The Youth Agency works with young people living in an area of multiple deprivation in South West Edinburgh. The agency identified and responded to a gap in the provision of daily essentials. This included toiletries, sanitary and hygiene products to mitigate the impact of poverty. This has become more pronounced due to the current cost of living crisis with young people using school and community groups to access meals and families asking for help to meet energy bills.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cost of living crisis, the Youth Agency found that poverty was having an increasing impact on the everyday lives of young people and their families. Young people spoke of money problems at home and were sharing concerns about their families not having enough money to provide the essentials. They were increasingly asking for food when they arrived at the Youth Agency and requesting hot meals. 

Description

The Youth Agency, which is a voluntary sector youth work provider, uses a youth work approach to mitigate the effects of poverty on young people and their families. By doing so, they aim to maintain dignity and build the self-esteem of young people so that the long term effects of poverty are not compounded.

Feedback from young people indicated to the Youth Agency that, post pandemic, several local agencies were meeting the need for basic food ingredients. Through their relationships with local families and partner agencies the Youth Agency were able to facilitate food distribution. However, the Youth Agency also identified that young people and their families were not getting the access to the toiletries, sanitary and hygiene products that they needed.

The Youth Agency initially responded to this need by offering pre-assembled hygiene packs. Young people involved in designing the process fed back that they would prefer a more discreet process that provided them with options. As a result, the Youth Agency now stocks a range of toiletries in an open access area where young people can help themselves to what they need whenever they need it. This is key as it minimises embarrassment and allows young people to maintain their dignity.

Young people continue to be involved in improving the process. Following feedback from transgender young people the Youth Agency is now supplying less stereotypical toiletries and hygiene products. The Youth Agency has also secured dedicated spaces in its two partner high schools where toiletries and hygiene products are available alongside the C-Card scheme (icash.nhs.uk).

In addition to toiletries, the Youth Agency continues to provide nutritious food. Food is available at every drop in session and this is increased during holidays. Young people are involved in food preparation and are developing their cooking and budgeting skills. Extras are made so that young people can take food home to their families.

The Youth Agency has had to overcome significant challenges to set up and maintain this support. During the pandemic they had to secure a mechanism for the purchase of multiple products. Supermarkets have donated food vouchers and organisations, such as Edinburgh University, have made charitable donations. However, continued support cannot be assumed and securing ongoing finance and volunteer time remains a challenge.

Impact

Young people have indicated that when they don’t have confidence in their personal hygiene, their relationships and social life are negatively impacted. Having access to the products they need means that their personal lives, confidence and development are improved. The provision of toiletries is making some difference to the lives of the young people and taking some pressure off family budgets but it is not solving longer term structural issues and many challenges remain.

The Youth Agency continues to support young people to develop cooking and budgeting skills, from the age of eight years. Young people’s confidence to try new foods and to plan and prepare nutritionally balanced meals has increased. Cooking sessions produce extra portions for young people to take home and these are always used up.

The Youth Agency makes a conscious effort to maintain young people’s dignity and build their self-esteem. The current process of support doesn’t lend itself well to gathering quantitative evidence of impact, however the qualitative data and comments from young people and families speak for themselves:

“Someone I like asked me out but I said no. We don’t always have the money for deodorant and shower gel and stuff and I felt too worried to go out with someone”

“I haven’t had anything to eat yet, my mum said I’d get something at my club”

“Can I have a toothbrush for my little brother as well because he doesn’t have one”

“My mum asked if we could get some shampoo”

“I’m glad I got the oodie [hooded blanket] from you for Christmas because we can’t put the heating on just now “

From a parent

“It helps because you can’t always afford to add a bottle of shampoo and stuff to your shopping”
“People don’t realise how much all of this stuff is and it adds up”

From a young person

“You’ll never know what this means to me”

Next steps

The Youth Agency will continue to:

• involve young people in designing the services that they need
• cook nutritious low cost recipes with young people who attend the drop in and support them to develop food preparation and budgeting skills
• provide information on low cost cooking for families and signpost services for crisis support, income maximisation and improving money management
• support young people and families to access the internet for information, essential communications and to access essential services when needed
• provide support to young people and families, when needed, to make essential applications for grants, employment etc.

They will continue to take a youth work approach to build the confidence of young people growing up in poverty and by providing new experiences that encourage self- belief and broaden horizons.

For example, the Youth Agency has developed a successful partnership with National Galleries of Scotland. Following a successful visit to Youth Agency premises by the National Galleries, young people made a return visit to the National Gallery of Modern Art. For almost all of the young people, this was their first visit to an art gallery.

Reflections

It is important not to underestimate the additional finance and volunteer time needed to sustain this vital provision.

Further Information

The Youth Agency: Promoting social inclusion within the community (PDF)

Edinburgh Youth and Children's Work Strategy 2023 to 2028 (PDF)

End Poverty in Edinburgh Annual Report 2022 (PDF)