NEARLY a quarter of young adults across the Bradford district are "prisoners in their own homes", according to a new report released by the Prince's Trust today.

The youth charity states that 23 per cent of people aged 16 to 25 are "too anxious to leave the house," made significantly worse if they are unemployed, rather than being in work, education, or training.

The national report, based on interviews with 2,265 young adults across the UK, including those from Bradford, also claimed 23 per cent of people across the district had admitted to "falling apart" emotionally on a regular basis, again made worse if the individuals were jobless.

The data was collected as part of the charity's seventh annual Youth Index survey, which gauges young people’s wellbeing across a range of areas from family life to physical health.

The research showed how unemployed young people felt significantly less happy across all areas of their lives, with 52 per cent saying they often felt anxious about everyday situations, and 46 per cent saying they avoided meeting new people.

More than a third, 37 per cent, said they often felt down or depressed, with almost half, 49 per cent, reporting they felt "scared" about life in general.

A further 26 per cent of young adults in Bradford said they often felt "invisible," with 33 per cent saying anxiety had stopped them from being able to look for or find a job.

Jonathan Townsend, director for the North of England at The Prince’s Trust, said: "Thousands of young people in Bradford feel like prisoners in their own homes.

"Without the right support, these young people become socially isolated, struggling with day-to-day life and slipping further and further from the jobs market.

"Our programmes are proven to help even the most vulnerable young people find work and turn their lives around.”

Chris Johnson, assistant manager at the Bradford Youth Development Project - which works with about 1,400 young people aged eight to 30 years across the district every year- said anxiety was "clearly an issue" for many young people.

"Many young people struggle with a lack of confidence, which affects the development of the softer, personal skills you need in the workplace.

"Being unemployed is almost by definition being told you're not good enough to work, so we look at things like team-building for those who find it difficult to interact with others."

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council's executive member for employment, skills, and culture, said addressing the issue of youth unemployment should not be left entirely to local authorities, who were being affected by budget cuts.

"Whatever age you are, if you've been unemployed for a long time, you can become depressed," she said.

"I've met young people who, through finding work, have had their lives transformed.

"Bradford has one of the biggest youth populations in the country, and that's why we've made employment and skills a priority.

"Through Get Bradford Working we've got more than 1,000 people into work now, but with double the national average of youth unemployment, we still have a lot of work to do."

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