Kingsway Community Connections (KCC) says that the situation facing youth services across not only the city but the whole of the UK is now “critical”.
The Scotstoun-based organisation is renewing its calls on the Scottish and UK Governments to take urgent national action to protect young people and the future of community-based youth work.
Lainy Bedingfield, managing director at KCC, said: “We’ve reached a tipping point. Youth work changes lives, but too many organisations are being pushed to the edge.
“We’ve worked with young people in this community for nearly 25 years, and we see every day how vital these relationships are; they’re often what keep young people connected, hopeful and safe.
“Yet we’re expected to rebuild trust, prevent harm and create opportunity on funding that’s now so competitive it’s almost impossible to secure.”
KCC recently found out it was unsuccessful in its bid for the national CashBack for Communities scheme.
The organisation says this leaves them without dedicated youth work funding beyond 2025.
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KCC, which is a community-led charity, delivers long-standing programmes to prevent violence affecting young people.
The charity is warning that the lack of funding reflects a “wider crisis across the sector” where smaller, community-based organisations are said to be struggling to keep services running amid “rising demand and shrinking resources”.
Lainy went on to explain that she feels youth work should be recognised as an “essential” part of communities.
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She added: “This isn’t just about funding, it’s about recognising youth work as an essential part of how we keep communities strong and young people safe.
“Every government strategy talks about prevention, wellbeing and opportunity. Youth work is prevention.
“It’s time that was reflected in the decisions being made. Our CashBack application would have allowed us to continue crucial work with young people most at risk of harm.
“The fact that it wasn’t successful isn’t just about us; it’s a sign that the system is failing to value youth work as the essential service it is.
“Without national action, we will lose skilled workers, vital spaces, and the trust of a generation.”
KCC says it has seen an increasing demand for support across its youth programmes, which focus on preventing and responding to violence affecting young people, promoting wellbeing, and strengthening community connection.
The charity states that without sustained national investment, vital local support networks will “continue to erode”, leaving more youngsters at risk.
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It comes after members of KCC visited London in September, where, alongside the Marcus Lipton Community Enterprise, they launched a call for national action.
The partnership was formed in the aftermath of the death of 15-year-old Amen Teklay, who was a youth member of KCC.
The teenager died in March this year after being found seriously injured in Clarendon Street in Maryhill.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government recognises the transformational impact that youth work has on the lives of young people and the ways it supports measures in tackling anti-social behaviour.
“Earlier this week, the Scottish Government announced £150,000 of additional funding to support grassroots youth services aimed at helping young people to overcome barriers to learning, improve school attendance and promote positive behaviours.
“This is in addition to more than £2 million of funding already invested in community-based youth work by the Scottish Government since 2023.
“This national funding supplements the responsibilities that councils have to fund youth work services in their individual local authorities.
“Additionally, our Cashback for Communities programme helped to provide crucial early intervention and preventable support to more than 15,000 young people in the past year. The programme will provide up to £26 million from April 2026 to the end of March 2029, a £6 million increase from the previous phase.”
A DCMS spokesperson added: “Youth services are vital in helping young people feel valued and active contributors to their communities.
“Funding for youth services in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government.”
