Seven problems to fix

Lilli Geissendorfer
  Lilli Geissendorfer
Researcher, Young Foundation
He's watching you

 

RECENTLY AT THE YOUNG FOUNDATION thinktank, we mapped out some of Britain's most pressing social needs. We pulled together official statistics, reports, interviews, and an opinion poll and identified seven categories of problems that clearly need attention. Solving them will require private and public investment, a change in the way we behave towards others, and some fresh thinking in Whitehall.

Charities will also play a major role. Already they already address most of the problems we identified - and most are in constant need of funds to see them through. If you support them, you'll be helping the problems that we summarise below, full details of which you can find in our document, "Mapping Britain's Needs (PDF file 1.6Mb).

 

1. The poverty trap

Most poor people are affected by a combination of complex needs that means they don't have the skills to get good jobs, and so stay poor. It also means they often live in overcrowded conditions, get ill, and have problems with debt. This saps ambition, meaning that few have the energy left to make their situation any better.
See: our Society & work charity overview.
 

2. Immigration

Though immigration can be a good thing, people-trafficking and modern slavery are big problems, especially in London. Even people who have come to Britain voluntarily often end up in dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs, while for many more the language barrier also proves a barrier to success.
See: our Human rights and Homelessness charity overviews.
 

3. Family breakdown

Parents today often have trouble keeping families together. This is especially a problem for poor people, who can't afford childcare, and sometimes these problems lead to children running away or being taken into care. These children are also more likely to be unemployed or to commit crime. At the root of these problems often lies sexual ignorance and teenage pregnancy - which are bigger problems here than in the rest of Europe.
See: our Society & work charity overview; our Childrens charities overview; and our Education charities overview.
 

4. Unhappiness

There has been a measurable rise in stress and depression in recent years. Some people are lonely, depressed or bored; others are bullied, or the victims of prejudice. Unhappiness affects us all, but sustained unhappiness can be an affliction that makes other aspects of our lives worse. On top of this, government spending on mental health hasn't kept pace with demand in recent years.
See: our Health charities and Society & work charity overviews.
 

5. Unrestrained consumption

British people on the whole eat too much. This means they get more chronic illnesses - like diabetes and heart disease - but it's also part of a wider picture of damaging over-indulgence and addictions. Binge-drinking in particular can cause illness and late-night violence.
See: our Health charities and Society & work charity overviews.
 

6. Increased life expectancy

Long-term illness is expensive to treat and difficult to live with. But because of recent medical advances, more and more people are living with some form of disease. Supporting these people and ensuring they can live full lives is a growing challenge.
See: our Elderly charity overview; our Hospices overview; and our Health charities overview.
 

7. Violence

For most British people, violence is something they'll experience at home. Domestic violence is the leading cause of death for women aged 19 to 44, and the abuse of elderly people is an issue charities are becoming increasingly aware of. Putting young offenders into prison often doesn't help either, since bullying is rife and there's an alarming suicide rate.
See: our Human rights charities overview; our Society & work charities overview; and our Elderly charities overview.

> Go to the Charity chooser


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Reader's comments

My Gran
Submitted by Brenwin (not verified) on Thu, 22/05/2008 - 4:51pm.

I agree with Sally - my Gran had 12 kids and used to harumph to herself when anyone mentioned unhapiness or counselling - 'try having 12 kids and no washing machine and tell me you have time to be unhappy'.

Its all relative, innit?


No, your money won't buy
Submitted by cameronweaver on Thu, 02/11/2006 - 5:10pm.

No, your money won't buy happiness - but it might buy a little relief from life's drudgeries that would make life worth living... Cameron.


Left wing nonsense
Submitted by Sally Delves (not verified) on Thu, 02/11/2006 - 4:45pm.

What a typical load of Guardian style rubbish! This article is just another example of a liberal do-gooding youngster trying to find work for herself in a leftwing, tax-gobbling think tank! I have no idea why 'unhappiness' should be seen as a major problem in our society!! If your unhappy, your unhappy - and its nobody else's business!!! Why should I try to make people happy?? Will my money buy it for them?!


grant-giving charities
Submitted by Adam Rothwell on Thu, 02/11/2006 - 4:29pm.

Cameron, it does seem like you've hit on something here.

However, though we think that giving to a grant-giver is usually to take the easy way out, we think that for some people it's the only practical option.

So long as you've researched which causes the grant-giver gives to, and so long as you genuinely believe that they're going to spend your money better than you would have done, then by all means give freely.

We just think that, for most people, the most effective form of giving is the sort that follows a bit of research - like a trip to Intelligent Giving.

I hope this answers your question!
Adam, Researcher, Intelligent Giving


Thanks, Peter
Submitted by cameronweaver on Wed, 01/11/2006 - 5:57pm.

The idea of a charity fund sounds potentially like an excellent one - especially if the investors (people like me!) were able to see which charities their money was being given to, and how well they scored in your reviews. My only reservation would be that this would be a little bit like giving to a grant-giving trust, like Children in Need, which elsewhere on the site you say you don't like, because of its administrative overheads. How would you get round that problem?
Cameron


Should we make choosing easier?
Submitted by Peter Heywood on Wed, 01/11/2006 - 3:31pm.

Cameron's comment about the problems of having to choose between the seven problem identified in this article has reminded me of an idea that we discussed at Intelligent Giving.

The idea was that we could put together the equivalent of funds comprising a portfolio of charities that we liked. One of those funds could cover every sector, giving donors a one-stop-shop for giving.

I think we discovered that this would get us into deep water with financial services regulators so put it to one side.

What do you think about this idea?

Peter Heywood, Intelligent Giving


How to choose?
Submitted by cameronweaver on Tue, 31/10/2006 - 7:36pm.

This sounds like an interesting article - but, seeing as nobody could possibly support *all* of these causes, does Ms Geissendorfer have any suggestions of which of the above problems is the most pressing? I'd also be interested to know how these conclusions were arrived at. Can anyone help? Cameron Weaver.


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