Crime, Nothing to Do, No Opportunity? The Same Questions Are Being Asked Here in Bolton
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“Crime, nothing to do, no opportunity.”
Those six words, spoken by a young person in a recent ITV News report, should concern every parent, teacher, youth worker, councillor, employer and policymaker in Britain.
The report explored why many white working-class boys are falling behind in education and highlighted growing concerns around school absence, disengagement, poor mental health and a lack of visible opportunities. The young people interviewed spoke openly about feeling forgotten, disconnected and unable to see a future for themselves.
For many of us working directly with young people, none of this came as a surprise.
Because we see it every day.
And we see it here in Bolton too.
This Is Bigger Than One Group of Young People
While the ITV report focuses on white working-class boys, the reality is that disadvantage affects young people from many different backgrounds.
The common thread is not race.
The common thread is opportunity.
When young people feel disconnected from school, struggle with mental health, face family challenges, experience poverty, are excluded from education or cannot see a route into employment, they begin to disengage.
Eventually, many stop believing that anything will change.
That is when the risks begin.
Not because they are bad young people.
But because they are young people searching for belonging, purpose and hope.
The ITV report revealed that white working-class pupils are twice as likely to be absent from school and significantly more likely to experience severe absence and SEND challenges.
Yet behind every statistic is a real young person.
A young person with potential.
A young person whose story is still being written.
We’ve Been Having This Conversation for Decades
One of the most frustrating aspects of the debate is that these concerns are not new.
Back in 2021, the Education Select Committee described white working-class pupils as a “forgotten” group who had been let down by decades of neglect.
Five years later, we are still talking about the same issues.
School exclusions.
Poor attendance.
Mental health.
Youth violence.
Young people who are NEET.
Communities feeling left behind.
The questions remain the same:
Who is safeguarding the future of the young person who stops attending school?
Who is supporting the young person who no longer believes education is relevant?
Who is finding the young person who has disappeared from the system altogether?
And perhaps most importantly:
Who is listening?
The View From Bolton
At Genuine Futures, we work with young people who have often been written off by systems.
Some have been out of education for months.
Others have been excluded.
Some struggle with anxiety.
Some are care experienced.
Some have SEND needs.
Some have lost confidence in themselves entirely.
Many arrive believing they have failed.
The truth is often the opposite.
The system failed to understand them.
Over the last few years, we have worked with young people who have gone on to:
- Start their own businesses.
- Secure employment.
- Return to education.
- Gain qualifications.
- Become youth ambassadors.
- Share their lived experience to help others.
Not because we had a magic solution.
But because somebody listened.
Somebody believed in them.
Somebody gave them an opportunity.
The Missing Piece: Belonging
One message stood out throughout the ITV report.
Young people need places where they belong.
For years, youth services have been reduced while demand for support has increased.
Many young people tell us they feel isolated.
They spend more time online than ever before.
They have fewer trusted adults.
Fewer community spaces.
Fewer opportunities to develop confidence and social skills.
When a young person feels disconnected from school, disconnected from work and disconnected from their community, it becomes much easier for negative influences to fill the gap.
The answer is not simply more punishment.
The answer is connection.
Prevention Before Crisis
At Genuine Futures, we often talk about prevention before crisis.
By the time a young person appears in youth justice statistics, school exclusion data or NEET figures, countless opportunities for intervention have already been missed.
The warning signs are usually visible much earlier.
Poor attendance.
Disengagement.
Behaviour changes.
Mental health struggles.
Loss of confidence.
Withdrawal.
Young people rarely wake up one morning and decide to give up on themselves.
The process happens gradually.
Which means prevention must happen early.
What Needs to Change?
If we are serious about tackling the growing crisis facing young people, we need more than reports.
We need action.
We need:
- More trusted adults.
- More youth workers.
- More mentoring.
- More alternative pathways.
- More enterprise opportunities.
- More work experience.
- More community spaces.
- More early intervention.
- More listening.
Most importantly, we need to stop viewing young people as problems to be managed and start viewing them as potential to be developed.
The Future Is Still There
The young people featured in the ITV report reminded us of something important.
Behind every statistic is a future.
A future entrepreneur.
A future parent.
A future community leader.
A future employer.
A future mentor.
A future role model.
The question is whether we create the opportunities that allow that future to emerge.
Because when young people tell us there is “nothing to do” and “no opportunity,” we should not dismiss those words.
We should listen carefully.
Then work together to prove them wrong.
At Genuine Futures, that is exactly what we intend to keep doing.
Because every young person deserves more than survival.
They deserve a future worth believing in.
Call to Action
If you are an employer, school, community organisation, funder or volunteer who wants to help create opportunities for young people in Bolton, we would love to hear from you.
Together, we can ensure that the next generation is known not for being left behind, but for what they go on to achieve.
Genuine Futures CIC – Bridging the Gap to Opportunity.