It’s a time to invest in a young person’s future. A time that can change their path.
Do you remember having to go back to school in September? I know that, for me at least, I was filled with anxiety before I even got through the school gates. But that soon gave way to the excitement of seeing my friends and reliving holiday fun as we recounted what we got up to.
For others, however, the experience can look very different. Routine disappears. Structured time is lost. Access to trusted adults disappears. Opportunities become harder to find. For some, boredom gradually gives way to disengagement. For others, vulnerability increases as they spend more time in environments that do little to support their development.
The risks facing young people do not take six weeks off simply because school closes its doors.
Across LifeLine Projects, we see this pattern emerge every year through our work with young people, families, early years services, literacy programmes and wider community support. While every young person’s experience is different, one observation remains consistent: Summer is not neutral time.
The progress a young person has made throughout the school year can either be strengthened or weakened depending on what happens during those weeks away from formal education, after-school activities, and the daily structure it provides. This is why the language often used around summer provision deserves closer examination.
Activities for young people are frequently described as enrichment, diversion, or engagement. These descriptions are not wrong, but they fail to capture something more important.
What we are seeing on the ground is that structured summer support often acts as a form of prevention. Not because it solves every problem, but because it helps stop small issues from becoming larger ones. What young people gain is more than an activity to engage with.
Across our SW!TCH Futures and SW!TCH Ambassadors programmes, our Youth Team consistently describes the same types of change taking place during periods of sustained engagement.
Somto highlights increased confidence, improved teamwork, a stronger understanding of individual roles within groups, and the commitment needed to start and finish tasks.
Jordan points to improved communication skills, opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds, and safe environments where young people can develop independence while broadening their experiences.
Monique observes growth in social skills, adaptability and problem-solving as young people encounter new challenges and learn how to navigate them.
Itoro highlights something equally significant: reduced exposure to antisocial behaviour and other harmful influences that can emerge when young people have little structure or support around them.
Taken together, these are not simply programme outputs. They are protective factors.
They are the building blocks that help young people make positive decisions, remain engaged with education, develop aspirations for the future, and build resilience when challenges arise.
Because six weeks ends up being the great separator. You’ll find some young people busy with family holidays, relaxing with close friends, or honing their skills at a tennis boot-camp. Meanwhile, others become lost in boredom, staring at a screen 12 hours a day, or even finding themselves falling into mischief or danger.
Most importantly, engagement helps maintain momentum. Because one of the greatest risks during the summer is not necessarily crisis itself—it is drift: drift away from positive routines; drift away from aspirations; drift away from opportunities; and, in some cases, drift towards influences that move young people further from the futures they want for themselves.
The evidence points in the same direction. The research surrounding youth provision, early intervention, and youth employment programmes consistently highlights the value of structured support during periods when young people might otherwise disengage.
Studies have linked sustained participation in youth programmes with improved educational engagement, increased employability, stronger social development, and reduced involvement in antisocial behaviour.
Similarly, evidence from youth and family services suggests that structured activities can help reduce isolation, maintain engagement, and provide positive alternatives during periods of increased vulnerability.
The common ingredients are remarkably consistent:
Trusted adults. Structured environments. Meaningful participation. Strong attendance. Sufficient duration.
When these factors are present, young people are more likely to remain connected to positive pathways. When they are absent, risk does not suddenly appear in September; it accumulates quietly throughout the summer.
What makes this conversation particularly important is that the systems supporting young people are often designed to respond once problems become visible. We invest heavily in crisis intervention, safeguarding responses, youth justice services, and acute mental health support. These services are essential and often operate under immense pressure.
But many of the issues they respond to do not emerge overnight. They develop gradually through the accumulation of missed opportunities, weakened routines, and reduced support.
This raises an important question:
If we know that certain periods create increased vulnerability for some young people, are we doing enough to maintain the structures that help keep them on track?
Summer provision is often treated as discretionary or short-term. Yet many communities already rely on it to provide supervision, positive relationships, opportunities for growth and safe spaces for young people during a period when other systems temporarily step back.
Our SW!TCH Futures programme provides mentoring, structured activities, and ongoing engagement with youth development workers. And SW!TCH Ambassadors builds on this by creating opportunities for leadership, peer support, and community contribution.
Together, these programmes recognise something important. Positive futures are rarely built through single interventions. They are built through consistent engagement over time.
One opportunity leads to another. Confidence becomes participation. Participation becomes responsibility. Responsibility becomes aspiration. And aspiration becomes a pathway towards education, employment, and community contribution.
This is not simply about keeping young people busy during the holidays. It is about helping them maintain direction.
The conversations around young people during the summer often focus on activities. But perhaps the more important conversation is about opportunity.
What opportunities are available? Who can access them? And what happens when they are not there?
From our perspective, the answer is increasingly clear: Summer is a time that can change a young person’s path, not just a gap between school years. For many young people, it is a period that can either reinforce progress or increase vulnerability.
That is why summer support should be viewed as more than enrichment. It is part of the wider network of relationships, opportunities and structures that help young people stay engaged, develop confidence and move towards brighter futures.
And if we are serious about prevention, we cannot afford to ignore the periods when young people may need that support most.