Be Free Campaign Open Letter urges shift from ‘NEET’ to ‘LEET’ to change how society sees young people

The Be Free Campaign has issued an open letter to the government. It is calling for a fundamental shift in how young people outside education and employment are described. It urges officials to replace the term “NEET” (Not in Education, Employment or Training) with “LEET” (Looking for Education, Employment or Training).

NEET has been used for over two decades in policy, research and media, to describe young people outside formal systems. But the Be Free Campaign says the label reduces young individuals to what they are not. It reinforces stigma and shapes services around problems rather than potential.

Introducing “LEET”

The proposed alternative is referring to this group of people as ‘LEET’ (Looking for Education, Employment or Training). It transforms the narrative from a passive label into an active pursuit. By adopting asset-based language, ‘LEET’ aims to ensure a young person’s situation is no longer boxing them into an identity. Moving away from the ‘problem-first’ framing that has dominated policy for decades.

Dr Shantanu Kundu, chief executive of the Be Free Campaign says:

“Reframing how we talk about young people is key to seeing change. In order for us to be able to support young people, we need to be able to identify the core issues. Pulling nearly one million young people into a single category does not help us do that. NEET to LEET will help us move away from being problem based, to seeing what young people are, full of potential.”

A national movement for change

There has been an increase of young people navigating a volatile job market and evolving educational landscapes. Therefore, it is essential that the frameworks used to support them are empowering. The #FromNEETtoLEET will involve a nationwide push to encourage government departments, local authorities, and third-sector organisations to adopt this new terminology in their reporting and outreach programs.

The Be Free Campaign is calling on policymakers and educators to join this movement. It seeks to ensure that the language of the future is one of hope and action. A new focus on the word “Looking” creates a society that meets young people’s aspirations with genuine opportunity.

Signatories to the open letter include so far:

• Danny Chambers MP (Liberal Democrat)
• Jonathan Brash MP (Labour)
• Iqbal Mohammed MP (Independent)
• Wera Hobhouse MP (Liberal Democrat)
• Hannah Lewis (Liverpool City Council)
• Dr Shantanu Kundu (Be Free Campaign)
• Andy Bell (Centre for Mental Health)
• Amy Whitelock-Gibbs (Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition)