A day after his wife,Kate Middleton,outlined the next stageof her work for kids,Prince Williamtackled another long-term aim: helping beat youth violence.
The Prince of Wales, 41, visited Manchester on Thursday and unveiled a new project to inject around $130,000 to support an initiative that is focused on reducing the rates of violence among the young in the northwest English city.
The money for Manchester Peace Together Alliance to provide positive opportunities for young people and reduce youth violence comes from the Royal Foundation that Prince William shares with Princess Kate, coupled with a donation from the office of the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham. It will help the private sector to create the Alliance’s first dedicated employment, skills and training program for young people at risk of violence.
It is the latest effort from the royals to create lasting long-term benefits from their involvement in an area and is the third time that they have made donations to community-based projects around the U.K. that they will also have a lasting commitment towards going forward.
Prince William in Manchester on Thursday.Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Prince William visited the city to launch his foundation’s help in the area. Burnham said in a statement that he was “delighted” the Prince of Wales was helping “support our young people into a brighter future.”
Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images
He added, “We know that working with partners and communities to provide opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity is the most effective way to ensure young people do not get involved with crime or violence."
“We’re committed to doing all we can to stop crime and violence and the development of a dedicated employment, skills, and training program for young people at risk of violence and partnership between the Alliance, Manchester City Council, the business community and Royal Foundation will certainly support this."
Manchester Peace Together Alliance is a community-led program that works closely with young people aged 10 to 25 in Hulme, Moss Side and Rusholme who are at risk of or vulnerable to youth violence, providing activities and targeted mentoring programs to support them to succeed. In two years, it has supported over 470 young people and families at risk.
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The was also told about the long-term impact that the new program will have on local young people through the provision of new opportunities, helping to build aspirations and support those at risk of violence to reach their true potential.
Prince William at the Hideaway Youth Project in Moss Side, Manchester.Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images
The Prince and Princess of Wales' official X account captioned a photo of William, “From Buckingham Palace to Moss Side and fulfilling a garden party promise,” complete with a bee emoji.
According to theManchester Evening News, founder of Keeping It Real 24/7 Wendy Simms attended a May garden party where she met the Prince of Wales.
“He walked over to me and shook my hand,” she told the outlet. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ He just picked me out of the crowd, it was not a planned conversation. Nobody told me he was going to come and talk to me. He asked if it was the first time I had been to Buckingham Palace and I said, ‘Yeah.’ "
“He was really engaging with me and was concerned with the issues I told him about,” she continued. “I said, ‘How about you come and see us? Come to Moss Side.’ I invited him to the Rastafarian HQ, and he said he would really like to come.”
Prince William visits Manchester on Nov. 16, 2023.ANTHONY DEVLIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
ANTHONY DEVLIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
At Thursday’s meeting, Simms presented Prince William with a personalized gift: a Keeping It Real t-shirt with his name on the back.
According toManchester Evening News, Prince William said, “You’ve spelled my name right so that’s okay.”
source: people.com
