News

Sea Cadets are disappointed to hear today that the campaign we, alongside other youth groups, supported to release £500 million from the Youth Investment Fund was not in the national spending review. While there was a welcome announcement earlier in the day of £16.5 million being released from the fund, we know, at least £500 million, is needed to help the youth sector respond to the needs of young people in this difficult time.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the wider Back Youth Alliance campaign with us.

You can still help by writing a message to your MP, or re-sharing this blog post to raise awareness for youth group funding.  This is also a great time for local youth groups and units to reach out either to their MP or their local council. One of the really key highlights of the spending review was about giving local communities, more say in how they respond to their local problems, and how to make the biggest difference to people’s lives. Now is a fantastic time for groups who are already respected in their communities to make the case for what a great experience Sea Cadets can be for young people.

Looking forward, Sea Cadets are calling for local youth groups to be recognised as a key part of the essential work that is going to be needed over the next few years to help the nation recover from the pandemic.

The spending review recognised the importance of providing more funding to schools and colleges to help young people get the skills they need. However, we think this ignores the very important role of uniformed youth groups like Sea Cadets. We provide training and a path to further education for young people with skills that you just can’t get in a school.

Sea Cadets exists in 400 communities across the UK. Young people most impacted by this will be from disadvantaged backgrounds, where Sea Cadets works to unlock these young people’s potential with access to the knowledge skills and qualifications they need to progress in life.

The Chancellor said we need to work to create communities that are healthier and happier, that show courage wisdom and kindness. Sea Cadets couldn’t agree more, but when looking at how to empower communities and families to achieve this, it is our 9,000 volunteers, who work on the ground to change the lives of young people. To achieve this vision it’s essential that youth work is properly recognised and supported during this pandemic, and we feel this has been sadly forgotten.

The next few months are going to be really challenging for young people, and without releasing new funds we know youth groups will have to spend their time focussing on keeping the lights on when they could and should be doing more work on the ground. At Sea Cadets we will continue to work with the Back Youth Alliance to make sure young people get the support they need during the pandemic, and in the years following it to repair the scars it leaves behind.

We invite you to join Sea Cadets in backing the Back Youth Alliance and write a letter to your MP to appeal for the essential funds that young people need right now.

Sea Cadets has joined leaders across the youth, education and corporate sectors to come together with celebrity backers and young people to demand that the government urgently invests in youth services. In an open letter to The Times, more than 100 senior figures and celebrities - including Caitlin Moran, Bear Gryls, Kathy Burke and Michael Sheen - have voiced their concern that youth services are being starved of funding at the very time when investment in young people has never been needed more. 

The youth sector gives critical support, providing a lifeline for many vulnerable young people, particularly those living in areas of deprivation. A youth worker can listen when no-one else will, a youth centre offers a safe escape, and youth clubs and uniformed youth groups develop skills that can improve life chances. Youth services around the country have also offered young people a route to volunteer during the crisis, and will continue to support them to take action and make a difference in their communities. Investing in young people will help us all tackle the unprecedented set of societal challenges that we currently face.  

Yet at a time when young people most need this support, the youth sector is facing an unprecedented funding crisis. Covid-19 restrictions have hit income streams and reduced the number of adults who can volunteer. Hundreds of jobs have been cut. This blow to the sector comes on top of almost £1 billion of funding cuts to youth services in England and Wales since 2011, forcing more than 1,000 children centres and 760 youth centres to close. As a result, spending has skyrocketed on ‘late interventions’ - such as sending children and young people into care. 

We welcomed the Government’s £500 million Youth Investment Fund announced over a year ago. However this- manifesto commitment has still not materialised. Many organisations were relying on this funding to invest in vital services to meet the increased needs of young people. Yet these same services are now on the brink of collapse: 2 in 3 will not be able to meet costs in four months time. Current Government funding commitments - whilst welcome - are unfortunately nowhere near enough. Together with young people we are therefore calling for:

• All existing financial commitments for young people to be honoured - including the £500 million Youth Investment Fund 
• An immediate release of funding for the youth sector to ensure vital support reaches  young people at this crucial time
• A targeted, cross-sector recovery strategy for and with children and young people, informed by an inquiry into the impact of Covid-19

You can find the full letter on The Times website here.

Sea Cadets are delighted to have signed up to the Power of Youth Charter organised by the #Iwillcampaign. The campaign shows our commitment to co-production, partnering with others, and better evaluation so we can offer our young people the future they want. 

We believe that young people should have the power to shape and address the issues that affect their lives and the future of our country. However, we know that for too many young people's voices aren’t heard, particularly those from less wealthy backgrounds, and their power to make a positive difference isn’t recognised. This is where the campaign comes in. 

Learn more, visit: www.iwill.org.uk

We’re honoured to commemorate Trafalgar Day this year despite current restrictions. Captain Philip Russell RN, First Sea Lord Cadet Sergeant Laurelle (Waltham Forest SC) Leading Cadet Shaun (Greenwhich, Deptford and Rotherthithe SC) and Leading Cadet Callum (Folkestone SC) attended Trafalgar Square in a ceremony scaled back from the usual for the laying of the wreaths and salute to Admiral Lord Nelson.

Trafalgar Day is an important event in the Sea Cadet calendar to come together socially and demonstrate our values. Although we could not meet physically this year, cadets across the UK joined in national virtual salute.

Watch the ceremony and the national salutes on youtube by clicking here. 

Two cadets and Sea Cadets volunteers have been recognised for their outstanding service in this year's Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

They are to receive national awards for their part in supporting their communities and workplaces during a difficult 2020, four of them for actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many continue to play a vital role in keeping essential services running as key workers during the pandemic, such as within the NHS and other public services. Each has helped Sea Cadets adapt, innovate and emerge through these troubled times with resilience, often using new technology to ensure our cadets remain engaged.

Cadet Challenger BEM                                  
For voluntary service in support of young people, maintaining morale and cohesion of North West Area Sea Cadets. He is the first known example of one of our beneficiaries, a cadet being honoured by a national award

Suzanne Sweeney OBE                                
For services to Neo-natal provision in the NHS and to youth services provision through Sea Cadets

Gareth Davies MBE                                         
For services to young people and the local community through Sea Cadets

Nicole Geraghty MBE                                    
For services to essential engineering with Southern Water and voluntary service with the Sea Cadet Youth Development Charity during COVID-19

Liz Stephens MBE                                         
For Services to Sea Cadets in the North West of England

Oliver Chambers MBE                                    
For voluntary service to young people and the community in Birmingham
                               
Michelle Welsh MBE                                      
For services to Sea Cadets

Toni Salmon BEM

For services to the community.

As Commanding Office at Forest of Dean Sea Cadets, she has led virtual activity and made regular weekly calls to cadets’ families to check on their welfare. Toni also works as a food delivery worker working up to 60 hours, across seven days a week.

Gemma Lewis BEM

For services to the NHS and to the community through Sea Cadets

Nurse at Royal Gwent Hospital in front line against Covid-19 as well as being Commanding Officer at Newport Sea Cadets, leading Zoom sessions straight after 12 hour shifts.

Cadet Hayward

For voluntary service in the community in the county of Essex.

2nd cadet working hard with Brentwood’s Covid-19 Mutual Aid group and the Royal Naval Association, making hot meals and delivering them to those in need. When she joined Brentwood Sea Cadets four years ago,  she suffered from agoraphobia and refused to leave the house, in the wake of cyber and physical bullying.

Sea Cadets is a growing uniformed youth charity, with 15,000 cadets spread over 400 locations across the UK.   9000 volunteers deliver a stimulating programme for young people from a variety of different backgrounds ages 9 to 18, helping to shape the lives of young people by helping them develop essential life skills whilst engaging in enjoyable activities many with a nautical theme.

Captain Phil Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadets, said, “It is incredibly gratifying for a charity our size to see so many recognised in such numbers, clearly demonstrating the commitment and dedication of our amazing volunteers whose passion and commitment to their local communities has been unwavering during this pandemic."

"On behalf of the entire Marine Society and Sea Cadets Charity I send hearty congratulations to all seven recipients. Recognising that many more of our 9,000 volunteers and 15,000 cadets are equally dedicated to supporting their communities,  they are great exemplars of the unique Sea Cadets values and ethos which have helped make a difference to so many young lives.”