#youth-recruitment

#youth-recruitment

Nearly 200 people, including minors accused of involvement in murder plots, have been arrested over the last six months as part of Europol's Operational Taskforce (OTF) GRIMM. The operation targets what cops call "violence-as-a-service" - crime crews recruiting kids and teens online to carry out contract killings and other real-world attacks. "These individuals are groomed or coerced into committing a range of violent crimes, from acts of intimidation and torture to murder," the European police said on Monday.

Video games have come a long way since they gained widespread popularity in the 1970s and the numbers of people playing them have rocketed. Today, it is estimated that there are about 3 billion gamers worldwide, including more than 90% of gen Z, who spend on average more than 12 hours a week gaming. Modern gaming epics are packed with imagination and invention, drawing young people into noisy, colourful, and often seemingly infinite worlds that they can shape and develop themselves.

The 16-year-old forward has emerged as one of Scandinavia's brightest prospects, drawing interest from several top European clubs. Despite his age, Filling has already made his mark in Sweden's top flight, impressing with his physicality and finishing quality. United's pursuit of the teenager reflects their growing commitment to building a sustainable, youth-driven recruitment model under Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ownership and Ruben Amorim's long-term vision.

The transfer window may be closed, but Newcastle are still looking to do transfer business lead by Ross Wilson, who was recently appointed as the club's new sporting director. Specifically, signings for the academy are being worked on, which is an area that they have put a lot of focus in recent years. In the PSR era, it has proven valuable to sell academy players, which Newcastle did in 2024 when Elliot Anderson joined Nottingham Forest in a deal worth 35m.

The market for players as young as 14 has turned wild, according to industry figures. Some wages are astronomical, one agent says. A sporting director at a top-flight club struggling to keep their best youngsters away from the richest teams in England says: It's a nightmare. We have to offer 14-year-olds scholarship contracts just to protect ourselves. It is a ruthless business.

The government have been urged to target young adults to volunteer for the NHS in a bid to tackle NHS waiting lists. A high-profile volunteer recruitment drive targeting young people could have a transformative impact on hospital efficiency, a charity has said, as it pushed the government to invest in the biggest hiring campaign since the pandemic. It comes as a YouGov poll found a third of 18 to 24-year-olds would consider giving up their time to volunteer in the NHS.

Two teenage boys were arrested in the Netherlands over suspicions of spying for pro-Russian hackers, Dutch authorities announced. The two 17-year-old boys were allegedly approached by the hackers on Telegram, a messaging application popular among cybercriminals and state-sponsored threat actors. According to local media, one of the boys was allegedly seen walking by Europol and Eurojust headquarters, and the Canadian embassy, while carrying a Wi-Fi sniffer, which is used to map Wi-Fi networks and intercept data.

Liverpool have officially confirmed the signing of 17-year-old striker Will Wright from Salford City, continuing their aggressive push to secure both immediate and long-term talent under manager Arne Slot.

Johan Forssell expressed shock and horror upon learning about his teenage son’s involvement in far-right extremist groups, indicating deeper societal issues regarding youth and social media.