Tackling Youth Loneliness

Youth loneliness is widespread, but not widely understood. The understanding section is designed to support organisations and professionals in improving their understanding of youth loneliness and isolation.

The information in this section includes a range of statistics, definitions and a number of research reports, which provide context about youth loneliness and isolation, and can be a starting point for developing responses.

With support from funders, such as the Co-op Foundation, many organisations are taking steps to address youth loneliness and isolation.  The ‘Developing Responses’ section provides suggested activities, and examples of approaches collected from a range of partners working on this issue. The more examples and ideas we have of ways to tackle youth loneliness and isolation the better, so please share your work by contacting us at mail@youthfocusne.org.uk

Young people with experience or feelings of loneliness and isolation must shape the work we do. It is obviously important that responses are not developed based on the views of just one or two young people, but young people with a lived experience bring an insight into this issue that the majority of workers may not have – regardless of how long we have been working on this subject or even if we have had our own struggles with loneliness and isolation. Involving young people in our work to tackle loneliness and isolation also gives them a degree of control, which is helpful in terms of their confidence in taking steps to improve their own wellbeing.

It is important that we understand the impact our work with young people has. This helps us to review and improve our work, as well as providing evidence-based outcomes of the difference we make to commissioners of services, government and funders. The ‘Evaluating’ section provides information on tools that specifically measure impact in terms of loneliness, as well as resources and links to networks that are useful for any work with young people.