This Idea is very important because our country is facing an obesity epidemic. This is linked to the fact that younger children stay in because teenagers are hanging around in places they shouldn't be, because they have nowhere else to go. Plus, the teenagers too afraid to go out because of the "thuggish" teenagers on the streets stay in – hence mass Obesity.
One of the best areas for a case study that I know of, is in Top Valley, Nottingham.
Here was an area lacking anywhere for children, teenagers and youths to go. So they built an adventure playground for children in between the ages of 5 and 13. So that is Primary School through early secondary school covered right? With dedicated care workers. Excellent, Right?
What about the older children, who fall outside of the age range? This culture of neglecting teenagers is leading to the yob culture of today, because our teenagers are feeling abandoned, because the little kids keep getting new things, while all they get are "outdoor gyms", which are also very infrequent throughout the City of Nottingham at least. And furthermore, saying "you are too old for the park, but you can go to the gym", in Britain's already weight obsessed society is harmful to their self esteem, and can lead to anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders.
This has become a major problem in this country as of late, as the youth of today are being forced to grow up quicker and quicker. At risk of sounding life a narrator for a cheesy documentary, they are only young for a short portion of their lives, before they turn into the tax paying, name sharing, overworked underpaid adults that populate Britain.
In the words of Whitney Houston:
"I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be."
I am interested to see what other people believe is the solution to this problem.
And remember all you national service lovers, I am talking about children from 13 to the early 20s (which technically aren't childhood, but I am including because due to a lack of stuff to do, that group is still rather immature in nature.)