Can young people save the high street?

By now many, if not all, of us are familiar with the phrase: “the high street is dead.” High streets across the UK have been facing dire challenges due to the construction of large shopping centres based out of town and an increase in online shopping among consumers. High streets are often considered the heart of a community – economically, socially and culturally – thus a failing high street may leave many communities heartbroken. 

 

Yet, there may be a ‘silver lining’ to this major problem. The disused space provides an opportunity to engage one of the UK’s most neglected assets today: young people. Britain is no exception when it comes to the continuing high levels of youth unemployment – the unemployment rate for those aged 16-24 currently stands at 20.9%. Arguably, one way of building employability skills among young people and opening up new career opportunities for them is by encouraging youth enterprise. 

 

Discussions with young people about their high streets show they want to play a role in the rejuvenation process. According to a recent report by somewhereto_, a service activating unused space across the UK and helping young people to access it, 80% of young people want retailers and businesses to consult them when determining what should be available on their local high street. Therefore, for young people, the high street can be not just a place for affordable shopping or a place to socalise, but somewhere to explore their entrepreneurial spirit.

 

In an effort to engage youth in the rebuilding of their high streets, retail magnate and British entrepreneur Theo Paphitis is helping to launch somewhereto_ re:store [the high street heist]. The initiative is a youth-led high street takeover of five disused shop spaces across the UK this summer. The decision to get involved in the campaign was a simple one for Paphitis: “Young people are the entrepreneurs of the future and we should be looking to them as one of our sources of innovation for the high streets of tomorrow.”

 

In London, the re:store campaign will be taking place at a disused shop on East Street, SE1, where a diverse group of local young people will curate a series of events over six weeks. Krissi Boakye, London’s re:store manager said, “Over the next six weeks we want to focus on all the young people who are doing positive things and developing entrepreneurial skills.” Events planned for the takeover include music gigs, spoken word shows, live art demos, a pop-up department store and workshops to help broaden employment opportunities among youth. 

 

So, perhaps the high street is not dead yet. As the somewhereto_ re:store [the high street heist] effort shows, young people are clearly a source of enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit that can help reinvigorate the high street. Young people want their high streets to be successful and are looking for ways to get involved. Ultimately, relying on young people’s skills and energy will not only help to mend the heart of their communities, but also provide a much-needed avenue for youth social enterprise.