Positive activities for young people (PAYP)
Positive Activities Young People (PAYP) was officially launched by Estelle Morris MP (Minister for the Arts) in July 2003.
This new programme aims to provide developmental and diversionary activities for 8-19 year olds from 2003 to 2006. PAYP builds upon Connexions Summer Plus, Splash, Splash Extra and Community Cohesion. It is supported by departments and agencies across Government (including DfES, Home Office, DCMS and the New Opportunities Fund), providing several funds, which have all been fed into the single PAYP budget. The funding for 2003-04 PAYP programme is £25 million.
The programme is aimed at diverting and developing young people most at risk of social exclusion and committing crime, so that these are able to participate in positive activities during the school holidays. It aims to provide young people at risk with the support, guidance and opportunity to undertake positive activities they need to avoid offending and to fulfil their true potential in education, training or employment.
£13.75 million has been allocated for the recruitment of key workers to provide targeted one to one support for the hardest to reach young people involved in PAYP. These advisers will be employed by Connexions Partnerships and an additional budget has been put aside to fund the training of these advisers where appropriate.
The programme will also seek to bring together young people from different neighbourhoods and communities across England, breaking down prejudices and improving community cohesion.
The programme is being administered by Government Offices (GOs) who have recruited a lead delivery agent in each LEA to deliver the programme. In many areas, the Connexions Partnership will be the lead delivery agent but in others the youth service, youth offending teams and voluntary organisations are also filling this role.
PAYP is a three-year programme and as such it is too early to draw any firm conclusions about the impact at this stage. However, emerging feedback indicates that:
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The activities provided cover sports (including football, swimming, netball, basketball, cricket, canoeing, climbing, abseiling and sailing), arts (including crafts, painting, design, modelling, music, dance, drama and video) and education and personal development (for example alcohol abuse, sexual health, drugs, careers, work based learning, citizenship and volunteering).
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PAYP is seen by the young people participating as being a positive influence on their behaviour, both reducing their likelihood of getting into trouble and anti-social behaviour and improving how they view themselves and their self-worth.
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There is early anecdotal evidence of increased school attendance, reduced youth and nuisance crime, improved behaviour among the young people and improved community cohesion. Comments from police officers are positive; PAYP is regarded an excellent diversionary approach in general, and in particular in terms of helping some young people to turn the corner.
The first year's evaluation report will be available in May 2004.
The truly cross-departmental nature of this new programme and the shared aims and objectives it reflects across Government are reflected in the fact that Ministers from the DfES, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Home Office have all signed up to the programme.
This is not a weakening of the crime focus but a strengthening of it, alongside tackling truancy and bad behaviour in schools. It is important look at the long-term impact on anti-social behaviour; not just keeping young people off the streets during the holidays. That is why getting them back into learning is so important.
For further information, please contact the PAYP team on sheffield.payp@dfes.gsi.gov.uk.
See also the Activities for young people A-Z entry.
