Day 2 - NEET Solutions

A recent report from the ONS suggests that the number of 16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) has reached the highest level since 2014, with nearly 1 million falling into this category. This represents around 13%, or approximately 1 in 7, of young people in that age group and is a rise of 110,000 people over the previous year.

The reasons behind such a statistic are numerous including poor mental health, lasting effects from going through education during the Covid-19 pandemic, not being able to secure a job due to lack of experience and low expectations of what the future might hold.

Those of us for whom the expectation was to be in education, leave and get a job may struggle to understand or empathise with such truths but we have to acknowledge that the world is a different place to what has gone before. Where can young people in these circumstances find help and support? Who can help them realise that there is hope for the future and a better path that they can walk? How can we funnel their energies and expectations into something more positive and that will benefit wider society in the long run?

Could churches have a part to play in this somehow? We know that churches in the 19th century brought free educational opportunities to those who could not afford the school fees at the time through the Sunday School movement. Perhaps there is a chance for churches to step up in the 21st century and see what we can do to help these NEET youngsters. Can we be part of a solution that offers disaffected young people different experiences of the world around them and more importantly, perhaps, hope for their future?

Galatians 6:9-10 tells us:

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone.”

Let’s offer our prayers to God for these young people, that they might find hope and encouragement for their futures, and for ourselves as church, that through this we can see where he might want us to offer help and goodness to others.

Catherine Booton