Rising expenses, fewer informal gathering spots and limited artistic access are leaving young people feeling disconnected, isolated and excluded from creative activities, according to a study commissioned by a youth arts charity. The Roundhouse, a north London venue reopened in 2006 to run youth programmes, published the results alongside its 20-year impact report on Monday. The survey showed 87% of 18- to 30-year-olds think they have fewer chances than earlier generations to meet others in person, gain confidence and pursue creativity outside school or work. Just over half cited a shortage of safe community spaces such as youth clubs as a key obstacle to building social ties. The Roundhouse noted that young people are losing places that foster confidence, relationships and skills for employment, pointing to a £1.2bn real-terms reduction in youth service spending by English councils since 2010. It also highlighted London’s youth unemployment rate of 24.6%, above the national 14.6%. Writer Jack Rooke said many supportive venues from the start of his career have closed. Recent attention to young people not in education, employment or training followed a government-commissioned report by Alan Milburn, which linked structural problems, poor health and inequality to more than a million young people out of work or study in the first quarter. Rooke added that the crisis involves not only jobs but also isolation, low self-esteem and loneliness, and called for more physical spaces for wellbeing alongside employment support. Other former participants credited the Roundhouse with aiding over 100,000 young people in two decades. The research found one in eight respondents viewed creative opportunities as inaccessible due to class or background. Rooke warned that cutting community arts spaces risks making British culture uniform and urged schools to maintain arts subjects. He credited several organisations with supporting his early work and stressed that creativity should not become a privilege. The Roundhouse and the Centre for Young Lives have launched the Young Creatives Commission to advise on the national youth strategy, with a report due in December. Chief executive Marcus Davey said opportunities for belonging, confidence and creativity are often limited by cost, location and access, and no young person should be excluded as the creative sector grows.
