Furious protests drown out Birmingham Council cabinet meeting over youth service cuts

Express & Star

Members of Birmingham's Youth Board describe the importance of youth centres and youth workers to the 'youngest city in Europe'

Transcript

00:00 Hello, we're outside Birmingham Central Library with youngsters who use Birmingham Youth Services

00:07 which are about to be cut. Why are you here today?

00:11 We're here to fight for the young people of Birmingham. Today, councillor members who are in the Cabinet Chamber

00:16 have been invited to all the hard work that youth centres can do for the young people of the city.

00:20 So that's why we're here to campaign and fight for the young people.

00:23 What important work do they do?

00:25 Sorry?

00:26 What important work do youth centres do?

00:28 For a lot of young people who are suffering from mental health issues, it's the only hot meal of the day that you get within youth centres.

00:34 It's the only time they can sleep with adjusted adults.

00:36 And if we remove youth centres, that's what we're going to do to make more young people more vulnerable

00:41 and on the streets of Birmingham more supportive.

00:44 What will happen if there are no youth services?

00:47 And you said this is where kids go to eat meals?

00:51 Exactly. When in a cost of living crisis, the restitution levels have increased so much

00:56 that people pass up to death. Young people are struggling, their families are struggling,

01:00 they're crying out for help and councillor members must get their children together for the day.

01:04 And what about youth violence? Do you think it will change that?

01:07 Of course it will. It's an obvious thing.

01:09 Also, if kids are in youth centres, they're going to be on the streets.

01:11 And when they're on the streets, they're more vulnerable.

01:13 So it's a case of youth centres going off, with young people in safe places to go,

01:17 without youth centres involved. I can quite directly imagine what will happen.

01:20 So it's really important that we fight to save youth centres.

01:22 Because they're what they need, big people.

01:24 We've come out of our way during lockdown to fight for it.

01:27 I think it shows quite how much our youth centres mean to us.

01:30 At 9 o'clock in the morning?

01:32 Quite impressive. Quite a group of teenagers.

01:34 And in a serious note, they're going to be holding a minute's silence for Hasan Ali,

01:40 who got stabbed to death just outside the council.

01:44 What's your message to the people who have voted to spend millions of pounds on,

01:50 and look around us, all these lovely, debriefing buildings?

01:54 What about the children who could get killed if these cuts go ahead?

01:58 It's a shame. We should do everything.

02:00 But at the same time, we shouldn't be giving all the nice cities to vote for.

02:03 That's the important thing.

02:05 We want to have a nice city. We want to have a city that we're proud of.

02:07 And we do. But it's important to maintain both of them.

02:10 But, obviously, youth violence isn't just a load of arse.

02:12 The fact that, how can a parent reassure a young person when someone was stabbed in the heart of our city?

02:18 So, it is obviously of concern to us all, but getting rid of youth centres isn't going to help that.

02:23 So, it's important that we fight to save them.

02:25 Which youth centres do you go to?

02:27 The city board.

02:29 You see the board?

02:31 They call it Longbridge.

02:32 Oh, the factory, which is Longbridge? Is that right?

02:34 Yes.

02:35 Is there any chance any of you could stand for council?

02:38 Well, some of us are 18 now. We're in our 18s, quite possibly.

02:42 But we'll see about that.

02:44 And just a word to all the youth workers whose jobs are on the line.

02:49 How hard do you think it is for them to keep on going, knowing that they're going to lose their jobs?

02:53 It's very hard. I've seen youth workers quite vice versa.

02:57 They're losing their jobs, but they're also losing the job they love,

03:00 that they've had for two to three decades, and that's another thing that's happening.

03:03 Youth workers in their 30s are losing their jobs. They're losing their livelihoods.

03:07 And the relationship that young people have with youth workers is unlike anything else.

03:12 It's something between a teacher and a parent. It's irreplaceable.

03:16 And if I were to lose, for example, an art and art youth worker, Juliette, I don't know what I'd do.

03:21 And she is amazing.

03:22 Because it's voluntary, isn't it? It's unlike going into school, which you're forced to go into.

03:26 Exactly.

03:27 Children go to youth centres because they want to and need to, maybe.

03:33 OK, one last question. What else are you going to do to keep these centres open?

03:42 I think we're going to do everything we can to prove that our board in particular is worth its money.

03:46 And we're doing that. The opportunities and the places that we're all going to, we're going to go far.

03:52 And I think that just shows everything.

03:54 And what are your names?

03:56 My name's Vishika.

03:57 My name's Marcus.

03:58 My name's Siobhan.

03:59 I'm Melanie.

04:00 And I'm Ivan.

04:01 Keep on doing what you're doing.

04:03 Thank you.

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