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Dear Mr Cameron

October 28, 2011 10:50 am

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I am writing to you today about the cuts to the youth services and youth workers in Oxfordshire and the UK.

I am a young person from Banbury, Oxfordshire, and I want to tell you about my past and how it affected me and my social life, and how the youth service helped me to get through it all and to get back on my own feet.

When I was eleven years of age, I was peer pressured into smoking a cigarette by older students at school. Because they were older than me, I felt intimidated by them standing over me and telling me what to do. They wouldn’t give up trying to make me try the cigarette, I got more and more scared, so in the end I tried it so they wouldn’t hurt me. After a year of smoking cigarettes, I got addicted to them. When I was twelve, I was offered cannabis. I took it to try and then got addicted after a short period of time. I then started going out smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol on a daily basis. I soon started to consume Class A and Class B drugs, and things seemed to fall apart more and more every day. I was getting into trouble with the police from being out on the streets doing things that I shouldn’t have been. I was also drifting away from my family as the drugs that I was taking were making me angry and giving me mood swings.

In 2007, I was introduced to Mike Beal and Brendon Miller, who are two youth workers, at Banbury Youth Centre. I told them what I was going through and they started to work with me straight away. I was troubled at school, because I taking the drugs, it affected the way I behaved at school as well. I also suffer from ADHD, (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) OCD, (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Tourette syndrome and Dyslexia. The teachers at school wouldn’t put out any of their time to help me with my work, so Mike and Brendon helped me with the work that I was doing for school.

In 2009, I was almost completely clean and sober of drugs and alcohol and I was starting to focus on my music. I started playing music at the age of 6. I started off playing drums. When I started taking drugs, my interest in playing music has stopped completely. Mike is also a Musician and got me up and working with music again. Whilst he was helping to get off of the streets, he was teaching me how to play the guitar.

I am now seventeen, completely free of drugs and only consume alcoholic beverages on special occasions, with my family. I am now in further education and now study BTEC A Level and Level 1, 2 and 3 in youth work, and training to be a drugs and alcohol worker. And I also now play Drums, Guitar, Bass guitar, Piano, Ukulele and I also sing.

The point that I am trying to get across to you is that the youth service has changed my life completely. If it wasn’t for Mike, Brendon and the youth service, I could be either in rehab, prison or even dead. The youth service saved my life.

Funds have been cut from schools, jobs and businesses, why has the youth service been cut completely; couldn’t just funds be cut from the service?

The youth service and what it does is amazing, and to see it go is very upsetting, I have lost friends from the loss of the youth service and its workers. The service means so much to me and helped me so much, I don’t want other young people to be making the same mistakes as I did, and with the help of the youth service, young people have help with not making mistakes. But now that the youth service has gone, more people will be out doing the same things that I used be doing, and that is not fair on them, their families, or friends. Mike Beal was such an inspiration to me, which is why I chose to be a youth worker and am also training to be a drugs and alcohol worker.

I have had a meeting with Oxfordshire’s MP, Tony Baldry, with other young people who have had help from the youth service, we asked him questions and we did not like how he was responding to us. So on behalf of the young people who have been helped and want the service and workers back, I hope you can find the time to contact someone to arrange a meeting with me to have a discussion about the situation or you could come down to the new HUB centre in Banbury, or I could even travel to London to your lovely home, as it would be an honour to meet you.

Thank-you for taking time to read this hope you take it into mind.

Kind Regards,

Jordan Mark Rolfe

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  • Mike Beal

    see jordan and youth workers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhTO12aMi08

  • Redshift

    Good article. Stories like yours need to be said. Have you sent it off to local/county-wide newspapers?

  • derek

    Great read Jordan and all the best!!!!

  • http://scarletstandard.co.uk/ Emma Burnell

    Great story. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

    It is essential to put a human face on what is being lost and to ensure that these services aren’t denigrated so they can be rebuilt.

  • Smithhe

    Well said and well done for voicing your opinions!

  • David MacDonald

    And you parents? How do they fit into your story?
     
    “.., and training to be a drugs and alcohol worker.”
     
    Oh!

    • Patsyrolfe

      David
      as Jordan mother we were always there for him as everyone knows we cannot be with our children 24hrs a day he went through hell and as always had a difficult time i am very proud of him as he is now a well grounded young man

      • Maxinemoore1

        David, 
        Jordan has a fantastic family and friends network to standing right  beside  him, they  are extremely proud of him and  have unconditionally supported him throughout his troubles  however that support is not the one which is under threat !!!!! and  i am sure people will agree that with the best will in the world young  people sometimes need support and guidance from an outside source and away from their home life, which is exactly what the youth service offered. 

    • Anonymous

      DoH, you will need to explain that one a bit better.

  • Patsyrolfe

    As Jordan mother we fitted in quiet well thank you we were always there to support Jordan he as turned out to be a well grounded lad and he is training  now to a youth worker and he will do a great job 

  • Maxinemoore1

    Well done Jordan, we are so so very proud of the you and what you have achieved and have become over the last few years, it is also scary thinking about what could of happened and what you could of become with out the support you received from the youth services, i think Mr Cameron and his colleagues OWE you the opportunity to discuss your views and ways that could prevent such cuts to an very important service, as we all know the youth of today are our future,  keep going mate dont give up 

  • Anonymous

    Jordan I can understand what your talking about, being Dyslexic myself , even today I struggle with it, after my accident although not taking illegal drugs I spent four years being pumped full of Morphine, and became addicted to that, I went cold turkey on a Monday and nearly ended up climbing the walls. In my day of course Dyslexia was not even known about.

    Well written article , at the moment I help out at the local school for children with serious disabilities, four of these kids will be going to the  next winter Olympics .

    we are seeing cuts to our  youth clubs down here in Wales and it’s a disgrace.

    keep up the good work.

  • Anonymous

    Gosh, thanks so much Jordan for sharing this- of vital importance to flag these issues up.

    You have achieved so much, and I hope you go from strength to strength.

    We all need to hear many more testimonials like these to understand the reality out there,
    perhaps especially politicians and policy makers.

    Only had time to skim through, but hope to return and give more thought to wider issues you raise.

    Best wishes and good luck,  Jo.

    • Anonymous

      An excellent article to add:

      “Executive pay soars while young poor face freefall. Where is Labour?”

      Polly T, Guardian; 28/10.

  • The Grunt

    Well done, Jordan.  Pleased to hear of your personal achievement too.

  • Anonymous

    Hi Mike, I did see this briefly- thankyou for sharing.

    I think you and Jordan/colleagues have grounds for widening this campaign;
    eg why are youth services being cut, and what provision is out there for young people with mental health/drug/alcohol issues,(and others)?

    How is community adolescent psychiatry faring in terms of funding allocation across local areas?

    I worked some time ago in a “drop in” centre for YP aged 12-25 in an inner city area
    and the place was always buzzing; extremely well used. It provided a safe space for YP to socialize, share problems, join groups, and access information and skilled support.
    also advice for contraception and making choices around healthy lifestyles.

    Some of these kids are extremely vulnerable, and this could be the first and only point of contact and eg link into statutory services like health or education, counselling, and the fantastic work that happens in the voluntary sector- like housing support and advice.

    I met one young man who had been living in a skip for about 3 months; as I recall he’d been homeless and isolated for much time, and had serious mental and physical health problems.If he hadn’t have known where to seek help, or services hadn’t been accessible, who knows what might have happened to him?

    There are many many more examples like this.

    YP need access to good education, non judgmental support and advice, quality information, and safe spaces to share their problems and worries, also to socialize and link up with peer group.

    Youth and community workers are absoloutely vital as part of a whole team approach in prevention of existing problems escalating, and offering invaluable support and listening; signposting to people and services in local areas.

    I wish you luck, and would like to hear more if any developments.

    Jo

    • Anonymous

      I’d just like to add, some of these kids have experienced serious abuse which can lead to long term mental health problems and blight their life chances.

      If services are stripped away, what impact could that have on them, their families, and society?

      I can see no justification whatsoever for ignoring or neglecting the needs of a whole section of society; we should not just be acting in crisis mode, but offering support and intervention at the earliest possible moment in time.
      Prevention and being proactive and accessible is the name of the game,
      not complacency or ignorance of what already exists out there.

      J

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