Sam Kennedy: Plight of children suffering from a poverty of aspiration

Too many are living without the basic essentials that many of us take for granted – clean clothes, a bed of their own and books to read at bedtime.

At The Prince’s Trust, we meet these young people every day. Many have watched their families struggling to make ends meet, which can have a devastating impact on their self esteem and aspirations for the future.

Worryingly, a new report by The Prince’s Trust and RBS reveals that thousands of young people from Yorkshire’s poorest families believe they will achieve “few” or “none” of their goals in life.

The research suggests that there is nothing short of an aspiration chasm between the region’s richest and poorest young people, with those from deprived homes feeling that it will be impossible for them to achieve their goals.

Thousands believe they are resigned to failure, feeling trapped in a hopeless cycle of disadvantage. To some, it seems inconceivable that they could ever build a life that will offer their own children a better start.

In Yorkshire, more than one in five young people (23 per cent) believe that “few” or “none” of their career goals are achievable.

Tragically, more than one in six (17 per cent) feel that “people like them don’t succeed in life”. Young people growing up in poverty are significantly more likely to feel this way, with many believing they will never buy their own house or even find a job in the future.

We simply cannot ignore this inequality.

If we fail to support our most disadvantaged young people now, Yorkshire could end up with a youth underclass, who tragically feel that they have no future.

Worse still, we will store up big problems for the future. It is not uncommon for feelings of hopelessness to be passed down from generation to generation, permeating throughout our region’s most deprived communities.

We cannot afford to waste this potential at a time when Yorkshire needs as much fresh talent as possible to rebuild the economy and help it to grow in the future.

I believe it is possible to help these vulnerable young people to turn their lives around.

I have met young people from Yorkshire who, as children, have very little hope for their future. One young man was living on a deprived estate in Huddersfield when I first met him – and his family barely had enough money to put food on the table. Tragically, he ended up turning to a life of crime as he was so desperate to make money to support his family.

With support from The Trust, this young lad now has fresh hope for the future. As well as becoming an active volunteer in his community, he is now planning to set up his own business.

Every year in Yorkshire, The Trust works with 3,500 disadvantaged young people like this, who need someone to give them a second chance.

We help those who have struggled at school, been in trouble with the law, are long-term unemployed and those who are in, or leaving, the care system. Many will go on to achieve things they never thought possible, with more than three in four moving into work, education or training.

Prince’s Trust schemes – like the new National Citizen Service (NCS) course running in Yorkshire this summer – help young people to boost their confidence and motivation, all while making a positive impact in their communities.

Crucially, they also help to break the perpetual cycles of poverty across the region.

But The Prince’s Trust cannot support these young people alone.

Only by working together with the public and private sectors can we raise the aspirations of these disadvantaged young people, transforming their lives and the lives of their families for good.

By helping these young people today, we are breaking the cycle of poverty tomorrow.

Sam Kennedy is regional director of The Prince’s Trust.