• THE summer holidays have started and youngsters are cheering but for many families summer holidays are times of anxiety about how to ensure young people are safely occupied during the long holidays.

Recognising this, Camden Council continues to fund its summer holiday programme offering for all ages, a range of free and low-cost activities including sport, music, art and gardening.

But what about young people who are unable or simply don’t want to engage with these activities? Support is provided by the council’s youth workers to encourage participation by the most vulnerable young people.

Extra council resources are ensuring community projects run by youth workers can be developed or extended this summer. But more youth workers are needed.

When working in community education, I saw how effective youth workers are in encouraging young people back into education and training, helping build self-esteem, showing them how to stay safe, especially during these long holidays.

Making positive interventions with those on the brink of school exclusion or those engaged with gang culture. Camden’s youth workers often work with marginalised, hard to reach, young people.

Because of Tory austerity cuts over the last decade the numbers in the youth service declined and their experience has been lost to young people; and indirectly to families and the wider community.

The council has achieved a lot and Camden Youth Work Apprenticeships are helping increase recruitment. Among those recruited are young people who were previously peer advocates, who bring a range of local community experience.

The council must continue to expand the important role of youth workers during the summer and all year. There are serious concerns about knife crime and the county lines activities of drug gangs.

Youth workers are an indispensable part of community defence of our young people against this violence and exploitation.

TRICIA LEMAN, N6