CALLING someone a bad parent is just about the worst thing you could say to them. It is a charge that's being levelled against us as a nation with worrying frequency.

Earlier this year, Unicef studied children's well-being in 21 industrialised countries. They placed the UK at the bottom of the table. The Children's Society has launched a two-year "good childhood" survey to determine why so many young people are unhappy and unhealthy. Here in Middlesbrough, we've put youth issues at the heart of our agenda for the next four years.

We can't ignore warnings from organisations like Unicef, but I saw another side to the story this week when I met some of the people who help get more young people involved in exercise and sporting activity.

In Middlesbrough, they're called the School Sports Partnership. There'll be a similar organisation in your area. They're a dedicated team and over the last four years they've increased the percentage of primary school children doing at least two hours a week sport or exercise from 49 per cent to 80 per cent.

That's a tremendous boost to physical well-being but the benefits don't end there. Many schools now slot in an exercise break between literacy and numeracy classes as they find it energises children and helps them concentrate - the old saying about healthy bodies and healthy minds proving true.

This was the experience of a Burnley head teacher, Julie Bradley, who was in town to share her insights with our own heads. Julie turned round a failing school and made it a top performer. At the heart of her strategy was getting more children to take part in sport and exercise - not just football, swimming and PE, but outdoor pursuits and dance.

I'm convinced that giving children access to activity will bring better health, improve academic achievement and divert more young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour - this last benefit was stressed to me by a senior police officer I met this week. It will help give young people that sense of belonging and fulfilment that quite a few lack and which may be at the root of many of our problems.

Recently, I have spent a lot of time at the Joe Walton's youth club in Middlesbrough. It is a great place with helpful staff and intelligent and lively young people who are a pleasure to meet.

Joe Walton's is a Middlesbrough tradition. It was founded by a rich young lawyer in St Hilda's in 1906 to provide activities for young people living in appalling poverty.

Joe Walton was a product of his time and class and no doubt many of his views and values would grate on us today. But his core principle still holds good. It was that young people, irrespective of their social circumstances - their station in life as he might have called it - don't strive merely for material satisfaction. They want personal fulfilment, a sense of belonging in their community. Above all they want a feeling of self-respect and self-worth; because without those feelings we can't respect other people or value our society.

This isn't about creating a new generation of Olympic medallists or Wimbledon winners. It is about encouraging the young to become active people and active citizens. That would benefit us all, so as parents, and through our local schools and sports and community groups, let's see how we can help.