SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, wants to see more help for ‘Lost Boys’.
Mr Rowlands, recently led a short debate in Welsh Parliament on the subject and this week sponsored the Welsh launch of the Lost Boys State of the Nation report in the Senedd. The report by led by the Centre for Social Justice focusses on young men and boys in Britain who have been left behind by the system.
Mr Rowlands was part of a panel who discussed the report with fellow Senedd members and an invited audience and also took part in a question and answer session.
He said: “The Lost Boys report laid bare the deep and urgent crisis facing boys and young men across the UK.
“From chronic underachievement in schools and record rates of school exclusion, to growing levels of violence, mental ill-health, and social disconnection, the evidence paints a stark picture of a generation at risk.
“In 2022, over 17% of Welsh young men aged 19 to 24 were not in education, employment or training compared to just 11% of young women in the same year.
“When compared with 18-year-olds across the UK, Welsh boys are the least likely to go on to higher education.
“These boys are falling behind—educationally, socially, and economically—with long-term consequences not only for them, but for our communities and society at large.
“Boys and young men in Wales have so much to offer, their families, their communities and society at large, and we should be doing all we can to support them in doing so.”
