A place to grow
Exploring the future health of young people in five sites across the UK
December 2018
Key points
- In five UK towns and cities, the Young People’s Future Health Inquiry team listened to the perspectives of young people and youth organisations about access to the assets needed for a healthy transition into adulthood.
- Our visits uncovered common themes and a strong sense of place, shaping the young people’s identity and how they described themselves.
- But young people’s access to the opportunities and relationships that can ensure a healthy future varies across the UK.
- Young people are profoundly affected by the nature of their local economy, housing and labour markets, and by the strength of the social fabric around them.
A place to grow is the second report in the Health Foundation’s Young People’s Future Health Inquiry and is the result of engagement with over 600 young people aged 16–24 years from five distinct areas across the UK.
This report marks the next step in our inquiry, investigating some of the key issues impacting young people’s transition into adulthood.
Find out how we chose and organised our five site visits, including training young people to become peer researchers in their locality. And read about the common themes we identified across the areas, reflecting wider societal trends or national policies and how they play out in young people’s lives:
- location and identity: the power of place
- families and place: a changing support system
- education and employment: developing the whole person and every person
- youth services and opportunities: creating potential
- transport: connecting places and people.
The report highlights how optimistic, energetic and committed young people are — but how their health and wellbeing is already being eroded by day-to-day pressures.
If you’d like us to keep in touch with news and updates from the inquiry, complete our sign-up form.
Related download
Further reading
Press release
Future health of the next generation at risk due to lack of opportunities in home towns
The Health Foundation is warning that the core building blocks for a healthy future - a place to call home, potential for sec...
Learning report
Listening to our future
Listening to our future is the first report in the Health Foundation's Young people's future health inquiry.
You might also like...
Newsletter feature
Two creative partnerships that got people thinking differently about health
Throughout 2018, the Health Foundation is proud to have been involved with two inspiring partnerships, both of which are enco...
Press release
ONS data reveals healthy life expectancy improvements stalling
Health Foundation response to ONS data on health state life expectancies, UK: 2015 to 2017.
Press release
Loneliness is a key risk factor for the future health of young people
Health Foundation response to the Office for National Statistics release on children’s and young people’s experience of lonel...
Get social
Health Foundation @HealthFdn
Cancer patients diagnosed through an emergency route often have a substantially lower chance of survival. Our repo… https://t.co/dj9MqMHB8m
Follow us on TwitterWork with us
We look for talented and passionate individuals as everyone at the Health Foundation has an important role to play.
View current vacanciesThe Q Community
Q is an initiative connecting people with improvement expertise across the UK.
Find out more