Over the past three years it’s been hard to escape news about Brexit, but young people have been worrying about more than just leaving the EU.

Many children and young people today feel there is little or no possibility of a positive future, what Barnardo’s calls a ‘poverty of hope’.

Our new report ‘Overcoming the Poverty of Hope’ reveals  two thirds of young people believe their generation will be worse off than their parents.

While 85 per cent were optimistic that their physical health and life expectancy will be better than their parents, 69 per cent fear they will have worse mental health.

They’re worried about a whole range of issues from a lack of careers to high house prices, climate change, poor finances and increased knife crime.

At Barnardo’s we are involving children and young people in having a say about services for them. We need to work together to listen and believe in them.

Too often across the UK young people’s voices and opinions are left out of key debates and decisions that affect their futures.

In Wales, the Welsh Youth Parliament is an amazing mechanism for debate, focussing on what needs to change around some of these key issues.

Together we can ensure we support every child and young person to be the best they can be. We need to create environments and activities which nurture their talents providing positivity in their lives – let’s turn this into an abundance of hope and possibility for the children of Wales.

Sarah Crawley (Director, Barnardo’s Cymru)