After school last Wednesday, a crackle of anxiety ran through the children gathered outside the Bollo youth club in south Acton. The argument that youth clubs are an antidote to antisocial behaviour and crime can seem tired, pious almost. But a longer-term plan is needed and the fortunes of the Bollo, and the country’s other youth clubs, show us why. “If you take away the youth clubs, you take away those places where people can touch base with someone else. The Bollo and youth clubs like it have shown themselves capable of picking up the pieces.

Source: The Guardian March 11, 2019 14:03 UTC