A campaign to reinstate youth services in the UK
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YMCA
This is Not a Safe Space
Campaigns for youth services often make their case by sharing the experiences of previous generations, who benefited from youth centres and workers. This approach fails to acknowledge that young people have a right to services which they value in the here and now. Our campaign dramatises the impacts of youth funding cuts by showing young people having to live in unsafe spaces.
Problem
Spending on youth services in England and Wales decreased by 70% during the last decade — meaning thousands of youth work jobs and hundreds of youth centres have disappeared. YMCA asked us to create a major integrated campaign to highlight these devastating cuts, putting pressure on the government to restore youth services funding back to 2010 levels.
Solution
Our campaign dramatises the bleak scenarios young people can now find themselves in due to the lack of youth funding. The scenes were shot in gritty locations with low light to emphasise danger and isolation. The resulting visuals are paired with provocative, straight-talking headlines that point out the lack of safe spaces, friendships and mentors – due to the massive cuts to youth services over the last 10 years.
Impact
So far, there have been over 30,000 petition signatures.
