I know from personal experience how school holidays can be a key crossroads in young people’s lives, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.
Growing up on an estate in south London, I knew people in my community – with great talent and potential – who took the wrong path with some even ending up in prison.
The truth is this could easily have happened to many of my childhood friends, but we were lucky. We were given opportunities to get into things like boxing, football and other afterschool youth activities.
Sadly, there are now far fewer opportunities like this for young Londoners due to massive Government cuts that have decimated many services that provide paths away from crime. Our Young Londoners Fundis designed to help fill that gap by supporting vital projects. But we can’t meet all of the demand and that's why we urgently need the Government to restore funding for youth services.