations.

"I’ve grown increasingly frustrated making the case for why investment in communities – and building trust within them – is essential to solving political, social, environmental and economic challenges" @helengou.bsky.social @theyoungfdn.bsky.social

Congratulations @damedianajohnson.bsky.social for being appointed to Minister of State at the Department Work and Pensions. The whole team @sparkcharity.bsky.social look forward to working with you to constructively address the youth unemployment crisis.

I’ve always been astounded by the apparent randomness of reshuffles and cabinet appointment. MPs confidently taking on hugely complex remits with massive multi-disciplinary teams, and no relevant experience or subject expertise. I mean Liz Kendall studied History,

EVENT📢| Supporting Young People Away from Violence Hear from the #PeerActionCollective as they share key research insights on how to address the root causes of violence affecting young people today. 📅 Wed 24 Sept | 4:15–5:30pm 👉 Register: bit.ly/47SGO0y

Gov. Pritzker: “It's wrong to deploy the National Guard and active duty Marines into an American city over the objection of local law enforcement, just to inflame a situation and create a crisis.”

🧵 One of the biggest myths in education since I started teaching in 2010 is this: The knowledge-rich curriculum The myth is that knowing more will improve the quality of children's lives. It's built on the lie that knowledge = grades = good job = happiness. It's a lie.

Lots of agreement on BlueSky on this, but I just can’t. There are clearly common work skills we all need, no matter our profession. School should help develop communication, team work, leadership, project planning, time keeping & basic work readiness, inc. emailing, interview skills, presenting, etc

Good to be at the launch of this important report from @impetus.org.uk. ‘Compound disadvantage’ is an interesting phrase, referring to the stacking up of different challenges young people face in transitioning into work.

Are Muslims really banning dogs in parks? 🤔 Let’s look at this perfect example of how rage baiting works, and how disinformation spreads, sticks, and fuels division, even years after being debunked… 🧵1/22 (1/1)

These figures are very sobering. The starkest ones are £119k pa for each young people in a YOI & 34% of 10-17 year olds reoffending. Just imagine if we took even half of that money & invested it in the young people’s training, support & employment. We’d save £££s AND massively reduce re-offending.

What better way to start your weekend than listening to me talk about youth unemployment (half a million young people not in education, employment or training say they’ve never had a paid job) - tune in at 11.15 on Radio Five Live. learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

Our recent blog explores three reasons why policy and research are central to our mission: 1️⃣ Gives voice to lived experience 2️⃣ Directs our resources effectively 3️⃣ Drives systemic change 🔗 Read in full: www.impetus.org.uk/news-and-vie...

We've wrapped up another incredible year of the Heathrow STEM Generation Programme!

Yes, nearly a million unemployed young people is a disaster for them & for the economy. Making services more relevant & accessible is vital, but it also needs to be much easier for employers to provide quality work experience, skills development & ultimately entry level jobs for those most at risk.

How do you best get young people who’ve missed out on that first job into a workplace where they can learn what it is to be part of a team and to really have that sense of achievement? The pandemic generation deserves a chance. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

🧵A problem with current EDI debates is they lump together eg university outreach work to attract kids from working class backgrounds, which I suspect even most Musk loving DOGEite supports, with saying LEGO bricks are bad because they reinforce gender norms, which is nonsense

🚨 Youth services have been cut by over £1 billion since 2010. New figures from YMCA reveal that local authority spending on youth services in England has dropped by 73% since 2010-11—a real-term cut of £1.2 billion. In Wales, funding has fallen by 27% (£16.6m). 🧵👇

Debra Alcock Tyler isn’t pulling her punches www.thirdsector.co.uk/debra-allcoc...

🌟 Are you 18-24 and based in London? 🌟 Want to make a real impact in your community? Dreaming of a career in the charity sector, education or community work? We’re recruiting for Spark! Youth Voice 📅 Apply by 1st March 2025 – don’t miss this chance to grow, connect and make a difference

Public services need radical reform! The King's Fund and 22 other organisations are backing a call for a shift away from ‘doing to’ people and communities and towards ‘doing with’. Join our event in March to share ideas on how to make this change happen. https://buff.ly/3WsBOJD

The latest ONS Labour market data revealed today that yet again unemployment for 16-24-year-olds has risen, by 0.6% to 14.5%, compared with 4.4% unemployment across all ages.

Tony Slattery being a Grumpy Old Man for 6 straight minutes. #RIPTonySlattery youtu.be/PXzesAsuhgk

The Countdown to The Spark! Awards 2025 Has Begun! 🎉 We are so excited to share that tickets are booking up fast - secure yours today so you don’t miss out! 📅 Date: 27th February 2025 📍 Location: Clayton Hotel Chiswick

Not for the first time, the Leader of the Opposition was wrong. Please read the statement from the APPG on British Muslims below. #PMQs

I’m appalled by the online comments directed at @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social Jess has dedicated her life to eradicating violence against women and girls, and her leadership over many years on this has been so important I know I and many others stand in solidarity with her tonight