Thanet Youth Strategy

Introduction

The young people that live in Thanet are its future.  We recognise the need to give them opportunities to participate in their community and enable them to aspire to achieve in the future.  Engage are committed to working together to achieve this aim and to share best practice and information in order to provide the best services that we can to our young people.

"We want all young people to be self-confident, motivated and equipped with the skills they need to succeed in life.  We want society to value young people for their achievements and contribution they make to the community."

In order for us to reach this goal, the needs of each child and young person must be met through the services we provide as partners.  As Maslow's Hierarchy of Need (1943) theory demonstrates, if the basic needs of the youths in Thanet are not met, how can they aspire to achieve now or in the future.  Elements such as poverty, weak family structure and lack of personal boundaries are often associated with low levels of well-being in children.  As a starting point, basic needs must be met to enable young people to achieve the potential that they hold.

The profile of the respondents in the Thanet Youth Consultation 2010 were:

• The majority were aged between 13 and 14 years old (46%).
• Most lived in the Margate Central and Cliftonville West areas (51.2%).  Only 4.6% lived in Birchington or Westgate-on-Sea.
• 84.4% were at school.

Summary of key findings

Thanet as a place to live:

• 66.6% were very or quite satisfied with Thanet as a place to live.
• The thing they liked most about where they lived were the beaches (27.49%).
• The things they liked least about where they lived where the people (21.4%) and that there was not enough for them to do (14.2%).

Activities:

• 53.27% enjoyed sports activities in their spare time ranging from football to motorcross.  24.37% enjoy spending time with their friends.
• The top three sports they would like to do more of in Thanet are football (26.6%), swimming (10.96%) and dance (9.86%).
• 52.9% take part in youth events and activities provided for them in the area; the majority were sports events (36.1%) and youth clubs (20.4%).
• The main reason for them not attending organised youth events and activities was because their friends did not attend.
• 85.6% were interested in volunteering for a local charity or community group, helping at local events or would like to be more involved in their community in general.

Communication:

• They would prefer to be notified of activities and events via social media such as Facebook, My Space and Bebo (54.6%).  Receiving information via school or by posters in public places was also popular at 23.6% and 23.4% respectively.
• The majority of young people had received information and guidance on their option choices and future education from their school/college/parents/carers or relatives (31.1%).

Safety:

• 85.7% felt very/quite safe outside during the day; with 47.9% stating they felt not that safe/not safe at all after dark.
• 48.1% stated that people, ranging from "chavs" to "gangs" made them feel unsafe when they are out.
• The main worries of those surveyed were crime (44%), drugs (43.6%), bullying (38.2%) and alcohol (27.0%).

Aspirations and the Future:

• A third of respondents aspired to leave Thanet, less than this thought they would actually do so.
• The top five aspirations were:

     Earn lots of money                         61.6%

     Own my own car                           49.2%

     Get married                                   46.3%

     Own my own home                        45.6%

     Have children/Get a job                   43.8%

• Of these aspirations, the top five responses of what they expect to achieve:

     Own my own car                          49.0%

     Own my own home/get a job         46.1%

     Go to university or college              36.7%

     Have children                                30.3%

     Get married                                  29.0%

• The majority of respondents believed that money or financial difficulties would stop them from achieving their aspirations.

Download the full Thanet Youth Strategy 2011/15 or contact Sarah Phippin, Community Development Officer on 01843 577092 or sarah.phippin@thanet.gov.uk

Sarah Phippin

Community Development Officer - Reducing Inequalities and Child Protection

Email: sarah.phippin@thanet.gov.uk

Tel:  01843 577092