I don’t consider myself to be politically active, however compared to the average person it seems that I am. I am an active member of a trade union, and a member of a political party. I have also voted at every election I have been eligible to vote in, European, local and national.

I have attended a number of meetings, conferences in rallies, mostly around youth work and defending it. Today there was an event in London – Netroots – discussing the pros and cons of online activism. And today dear readers I ask you to get involved in that and sign an online petition: http://www.petition.co.uk/withdraw-proposal-to-cease-the-whole-of-the-youth-service-in-warwickshire

Yes, the council in Warwickshire want to scrap the entire youth service to find the savings required of them by the government. I believe that this would be a false economy. Youth works often work with groups of young people – professionals who do interventions higher up the scale of need tend to work with individuals, which is more costly. In fact, youth work was found to be very cost effective by the Audit Commission.

You can read more about the Benefits of Youth Work here.

As a youth worker I have seen how the work can benefit young people from all walks of life, and it promotes values – such as equality – that I think are really important for society.

So, if you agree, then please add your name to the petition. If not – lets have a heated debated!