Youth Clubs, Groups and Activities

Most areas have some form of council-funded or community-run youth provision. It may include:

• Council youth services — sessions run or commissioned by the local authority, often free or very low cost.
• Community youth centres — buildings run by a local organisation, village hall committee, housing provider or community group.
• Evening clubs and drop-in sessions — usually weekly, with no need to book, where young people can play games, use equipment, get advice or just spend time with friends.
• Detached youth work — youth workers who go out into parks, estates and town centres to meet young people where they already are, rather than waiting for them in a building.
• School holiday activities — holiday clubs, sports camps and activity programmes, some of which offer free places to families who receive certain benefits.

Provision has changed a great deal in recent years and varies from one council to the next, so it is worth checking rather than assuming. Search your council's website for "youth service" or "Family Information Service" with your postcode.¹ The National Youth Agency is the professional body for youth work in England and explains what good youth work should look like.³

Sport is often the easiest thing to find locally, and clubs are usually glad to see beginners. Common options include football, swimming, basketball, athletics, netball, cricket, dance, martial arts, gymnastics, skateboarding, BMX and cycling, and racket sports such as tennis, padel, squash and badminton.

Many leisure centres run junior memberships, holiday courses and free or reduced-price swimming for young people. Disability sport clubs, inclusive multi-sport sessions and adapted formats also exist in many areas.¹²

If sport is not your thing, there is plenty else. Look for music groups, bands and choirs; youth theatre and drama; art, design and craft sessions; photography and film-making; creative writing and reading groups; cooking and food skills; gaming and esports clubs; and coding, robotics or technology groups.

Libraries, museums, arts centres, community centres and colleges often host these, sometimes free of charge. General youth clubs frequently mix several of these together in one evening, so you can try things without committing to anything.

These organisations run local groups across the UK. Ages, activities, costs, uniform requirements and availability differ between organisations and between individual local groups, and some have waiting lists. Always check the details with the local group before signing up.

• Scouts — outdoor activities, camping, skills and community projects, in age-based sections for younger children through to young adults.⁴
• Girlguiding — activities, badges, camps and residentials for girls and young women, in age-based sections.⁵
• Army Cadets — adventurous training, fieldcraft, sport, music and qualifications through local detachments.⁶
• Royal Air Force Air Cadets — flying and gliding opportunities, aviation subjects, sport, camps and qualifications through local squadrons.⁷
• Sea Cadets — boating, sailing, watersports, engineering and teamwork through local units, including Volunteer Cadet Corps units in some areas.⁸
• St John Ambulance youth programmes — Badgers (younger children) and Cadets (teenagers), learning first aid and volunteering skills.⁹
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award — Bronze, Silver and Gold, combining volunteering, a physical activity, a skill and an expedition, often run through schools, colleges and youth groups.¹⁰

Volunteering is a good way to meet people, learn practical skills and build something useful for a CV, college application or the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Local options often include environmental and conservation projects, litter picks and community gardens, helping at community events, supporting older neighbours through a recognised organisation, fundraising, peer mentoring, and joining a youth council or youth forum that advises the local authority.

Volunteering roles must be suitable for the young person's age and properly supervised. A well-organised placement will have an adult responsible for you, a clear description of what you will be doing, an induction, insurance, and its own safeguarding arrangements. Some roles have minimum ages or need parental consent. Ask your school, college, council or local volunteer centre what is available near you.

For older teenagers and young adults, look for programmes covering confidence and life skills, money and independent-living skills, employability and interview practice, apprenticeships, traineeships and college courses, and supported volunteering.

Good places to ask are your school or college careers team, the local council's services for young people, the National Careers Service, Jobcentre Plus for those old enough to use it, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Silver and Gold level. Programme names and providers change from time to time, so always check what is currently running in your area rather than relying on an old leaflet.

If you help look after a family member because of illness, disability, a mental health condition or addiction, you may be a young carer — even if it feels like just what your family does.

Many councils fund a local young carers service. These commonly offer activities and trips, short breaks away from caring, one-to-one support, help with school or college, and the chance to meet other young people in a similar position. You can also ask your council for a young carer's needs assessment. Carers Trust explains what support young carers can expect and how to find a local service.¹³

Options may include inclusive mainstream youth clubs, specialist groups for disabled young people, adapted and disability sports, sensory-friendly or quieter sessions, and short-break schemes. Your council's SEND local offer is the official list of services and activities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in your area.¹¹

Please ask the organiser directly before attending. Useful questions include: is the building step-free and are there accessible toilets and changing facilities? What are the staffing ratios? Can a parent, carer or personal assistant come too? Can staff support with medication or personal care? Is there a quiet space? Can the session be adapted to how my child communicates? What transport or parking is available?

Some areas have properly supervised youth groups where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people can socialise, take part in activities and get support in a respectful environment. These are usually run by the council's youth service, an NHS or voluntary-sector partner, or an established local youth organisation.

The most reliable way to find one is through your local council's youth service listings, your school or college pastoral team, or a recognised local youth service — rather than through unmoderated social media groups. As with any group, check who runs it, how it is supervised and what its safeguarding arrangements are.

Local community organisations, places of worship and cultural associations often run youth activities, homework clubs, sports, music, language classes and holiday schemes. For many young people these are a valuable part of community life.

Whatever the setting, you should feel respected and comfortable. Nobody should pressure you into beliefs, commitments or activities you are not happy with, ask you to keep secrets from your family, or make you feel unsafe. The same safeguarding questions apply to faith and cultural groups as to any other.

Before a first session, it is worth checking:

• the correct age range, and whether there is a waiting list;
• membership fees, weekly subs or session costs, and how they are paid;
• whether free or reduced-cost places, bursaries or hardship funds are available;
• start and finish times, and what happens if you arrive late;
• how to get there and back, and whether transport help exists;
• accessibility of the building, toilets and activities;
• whether you need to book in advance or can just turn up;
• whether equipment, kit or uniform is provided, hired or must be bought;
• whether parental or carer permission and a registration form are needed.

Some activities are free, but many are not, and costs can add up once kit, trips and camps are included. Ask openly about money — most organisations would far rather help than lose a young person who cannot afford to come.

Any organisation working with young people should be able to answer straightforward questions about how it keeps them safe. It is entirely reasonable to ask:

• Who runs the activity, and who supervises it on the day?
• Does the organisation have a written safeguarding or child protection policy, and a named lead?
• Are staff and volunteers trained, and DBS-checked where the role requires it?
• How can a parent, carer or young person raise a concern, and who handles it?
• What are the arrangements for collecting young people, or for leaving on their own?
• Will photographs or videos be taken, and how are they used and shared?
• What personal information is collected, how is it stored, and who can see it?

The NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit sets out what safeguarding should look like in sport and activity settings, and is a useful benchmark for other youth activities too.¹⁴

Sixpence Support UK does not inspect, approve, recommend or endorse individual clubs, groups or organisations. The information here is general, to help you ask your own questions and make your own decision.