🍪 The Gingerbread Man Isn’t Just a Fairytale — It’s a Warning Society Keeps Ignoring
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The Gingerbread Man, Care Leavers & NEET Young People: Why We Must Stop Ignoring the Warning Signs
This blog explores how the Gingerbread Man mirrors the experiences of looked-after children, care leavers, NEET young people, and those caught in the youth justice system and why early intervention and community support are crucial for preventing a million young people from being left behind.
looked-after children UK, care leavers support, NEET young people, youth justice system failures, vulnerable young people UK, youth homelessness prevention, trauma-informed youth work, early intervention for young people, Genuine Futures CIC, support for care-experienced youth, running away trauma behaviour, Bolton youth programmes, Salford youth support.
The Gingerbread Man: A Story We All Knew the Ending To
We grow up hearing the Gingerbread Man story, laughing at the chase, quoting the rhyme, knowing exactly how it will end.
But what if it’s not just a fairytale?
For a million young people in the UK — including looked-after children, care leavers, NEET young people, and those involved in the youth justice system — the Gingerbread Man’s story reflects a painful truth.
A character created, chased, used, and ultimately consumed…while everyone around him sees the danger but does nothing.
Everyone Wanted a Piece of Him — Just Like the System Does to Vulnerable Young People
Every character the Gingerbread Man encounters wants something from him.
Another demand.
Another grab.
Another chase.
It mirrors the experience of:
- Looked-after children navigating the care system
- Care leavers pushed into adulthood overnight
- NEET young people left without direction or belonging
- Young people caught in youth justice with no real rehabilitation
These young people are:
- Passed from service to service
- Pushed from placement to placement
- Assessed, judged, labelled
- Watched but not understood
- Surrounded by professionals, yet rarely protected
Many say they feel:
“Owned by the system but cared for by no one.”
Running Away Isn’t Crime or Defiance — It’s Trauma
The Gingerbread Man wasn’t running to be difficult. He was running to survive.
The same is true for many care-experienced young people.
A young person runs when:
- They feel unsafe
- They feel unheard
- They feel judged
- They feel abandoned
Yet in the system — especially youth justice — running is punished before it’s understood.
A young person goes through the system…
- Passed from service to service
- Pushed from placement to placement
- Used, judged, labelled — but never understood
Running isn’t rebellion.
It’s fear.
It’s survival.
It’s a message that something is deeply wrong.
We Already Know How This Story Ends — So Why Are We Still Ignoring It?
Professionals often see the warning signs long before crisis hits:
- Declining mental health
- Placement breakdowns
- School refusal
- Missing-from-home episodes
- Risk-taking behaviour
- Isolation
And far too often, the story ends with:
- Youth homelessness
- Exploitation
- School exclusion
- NEET status
- Youth justice involvement
- Broken futures
If we can predict it,
We can prevent it.
The real tragedy is that many young people fall through gaps we already knew existed.
Losing Potential Isn’t Just a Personal Loss — It’s a Loss for All of Us
When a care leaver ends up homeless,
When a NEET young person gives up,
When a looked-after child feels worthless,
When a young person enters youth justice without support…
We lose more than their future.
We lose:
- A skilled worker
- An entrepreneur
- A creator
- A neighbour
- A community leader
- A voice that could have shaped change
Potential doesn’t disappear on its own.
It erodes when adults stop paying attention.
Showing Up Changes the Ending
Young people don’t need more punishment, paperwork, or labels.
They need:
- Belonging
- Safety
- Consistent relationships
- Opportunity
- People who act before crisis hits
- Communities that don’t walk past
At Genuine Futures CIC, we refuse to let any young person become the ending “everyone expected.”
We work with:
- Looked-after children
- Care leavers
- NEET young people
- Young people in youth justice
- Young people experiencing homelessness
- Young people who have lost hope
Through enterprise, mentoring, creativity, community projects, and belonging, we help young people stop running from life — and start running towards their future.
Call to Action: Stand With Us and Rewrite the Story
Transforming outcomes for looked-after children, care leavers, NEET young people and those in youth justice is everyone’s responsibility.
If you believe in prevention and opportunity — get involved:
Support a session
Volunteer your skills
Partner with us
Sponsor equipment or opportunities
Visit our youth hub at The Scrappers
Share our mission
Advocate for early intervention
Your involvement could be the moment a young person finally stops running.
Together, we can rewrite the ending — and build futures that shine.
Genuine Futures CIC
Hope | Opportunity | Belonging | Enterprise