In the aftermath of the August 2011 riots, BYC carried out research with over 900 young people and leaders across the UK examining the underlying factors that contributed to young people's decisions to join in the disturbances.

The report ( Our Streets) describes a range of different reasons for involvement, and provides an opportunity for the majority of young people to comment on  what needs to change.

Young people wanted to challenge the negative stereotype as not typical, but at the same time wanted to highlight their concerns about underlying youth unemployment and cuts to services. However all young people need to feel some stake in their communities if they are not to harm them, and the report called for greater and more visible investment in youth and communities.

The dominating themes of our research into why a minority of young people took part were 'lack of respect' and 'opportunism'. But also rating highly was an anxiety around lack of jobs and opportunities.

At the time, BYC Chair Liam Preston (26) called on local communities to invite and involve young leaders in their debates to ensure all these issues are addressed together, as one community.

Liam, now approaching the end of his term of office, reflects on what's different one year on:

"A year on and with hindsight, it's likely that the police will now be better prepared tactically, that rioters will be more aware of - and many deterred by - the potential consequences and that the media might think again about the consequences of their 24 hour reporting.

"Some local authorities have thought twice about the role youth services play in preventing or mitigating the worst behaviour, and responded to our calls to 'choose youth' when protecting services from cuts.

"BYC called for greater youth participation in communities - emphasising the importance of young leadership, role models and spokespeople to the media. We've seen most local authorities maintain their youth councils, despite cuts to to youth services, and there has been some media willingness to talk to young people not just about them - BBC Three's Free Speech being a good example.

"But it's still not enough. We also recommended investment in youth in general, and while the 'trigger and knock on effect' of last year's disturbances might not repeat in the same way, there is a growing underling pressure on young people.

"A general weight of issues is pressing down on our young people and contributes to an overall sense of worthlessness that can lead to them giving up hope. In the last year, youth unemployment has continued to rise, the costs of education have increased, careers services have been reformed and there has been continued reduction of youth services. This is just not good enough, and our young people deserve better opportunities.

"BYC is calling for investment in youth - jobs and services - including the retention of the skilled and experienced volunteers and professionals who engage and support young people in their communities. Their work mitigates against the worst behaviour and offers hope and alternatives."

BYC's conclusions (from Our Streets 2011)

  1. Young people highlighted multiple factors that they believe drove each individual who decided to 'join in' the rioting and looting. They believe that most significant of these were around an absence of respect and restraint when it came to obeying the law, but also a number of underlying factors such as the rise in youth unemployment which has been associated with a lack of hope or aspiration.
  2. Reciprocal and coordinated measures to address the underlying factors behind the riots, including investment in young people and communities, are at the top of young people's list of necessary measures to prevent a recurrence. 8 out of 10 young people who responded to the survey called for cuts to youth services to be reviewed.
  3. Young people are part of the community but relate to it in different ways. Some obviously don't relate to it in a positive way, helping themselves and damaging property, but the vast majority want to be more engaged, and many do as leaders and community volunteers. 8 out of 10 believe youth participation needs support and believe that young leaders will play an important role in creating a more equal society. This needs nourishment and investment.
  4. Young people reacted to events with a mixture of shock, disgust and sadness, as did many adults - but perhaps with less surprise. Many also felt ashamed of their peers and were keen to disassociate themselves from the minority, instead celebrating those young people who volunteered to clear up in their communities after the riots. This needs addressing with greater public recognition of positive role models.
  5. We asked young people to share their views on many of the debates which have emerged since the riots. From those we spoke to:
  • 93% of young people agree that young people need to speak out to the media and be involved in media debates on the riots.
  • 88% of young people agree that youth leaders need to be supported to strengthen their communities.
  • 84% of young people agree that cuts to youth service need to be reviewed.
  • 79% of young people agree that young leaders will play an important role in creating a more equal society.