No Way Out: Why Young People Are Struggling
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For generations, young people have been told: study hard, stay out of trouble, get your qualifications — and the opportunities will follow.
But far too many today, that promise feels like a cruel joke. Despite trying their best, countless young people are dropping out of education, falling into crime, and struggling to find work. And it’s not because they’ve failed. It’s because the system has failed them.
Why So Many Are Dropping Out
College should be a springboard into the future. But for many young people, it becomes a dead end. Here’s why:
- Financial stress: With the cost of travel, food, and essentials rising, many simply can’t afford to stay in education.
- Mental health challenges: Anxiety and depression are widespread. Support is limited. Many suffer in silence and quietly disappear.
- Lack of connection: When the curriculum doesn’t reflect their lives — and no one seems to care — motivation fades fast.
- No clear job path: Students lose faith when they realise their course won’t guarantee work.
- Insufficient support: Without mentoring, guidance, or understanding, young people are left to navigate life’s challenges alone.
The result? Thousands drop out every year. Not because they’re lazy — but because no one gave them the tools to keep going.
When Education and Work Fail, the Streets Take Over
With no clear path ahead, many young people turn to the only system that seems to offer immediate rewards: the street economy.
Gangs, drugs, and crime don’t attract young people because they’re dangerous — they attract them because they offer money, respect, and a sense of belonging.
“College didn’t make sense for me. I was broke, no support, nothing to aim for. The gang? They had money, they had rules, they had respect.”
— 17-year-old participant
This is what happens when society doesn’t show up. When we push kids out of classrooms and then act surprised when they end up in courtrooms.
The School System Is Pushing the Most Vulnerable Out
Instead of helping young people with challenges — like poverty, trauma, or neurodiversity — the school system often punishes them. Exclusions are rising. Support is shrinking.
- Children with behavioural issues are seen as threats instead of being supported.
- Black boys, care leavers, and working-class youth are disproportionately excluded.
- Once pushed out, they rarely come back.
Every exclusion is a fork in the road — and too often, it leads straight to poverty or prison.
A Job Market That Locks Young People Out
Even for those who do stay in education, the job market offers few real opportunities.
- Entry-level jobs ask for 2–5 years of experience.
- Pay is low. Rent is high. Most can’t survive on minimum wage.
- Those with criminal records, care backgrounds, or gaps in their CVs are often dismissed outright.
This isn’t just a skills gap — it’s a trust gap. Employers want perfect candidates. But who’s helping young people become that?
Genuine Futures: Bridging the Gap
That’s where Genuine Futures comes in — a community that does more than tick boxes. It rebuilds lives.
Founded by Sam Smith, Genuine Futures supports 15–24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Many come from backgrounds of poverty, exclusion, or prison. Some were written off completely.
But here, they’re given belief, structure, and a second chance.
The programmme offers:
- One-to-one mentoring from people who understand their journey
- Work experience and digital training
- Confidence-building outdoor activities
- Help with identity, mental health, and purpose
- A real bridge into work, self-employment, or training
“We don’t ask young people to come to us with a polished CV and perfect past. We meet them exactly where they are — and walk forward with them.”
— Sam Smith, Founder of Genuine Futures
“Too many programmmes treat young people like a problem to be solved. We treat them like people with potential. We believe in second chances — but also in first chances, for those who never had one.”
Young people are going from sofa-surfing to employment, from prison to purpose, from isolation to empowerment.
What Needs to Change?
This is not a young person problem. This is a systemic failure — and it requires collective responsibility:
- Government must fund long-term, community-led youth projects
- Schools must stop excluding and start supporting.
- Employers must open their doors to young people with potential — not just polished CVs.
- Society must replace judgment with investment.
We must stop blaming young people for systems they didn’t build — and start building systems that work for them.
No Way Out? Or a New Way Forward?
Right now, too many young people see no way out.
But programs like Genuine Futures are proving that change is possible — when we believe in them, support them, and walk with them.
If we want safer communities, lower reoffending, and a thriving generation, it starts here — by bridging the gap between who they are and who they could be.
Are you a young person who feels stuck or written off?
There’s a way forward. There’s a community waiting for you.
Reach out to Genuine Futures. Your story is just beginning.