Preston's Future Looks Bright for Young People as City Youth Strategy Approved

A brighter future for young people in Preston is on the horizon as councillors at the Town Hall have approved the Preston Youth Strategy 2025-2035, setting out a vision to improve opportunities, support and services for those aged 8-25 across the city.

The strategy is not a Preston City Council strategy but a collective strategy for the city's young people.

It has been developed in collaboration with various agencies working with young people and the city's young people themselves, and is the result of extensive consultation, with over 1,400 young people contributing their views.

A dedicated core group from the Preston Youth Forum Network played a key role in steering its development, ensuring that young voices were central to shaping the city's future.

Young people identified their top concerns as vaping, drug and alcohol misuse, safety, violence, and antisocial behaviour. They also expressed a need for more affordable activities, better and cheaper transport and a cleaner city.

In addition, the strategy will look to respond to challenges faced by young people with them feeding back the following:

• 56% need better access to career opportunities
• 43% feel there are not enough employment, career, or education opportunities
• 53% say there is not enough mental health support
• 63% do not know where to go for mental health services
• 38% believe there are not enough opportunities for physical activity.

Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said:

Our young people are the future of Preston, and this strategy ensures they have the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. By working together with local services and listening to young voices, we are creating a city where every young person can succeed.

Cath Coffey, Senior Youth and Community Manager at Foxton Centre and member of the Preston Youth Forum said:

Young people have been at the heart of this strategy since the beginning and Foxton are part of a real collaboration of agencies and partners in being ambitious for all the young people across Preston. We are excited for the next steps in bringing the strategy to life with young people's voices at the heart and creating real change.

Tim Jacques, CEO at Vault Youth Zone is also a key member of the Preston Youth Forum and said:

Preston's young people know what they want and this youth strategy reflects exactly that. There are two headline elements, one being a commitment from youth sector providers to work together to maximise their collective impact, and the second is to give young people influence over decisions that matter to them. Vault Youth Zone will work hard with all our partners in Preston to turn there words into action and set our city's young people up for success.

The Preston Youth Strategy 2025-2035 marks a significant step towards a brighter, safer, and more prosperous future for young people across the city.

The strategy will be implemented through established local partnerships, including the Preston Community Safety Partnership, Preston Health and Wellbeing Board, Preston Youth Forum, and the Lancashire Skills and Enterprise Strategic Framework.

The strategy is built on two key objectives:

• Youth Participation and Influence - ensuring young people have a say in shaping policies and services
• Partnership and Collaboration - strengthening connections between key stakeholders to deliver meaningful change.

Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.