The National Youth Agency - Positive Activities

Positive Activities

This page brings together background information related to positive activities, including policy, data collection and the legal context.

Aiming High for Young People: a Ten Year Strategy for Positive Activities, published in July 2007, sets out government plans to help all young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to take part in enjoyable and purposeful activities in their free-time.

Also of interest...

There is a new national indicator, NI110, to measure and drive improved participation of young people in positive activities (National Indicator 110). This will be measured through the TellUs survey, using responses from young people in school year 10. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has been working with The National Youth Agency (NYA) and other stakeholders to explore additional appropriate measures to support the evidencing of NI110. There have been two meetings of a national stakeholder group so far in 2008. The NYA is pleased to be able to provide an update on the collection of data on positive activities.

Positive activities data update - July 2008

Recording outcomes - June 2008

The Education and Inspections Act (part 1, clause 6, section 507B) sets out a local authority’s duties in respect of providing access to "sufficient educational and recreational leisure-time activities which are for the improvement of [young people’s] well-being". The Act came into force in January 2007. The National Youth Agency, with other youth work bodies, has been working to ensure that the content of this legislation includes greater protection and promotion of youth work approaches.

The legislation also specifies that local education authorities must "publicise information about positive leisure-time activities, and facilities for such activities, in the authority’s area" and keep this information up to date.

From April 2008 the DCSF is rolling out a programme of extended Positive Activities across local authorities in England. These will provide activities throughout the year for young people aged 8-19 to move them away from involvement in violent group crime. In the first year the programme will be developed with fifteen local authorities. The NYA has been asked by the DCSF to assist these pilot local authorities to deliver effective programmes. Beverley Hughes, the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families has issued a letter of guidance on this programme to Directors of Children’s Services. Read this in full >>