We are facing a youth unemployment crisis. As of May 2021, 360,000 young people aged 16-24 are unemployed – enough to fill Wembley Stadium four times – with 109,000 of those being unemployed for over 12 months. The experience of being unemployed can leave lifelong scars that negatively affect future employment, wages and health, and significantly increase the likelihood of living in poverty long-term. This is particularly worrying for young people, who are more likely to experience unemployment during a recession and who have their whole working lives ahead of them.

At Street League we support young people aged who live in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK. Our programmes give young people the skills, support and confidence they need to overcome their personal challenges – such as caring responsibilities, mental health issues and having low or no qualifications – and make the life-changing move into work, education or training. Sport is at the heart of all our programmes, developing the life and workplace skills, self-worth and sense of belonging young people need to thrive.

“Sport and exercise help in many ways. When I’m playing football, you don’t have much time to think about anything it takes your mind off things for a period of time, and you get to spend time with your friends. Sport definitely helped my mental health.” – Jaiden, Street League participant

Chris Davison, Ben Sharples & Joe Flack are running the London Marathon in support of Street League. Please donate whatever you can to help support young people across the UK...