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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.

Check out cadet Oliver from Burton Sea Cadets who has climbed 4163m (half way!) in the virtual Everest challenge so far.

"Hi, I’m Oliver from Burton Sea Cadets. I joined this challenge as I was looking for something to do during lockdown to keep active and thought this is a great way to raise money for the unit and Sea Cadets. I love climbing and one day I hope to climb Mount Everest itself.” 

We have no doubt one day Oliver's Everest ambitions will become reality one day with how well he's taken on the challenge so far! 

You can still join team Sea Cadets and start the Everest challenge. You’ll have 3 months from signing up to reach the peak. Sign up at: https://www.sea-cadets.org/get-started/everest

Oliver has raised £180 so far, support his journey to the summit on JustGiving here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lindsay-flint

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

Armistice Day commemorates the official end of World War One and all those who have and continue to sacrifice for their country.

Sea Cadets are honoured to salute and join in national services, be that remotely this year.

Cadet Callum from Kent had the honour of being the Bugler on the Cenotaph this Sunday.

Join us at 11am for a 2 minutes silence. We will remember them.

Thank you to everyone who remembered at home in their own way, saluting on their doorsteps or their living room.

Here are some of many of the Cadet salutes across the UK:

Orpington Sea Cadets:

Ruislip Sea Cadets:

Staines and Egham Sea Cadets:

Cheshunt Sea Cadets:

Clapton Sea Cadets: