TODAY’S youngsters face the same problems and worries as their 1950s counterparts, with growing numbers in the grip of mental health difficulties, an Ellesmere Port charity boss has said.

Youth Federation chief executive Chris Hindley made the comments as the charity, known as Youth Fed, marked its 70th anniversary.

Over the last seven decades, the charity has helped thousands of young people from all walks of life navigate challenges by offering employment, mental health, education and skills support.

Although they harnessed similar hopes and dreams as 1950s youngsters, today’s young people also shared much the same worries with home ownership and the cost-of-living crisis at the forefront of their minds, said Chris.

Worryingly, in some of the charity’s areas, as many as four out of five young people were suffering from mental health problems, having been through once-in-a-century events, including the Covid pandemic. But, he said, many youngsters were taking matters into their own hands to make positive changes.

 

Ellesmere Port-based charity Youth Fed chief executive Chris Hindley.

Ellesmere Port-based charity Youth Fed chief executive Chris Hindley.

 

Many of the charity’s trustees, staff, stakeholders, funders, young people, and their families met in the Courtyard at Eaton Park, on Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate, by kind permission of the Duke of Westminster whose Westminster Foundation supports Youth Fed’s work.

During the event, there was an opportunity to reflect on decades of the federation’s work and a blueprint for the future was also unveiled. Guests also heard from young people and their families who, over the years, have been given life-changing support.

In his address to guests, Chris thanked his staff and trustees for their dedication and said: “On one level, the world a young person growing up in 1950s Britain would have experienced would be a million miles from today.

"The country was still emerging from the privations of the second world war, rationing was still in place, Winston Churchill was Prime Minister, and Britain possessed a global empire.

“But look a little closer, and the issues affecting the lives of young people in the 1950s and those today differ less than you would imagine. Young people have the same hopes and aspirations for jobs, housing, relationships – their futures.

"Just like in the 1950s, young people today are worried they will not be able to buy their own home, that the job they had worked towards during school isn’t going to be there, and that the cost-of-living crisis is going to impact their lives seriously.”

The charity’s future aims include widening its offer by broadening the age ranges of youngsters helped and extending projects into other geographic areas. Investment in a digital centre and creating safe spaces for people to learn new skills are also on the agenda.

“Young people today want to have the opportunity to make a difference to the communities in which they live and help shape and rebuild the country after the shocks of the past few years,” added Chris.

“Social action and volunteering are key to this, and just as thousands volunteered as ambulance drivers for the new NHS of the 1950s, we are seeing unprecedented levels of volunteering amongst young people. Schools, colleges, and organisations like Youth Fed promote volunteering as a positive way of developing skills and showing value to employers.”

Chris’ thoughts were echoed by the federation’s chair of trustees Jim Bisset MBE.

He added: “Youth Fed has been there for young people for the last 70 years, and we aim to continue supporting them for another 70 years and beyond in whatever ways we can.”