Prince’s Trust: don't dismiss struggling young people as snowflakes

Young people struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic must not be dismissed as snowflakes, the chief executive of the Prince’s Trust has said, as research shows more than half fear being unemployed.

The Trust's Jonathan Townsend, which has now reached the milestone of helping one million young people since it was founded in 1976, said there is a “real challenge” for teenagers and young adults to stay positive as their prospective jobs are wiped out.

Saying the opportunity for many to get their foot on the ladder has been taken away by the effects of Covid-19, he claimed youngsters with a previously positive outlook were being left with their confidence damaged and fearing for their futures.

New research commissioned by the body has shown that 58 per cent of respondents aged 16 to 25 are now “scared” about being unemployed, with 56 per cent now feeling “panicked” about their job hunt.

More than half (55 per cent) are more worried about being unemployed than they were a year ago.

According to the research, conducted by Censuswide on a sample of 2,000 youngsters, more than a third believe they will have a “lower quality of life” than their parents, while 46 per cent claim their generation will have fewer opportunities.

The results, to be published in full later this week, have been released to The Telegraph by the Prince’s Trust to illustrate the scale of the problem faced by Britain’s youth.

While the Trust was founded by the Prince of Wales during “a time of rioting and high unemployment”, a spokesman said, youth joblessness is expected to rise from more than half a million to “reach record highs in the coming months”.

Mr Townsend said the charity, which provides training, support and funding for young people, is “incredibly proud” of reaching its one million milestone, but deeply concerned about the prospects those they support are now facing.

“We’ve hit this milestone at a time when the jobs market is in turmoil and the challenges facing young people are rapidly mounting,” he said

“It’s at this very moment that the support we can offer to young people is needed more than ever.

“We’re determined to do everything in our power to prevent a generation of young people from being left behind by the effects of this pandemic.”

Asked about the stereotypes of Britain’s young, he said: “I’m not seeing snowflakes, I’m not seeing people who want to sit back and let things happen to them.

“They are driven young people who want to get on in life, and are really determined to build their skills.

“They need a chance, and this is their chance being taken away.”

Saying the young people he works with “want a first job, to progress in education, to attain those skills”, he warned the industries they would traditionally go to, such as hospitality and retail, have been badly damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic (see video below).

“Nine months ago, young people would have had a positive outlook, with opportunity, aspiration and ambition,” he said.

“Now they are more likely to be unemployed, and that has a bearing on how they feel, their wellbeing, and their life going forward.

“Young people have become one of the groups hardest hit and there’s a real challenge to them in being positive.”

As part of its response to the coronavirus crisis, the Trust has launched a "Get Hired Jobs Board" to match employers with young people who are ready to work now, and a "Coronavirus Support Hub".

Three case studies

James Sommerville, 54, from Huddersfield, found the Prince’s Trust in 1986 after his father gave him a newspaper cutting about its work.

Having finished art college, he was travelling the UK working as a pavement artist and “scratching my head” wondering how to build a career during high unemployment.

“It was a very difficult time for young people,” he said.

He made contact with the Trust's then-lone representative in Yorkshire and (with friend Simon Needham) was invited to present a business plan for their fledgling idea of a design agency.

The pair had already been rejected by five high street banks, said James. “They thought we were too young, we didn’t look very businesslike, we were unemployed. We had no idea what a business plan would look like. I think it was on one side of A4 paper.”

But the Prince’s Trust saw potential and offered them a £2000 grant to buy their first computer, an Apple Mac, and founded company Attik, named for James’ grandmother’s top-floor bedroom they used as an office.

“For us, that was a lottery win,” he said. “But the biggest takeaway was that sense of confidence and belief in ourselves.”

The agency went on to open studios in London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sydney over the next 25 years, with around 200 employees.

He went on to found design network Known Unknown, delivers talks about the industry across the world, is now a major donor to the Trust, and mentors young business leaders.

“There isn’t a stage I go on where I don’t credit the Prince’s Trust,” he said.

"It didn’t discriminate, didn’t judge, it just sat down and listened to us.

“Life would have been very different without it. We had a level of vision and determination but it fast-tracked our abilities to make our dream a reality.”

Rebecca Crawforth, 34, from Doncaster, received help from the Prince’s Trust in 2007 when she had left school without qualifications and found herself pregnant at 21.

“I lost my job and my home and found myself in a bit of a sticky spot,” she said.

While staying with her grandmother, she passed a drop-in centre and went in on a whim, meeting a Prince’s Trust representative who would go on to be her mentor.

“He said it’s not the end of the world, and he was probably the first person I’d met who spoke to me like that,” said Rebecca. “He gave me faith.”

The Trust helped her train and set up her own business, offering a £1,500 grant and £3,000 loan to pay the first month’s rent to open a beauty salon in a shopping centre.

Within two years, she had opened a second site, had a staff of more than 40 and a turnover of a quarter of a million pounds.

She went on to found beauty tool brand Navy Professional, employing 13 members of staff and operating in 48 countries while also running local workshops for the next generation.

“I look back and think ‘you crazy woman’,” she said, of the decision to open her first salon. “I wouldn’t have had the drive if I hadn’t met the Prince’s Trust, and don’t think I’d be where I am now without it.

“They didn’t have a motive, I wasn’t just another tick box: they said they would stand next to me and help, and it has opened so many doors.”

Temmy Badmus, 19, from Islington in London, is one of the most recent young people helped by the Prince’s Trust as it reaches its millionth beneficiary.

She found herself unemployed when she had to delay starting her university course due to family issues, and when the coronavirus pandemic hit, she reached out for help.

“I had been looking for a job for a while but hadn’t had any luck,” she said. “My mum works for the NHS so I feel like it’s in my nature to want to help people. We need the NHS and I knew that if I could do my bit to help, I would.

“I’d lost hope in ever finding something and was close to giving up. The only reason I didn’t was because I knew I had to support my family.”

When she heard about The Prince’s Trust, she said, she was worried their services were not for her. “It turns out, I had nothing to worry about,” she said.

“My mentor helped me every step of the way.”

She has now secured a job as a care home assistant. “I’ve always been interested in working in healthcare and I think the coronavirus crisis, despite what most people might think, is what really motivated me to apply for my job,” she said.

“Although things are difficult in our industry at the moment, I am committed to being part of a team that helps support my community and the NHS.

“Having a secure job has definitely helped to keep my motivation up during a time that I think some young people might be struggling.”