Recent BBC reporting highlighted growing concerns about the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training, with warnings that opportunities are shrinking and that we risk creating a “lost generation”.

The figures are worrying, but what concerns me most is not that young people lack ambition. It's that too many young people don't get the opportunities they need to discover what they're capable of.

Behind every NEET statistic is a young person who has not yet had the chance to build confidence, experience success, or see where their strengths could take them.

That's the bit I worry about, because when we talk about a “lost generation”, it can sound as though young people themselves are the problem. In my experience, that's rarely the case. What I see are young people with potential who haven’t always had the opportunities or encouragement to recognise it themselves.  

I’ve met young people facing all sorts of challenges and circumstances. I’ve seen the difference that being trusted with something real can make. Young people begin to see themselves differently.

Ala, who took part in a project to improve a local community space, reflected afterwards that it had given them a “new outlook on the future” and helped them build confidence and communication skills.

Lailah, one of the youngest participants in a Youth Action Unlocked project, described the experience as making her feel “empowered” and that “you've actually got a voice and you can make a change in society.” 

What stays with me is how they talk about themselves afterwards and how they are more willing to put themselves forward and more confident in what they can contribute. 

The BBC article asks whether our systems are preparing young people for adult life. Qualifications, training and employment pathways are important, but confidence matters too. So does belonging. So does having opportunities to try, fail, learn and succeed. For many young people, particularly those facing barriers, the biggest challenge isn't a lack of ability but a lack of opportunity to discover what they're capable of.  

Very few young people decide they don’t want a future. Most want exactly what any of us would want - purpose, opportunity and the chance to build a life for themselves. More often, what we see is confidence being chipped away over time. We see young people who stop believing they’re good at anything, or whose anxiety makes taking the next step feel overwhelming. By the time they appear in the statistics, many have already spent years feeling disconnected from opportunity. That’s why confidence, belonging and positive experience matter so much. 

I sometimes think we spend a lot of time talking about what young people need from society, and not enough time thinking about what society needs from young people. 

Stephen, who first took part in KEY+ as a young person and later became a facilitator, described the experience as something that “allows you to do so many things you might not do in life” and that it “unlocks so many things.” 

Reading the BBC article, I didn’t see a lost generation. I saw young people who deserve more opportunities than many are currently getting, and who have far more to offer than the statistics suggest.