Charity begins at home so the saying goes, and a key area of youth group work is being overlooked on a frustratingly regular basis; the internet. With the country mired deep in recession and the population tightening the purse strings all round, it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain support for and sustain youth groups and clubs. Yet these clubs could prevent a new generation from being forgotten. This video from the West Sussex Youth Service shows just how important youth groups are.

The internet has become the most powerful tool of sharing and spreading information on a global scale. Its web covers the earth and even the most rural areas can receive mobile access to the internet. In the UK though, the youth of today are being forgotten about by the government. A recent report published by the Guardian online shows that approximately 1 million children will be a grade below their peers this year in exam results. The reason; they do not have access to the internet at home.

Whilst it is difficult to imagine any household not having some form of internet connection, it is easy to forget that those on lower incomes simply cannot afford even the cheapest deals. This is where youth groups can come in to pick up the slack, killing two birds with one stone so to speak. By pooling the resources they could have available from the local council and minor subsidies from caring, but low income parents, the internet could be made available to children who ordinarily do not have access to it outside of school. There are many affordable deals around and one of the best comes from www.abroadband.com who provide the flexibility to move the service from laptop to phone and back again. For a youth group this could be an invaluable service. Having the internet will enable children from the poorest backgrounds to have access to materials their peers take for granted at home. It will also help encourage community interaction and prevent children from being left behind in school.

Youth groups can bridge the gap between school and home internet access if they try

With more and more schools being forced to rely on their students having internet access at home due to budgetary constraints in the classroom, the urgency of making use of youth groups to help bridge this gap becomes even more paramount. The e-learning foundation conducted a study and came up with figures that indicate approximately 90% of children use the internet for their homework and additional studies. Statistics like these should be more then enough to give any struggling parent nightmares but by having good support like a youth group, nightmare need not become reality.

As local government tighten their purse strings existing and planned youth groups should be looking at creative ways to keep themselves going without relying on council assistance. By implementing small changes like the internet into the structure, you could find a lot of grateful parents willing to provide help and possibly money.

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