Innholdsfortegnelse for 6/23/2025 i The Big Issue

As Chief Executive of the national youth charity OnSide, I spend a lot of time in youth centres across the country, meeting young people and hearing their stories. It’s the best part of my job and I leave every conversation energised, thinking a bit differently and wishing more people had the opportunity to listen to and learn from them. Because what those of us who are lucky enough to work with young people already know is this: despite the stereotypes, they are not apathetic, disengaged or lacking in ambition. They’re not a problem to be fixed. They are brilliant. They care deeply about their communities. They want to be heard, and they want to make a difference. That’s what makes this special edition of Big Issue, edited by young people,…

Every kid should have a brilliant youth worker and a youth club they can go to. I am living proof it pays off. I first went to a youth club when I was 13 because it was summer and I was bored. There’s really not much to do in Blackburn apart from bowling or ice skating but they cost money. Instead you sit in McDonald’s or in the bus station using the free wifi. But doing that every day is really dull. Me and a mate thought going to the Youth Zone would be a laugh. AND there was free food and entry at the time, nothing to lose really. Walking through those doors, just five minutes from the bus station, was the best choice I ever made. It was…

I’ve been told my whole life that my name’s too hard to pronounce, so I’ve got used to saying, “Hi, my name’s Tumi”, not “Hi, my name’s Tumukunde.” But at the same time, am I taking away from my own identity by not introducing myself as me and introducing myself as a nickname? That’s kind of like the mystery, Oh, who is Tumi? My mum and sister and cousins call me Kunde. That’s a really cute nickname. I still love my name. My mum’s Burundian, and she chose my name from my grandma. Tumukunde means: ‘You’re gonna love her.’ I feel like the meaning of my name reflects my personality. I’m the type of person who sees someone and I’ll go speak to them, even though I don’t really know…

YOUNG PEOPLE, HEALTH AND JOBS Young workers say health issues could push them out of work. How can the government grow the economy without them? Lottie EltonBig Issue reporter Two in five young workers fear declining health could push them out of work despite Labour’s pledge to boost employment. The government has promised to “back the next generation” with a series of youth employment initiatives. But a growing health crisis could derail that ambition, according to a new report. Research from the Work Foundation at Lancaster University found that 43% of workers aged 16-24 expect their health to deteriorate within the next year – the most of any age group. The same proportion worry that this could ultimately push them out of the workforce. These health challenges cast a long…

Hi, I’m Raees. I am 14 years old, and from a young age I’ve been obsessed with numbers and being successful. And I’ve always wanted to start a business. It’s the dream. However, my family isn’t stable enough to live the luxury life. I want my children to live the life that brings luxury. I’ve realised I want to start a clothing brand. This brand is called Styluxe. The slogan is: ‘Elevate your Wardrobe’. This is a clothing brand that sells clothes like suits, jackets, coats, blazers, trousers. Or you could say ‘smart clothing’. By 2029 I would like to be a millionaire, and by 2036 I would like to be in the tens of millions or hundreds of millions. I came across Simon Squibb from TikTok. He experienced homelessness…

Being a teenager is the first time you get to choose your own clothes and develop your sense of style. You might not have a job yet so why not go for whatever makes you happy and suits you? I wear a black tracksuit and trainers, and sometimes feel like I’m labelled as trouble. But this is what I feel comfortable and most confident in. I think adults shouldn’t judge us because of what we wear. I’d never change myself for anybody. I wanted to know why people my age wear what they do. So I asked my peers around the country what their outfits mean to them. But first, this is my own style. How would you describe your style? I dress in full tracksuit with a man bag…

LISA NANDY Culture secretary “Youth centres open doors to creativity, culture and friendship. But too many young people have seen centres disappear. We recently confirmed £132.5 million to boost youth services and create more opportunities for young people to take part in the arts, culture and sports – ensuring that these are no longer the preserve of a privileged few. We have also carried out the biggest listening exercise in a generation to inform a new National Youth Strategy, launching later this year. This will ensure that young people’s voices directly shape the policies that will affect their lives.” STEPHEN GRAHAM Actor “I was there every night of the week. As soon as I came home from school I would do my homework, have my tea, watch Neighbours and bosh!…

BRIAN, 31 I’ve been doing Big Issue over the last three years – it’s actually been pretty cool. I’ve been getting a lot of support. Whenever I’ve needed help, they try and do the best they can. They’ve been quite a big backbone of mine, if I’m honest. They’ve given me food vouchers. They’ve helped me out with trying to get employment. They’ve done Equals to Equals with me, which is a Big Issue thing where you basically try out working in the office. I did it for about 10 days but I really enjoyed being in the office. All of the staff are bubbly and down to earth. I enjoy working outside too, and I do have quite a few regular customers that come and see if I’m alright,…

Get in touch The Big Issue, 2nd floor, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW letters@bigissue.com @bigissueuk @bigissue.com @bigissue /bigissueUK @thebigissue Teen spirit The media is full of horror stories about the state of the mental health of our children. As always when problems for teens arise, suggestion flood in which are almost always: our schools should be doing more about bullying, poor diets, kids watching pornography, knife crime, drug abuse, physical fitness etc. The list is unending, and we certainly cannot keep trying to dump this on already hard-pressed teachers. What is clear to me as a youth worker with 50 years’ experience, is that we are not looking hard enough at what is the cause of all these problems. If we listen to our teens, they tell us that…

After lockdown, I started to struggle in traditional education. I was midway through Year 9 when school returned to normal. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do the work, or that I didn’t want to be there – I just couldn’t concentrate. In every lesson, I focused more on how my anxiety was making me feel than what the lesson was teaching. My attendance began to slip. When I started Year 10, I was barely attending school and, when I did, I wasn’t learning anything as I was so behind. Teachers began to reach out, questioning why I wasn’t coming to school. My attendance got so bad my mum was fined and we were given a court order. I was often described as ‘lazy’ and ‘apathetic’, when really there…

I was in a school maths lesson, aged 14, and the teacher was a substitute who hadn’t met the class before. I’d been growing out my hair and trying to look more feminine. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said to me, and for a heartbeat it felt like all the sound had gone out of the room. I felt totally calm, and I knew without a doubt that he was right. Fast forward four years and that sense of clarity, relief and optimism has been shattered by a Supreme Court judgment that has left me feeling defeated, anxious and unsafe to go out in public. My story begins when I was 11 and I started secondary school. I felt no affinity or belonging with any boys. I wondered if I was…

Life when you’re young is never simple, navigating tremendous change and first-time experiences. But add in today’s social issues, and it’s a hallway full of laser tripwires. Teenagers are pulling themselves away from school, dealing with mental health issues, and figuring out their place in the world. Doing so requires tools, and the right support. Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of Big Issue, has been getting money to those figuring out the solutions and working on the front line, day-in day-out, to improve young lives. These are the pioneering organisations making a change. Kalda A quarter of young LGBTQ+ people aged 18 to 24 say they have avoided seeking help for their mental health. A different approach is needed. With courses designed by LGBT+ neuroscientists and therapists, the…