Youth work - Should youth clubs charge for entry?

To charge or not to charge is the question that has dominated the cypnow.co.uk online forum over the past week. The website has been inundated with posts from youth workers debating whether clubs should have admission fees or not.

Few people doubt the benefits of youth work, but is it right to ask young people to pay for it, especially in these difficult financial times?

John Bateman is chief executive of UK Youth, which supports 7,000 youth clubs, groups and projects across the UK. He doesn't believe there is a problem in asking young people for a reasonable payment.

"People tend to appreciate things less if they get them for nothing," he says. "If you want to improve and keep up services there is an economic responsibility. It is part of the learning process for young people."

Added responsibility

It's a view shared by youth worker Andy Appleyard, who runs two youth clubs for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. "In my experience of working in clubs where young people pay fees there is an added responsibility and respect for the facility. It feels more like a club. Skilled youth workers will get good outcomes without young people feeling targeted," he says.

But one youth worker who posted on the forum is fundamentally opposed to charging, believing it undermines the informal education ethos of youth work. "As long as we see the youth club merely as a place where young people pay to be entertained, then we lose sight of our true aims and objectives," he says. "The entry fee totally frustrates the whole process of youth engagement and can act as a barrier to youth inclusion. Any barrier should, if practicably possible, be removed."

Good youth workers will not let affordability be a barrier, argues Bateman, and there are usually ways to address the issue. "Young people will help their mates if they can't afford it. In some cases, it might be entirely appropriate for young people to help out at the club as repayment for services".

David Seward, chief executive of Berkshire Association of Clubs for Young People, says most clubs in his area charge about 50p for entry, which does little to cover costs, but provides the young people with a sense of ownership. "If young people can't afford to pay then clubs won't charge them," says Seward. "Charging is more a statement of intent. It's nice for young people to have something they own."

And, if a youth club does charge, where should the money go? The general consensus from the forum is that it should be spent on activities chosen by young people, while services such as advice, drop-in sessions and detached youth work should be free. Author and youth work trainer Mike Amos-Simpson believes it is easier for the voluntary sector to charge since the statutory sector generally delivers more issue-based youth work.

"Voluntary provision is much more likely to be activity-based and initially formed out of a local need and local interests. With this comes a greater sense of local responsibility, ownership and involvement, so it's more likely that local parents and young people will be prepared to contribute a fee," he says.

But Andrea Simpson, who works for St Michael's Youth Project in East Yorkshire, believes youth clubs should consider alternatives to fees. "I think the best way to empower people is by getting them on board through fundraising," she says.

Fundraising activities

Her project raised more than £1,100 last year through sponsored events and food stalls run by young people. But £750 of that money was used to cover running costs. Simpson adds that it started fundraising because the parish council wanted to see the kids "put something back into the community".

Anne Longfield, chief executive of charity 4Children, sees nothing wrong with charging for services to ensure sustainability. In fact, she believes youth clubs should follow the example of children's centres by using a more mixed model of funding. "In children's centres you have a free core service, which brings parents in, then additional services, which are paid for, with money going back into the centre. That could work in youth services," she says.

Join the discussion here

YOUNG PEOPLE'S VIEWS

Chloe, 13 - "Youth clubs should be free as not everyone has the money to pay. If they come to a club, they have somewhere to go and meet their friends and it keeps them off the streets. I do think that we should pay for the stuff on offer such as sweets and drinks and raise money for activities. We pay £1 for subs - I wouldn't want to pay any more."

Bradley, 15 - "I have been coming to a youth club for a while and have always paid my £1. I am always happy to pay to come to the youth club. I think we should pay to do activities because they are not always free. The only time I will refuse to pay is if the price goes up because it all adds up and becomes expensive."

Darren, 21 - "I think it depends on what kind of activities you're looking for. If you're expecting Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii these things don't come cheap, and I wouldn't say it was wrong to charge around 50p to £1 for entry. My club was run by a charity with little money so we always paid £1 and we set up a committee to decide on how money should be spent on improving and adding extra activities."