Why Genuine Futures Believes the Answer to the NEET Crisis Is Already Here.
There is a growing conversation happening across Britain.
Reports are being written.
Strategies are being launched.
Politicians are debating what to do about the rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
The recent Alan Milburn Review into Young People and Work warned that Britain risks creating a “lost generation.”
At Genuine Futures, we believe that generation isn’t lost.
They’re simply waiting for someone to listen.
Behind Every Statistic Is A Story
Today, more than one million young people across the UK are classed as NEET.
Alongside that, we are seeing:
- Record levels of school exclusions.
- Increasing numbers of children entering care.
- Rising youth homelessness.
- Growing mental health challenges.
- More young people entering the youth justice system.
- More young people feeling disconnected from their communities.
These issues do not exist in isolation.
School exclusion can lead to disengagement.
Disengagement can lead to isolation.
Isolation can lead to poor mental health.
Without support, that can lead to homelessness, exploitation or involvement in the criminal justice system.
By the time society notices, we are often dealing with crisis rather than prevention.
The Alan Milburn Review makes clear that this is not simply a youth employment issue.
It is a whole-system challenge.
And we believe it requires a whole-community response.
Cameron and Luis Could Have Become Another Statistic
Cameron and Luis have remarkably similar stories.
Both became disconnected from education.
Both spent almost two years isolated in their bedrooms, with little meaningful support and very few opportunities to reconnect with the world around them.
Like so many young people, they weren’t “hard to reach.”
The reality is much simpler.
Nobody was reaching them.
Today, both Cameron and Luis are proud graduates of our flagship Boss Your Future Bolton programme.
What started as a programme designed to rebuild confidence, trust and belonging has become the foundation for something much bigger.
Through Boss Your Future, they found purpose.
They found community.
Most importantly, they found people who believed in them.
From Programme Participants to Community Leaders
Today, Cameron and Luis are helping lead our newest youth-led enterprise:
Clean Futures
Created by graduates of Boss Your Future, Clean Futures gives young people practical skills, work experience and the opportunity to make a visible difference in the communities where they live.
This week, alongside our volunteer Ashley Kinsella, our partners at Squosh It, and the residents of Great Lever, they helped transform a communal bin store into a cleaner, safer and healthier shared space.
To many people, it might have looked like a simple clean-up.
To us, it represented everything Genuine Futures stands for.
Prevention.
Belonging.
Opportunity.
Community.
Luis
“A couple of years ago, I barely left my bedroom. I felt like nobody cared and nobody was listening. Being part of Boss Your Future and then Clean Futures has given me confidence and a reason to get up in the morning. We’re showing people that young people do care. We want to make our communities better.”
Cameron
“It’s good to be part of something that actually helps people. You can see the difference you’ve made. It’s not just about cleaning bins—it’s about proving that if someone gives you a chance, you can do something positive. I’m proud to be part of Genuine Futures.”
It Starts With Listening
At Genuine Futures, one simple idea sits at the heart of everything we do:
It Starts With Listening.
The Milburn Review talks about systems.
We talk about people.
Young people need trusted adults.
They need opportunities.
They need belonging.
They need communities that believe in them.
And perhaps most importantly, they need someone willing to listen.
Because when we truly listen, we begin to understand that school exclusion, youth justice, care experience, homelessness and poor mental health are often different chapters of the same story.
The Solution Is Already Here
We do not believe the answer to the NEET crisis is another report sitting on a shelf.
We believe the solution already exists.
It looks like:
- Trusted adults.
- Youth-led opportunities.
- Community action.
- Practical work experience.
- Local businesses opening their doors.
- Volunteers sharing their knowledge.
- Young people becoming part of the solution.
That is exactly what our Boss Your Future pathway was designed to do.
Not simply move young people closer to employment.
But help them rebuild confidence, trust and belonging first.
Because without those foundations, nothing else lasts.
Collaboration Creates Change
Our first Clean Futures pilot project would never have happened without collaboration.
A huge thank you to the Co-op Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund for believing in youth-led community action.
A special thank you to David Morgan, Founder of Entrepreneurs Unlocked, for introducing us to Eric McBean and Squosh It. That one introduction has already grown into a partnership that is improving communities while creating opportunities for young people.
Thank you to Eric and the Squosh It team for sharing their expertise and vision.
Thank you to Terry Walker and The Scrappers, who gave Genuine Futures a home and helped us launch Clean Futures by providing the very bin washing system now being used by our young people.
Thank you to Bradkins Commercial Vehicles and Fylde Hydraulics (Blackpool) for helping bring the project to life.
And finally, thank you to our incredible volunteers.
People like Ashley Kinsella, who freely give their time, practical skills and encouragement to help the next generation thrive.
Ashley Kinsella
“I thought I was coming to help clean a few bin stores. What I realised was that this is about changing lives. Watching Luis and Cameron grow in confidence has been incredible. If you give young people trust, time and an opportunity, they’ll often surprise you.”
Mike Alleyne
Co-Founder & Co-Director, Genuine Futures CIC
“Boss Your Future was always about helping young people discover what they’re capable of. Seeing Cameron and Luis graduate from the programme and now lead community action through Clean Futures shows exactly why this work matters.”
Sam Smith
Co-Founder & Co-Director, Genuine Futures CIC
“I never imagined that after leaving Bolton 26 years ago, I would come back and find myself working alongside young people helping to clean up the streets of Great Lever—a place where I grew up myself.
For me, this isn’t really about cleaning a bin store.
It’s about proving that no young person should ever be written off.
Cameron and Luis could easily have become another statistic.
Instead, they’re becoming leaders in their own community.
Young people aren’t the problem.
They’re the solution.
And it all starts with listening.”
We Want A Seat At The Table
This blog is not just a story.
It is a call to action.
We want a seat at the Government table.
Not because we think we have all the answers.
But because we have lived the questions.
We want our Bolton MPs to come and see what is happening on the ground.
We want Bolton Council, schools, colleges, youth organisations, housing providers, businesses and voluntary groups to work together around one shared mission.
No single organisation can solve the NEET crisis.
No single programme can solve it.
No single report can solve it.
The future will only change when we stop working in silos and start working together.
Because policies should not simply be written about young people.
They should be written with them.
Our Bolton. Our Future.
At Genuine Futures, we believe the answer to the NEET crisis lies in communities.
In collaboration.
In opportunity.
And in giving young people the chance to succeed.
Because if two young men who spent years hidden away can now help lead positive change in their own community…
Imagine what one million young people could achieve if we simply believed in them.
The answer is already here.
It starts with trusted adults.
It starts with community.
It starts with hope.
It Starts With Listening.
Our Bolton. Our Future.
Our Voice. Our Opportunity. Our Future.
We are inviting residents, schools, youth organisations, businesses, councillors, MPs, housing providers and community leaders to join the conversation.
What would make Bolton a cleaner, safer and healthier place for young people to grow up?
Take part in the Our Bolton. Our Future survey:
https://forms.gle/
Because people make places.
And real change starts with listening.