Prince Harry & Father Charles Partner Up To Combat Youth Violence In UK
Prince Harry and his father, Prince Charles, spoke together about plans to prevent youth violence in the U.K. during a roundtable event for the elder prince’s charity at Clarence House — Charles’ London residence — on Wednesday. Charles’ charity, called the Prince’s Trust, was created to support the education and employment of struggling youth in the U.K., according to the official website.
The Prince of Wales recently expressed his deep concern over the high levels of knife crime among the younger generations in Britain. Dozens of specialists gathered at the meeting called by Charles and Harry to share their experiences with youth violence, and a discussion on how to reduce the violent crimes ensued.
Also at the meeting were Prince’s Trust celebrity ambassadors such as actor Tom Hardy, football manager Gareth Southgate, and musician Tinie Tempah — as well as the parents of Jimmy Mizen and Joshua Ribera, two young victims of stabbings. A number of reformed offenders, sports coaches, social media specialists, military officials, and doctors attended as well.
Charles reportedly called for more constructive activities for youth to take part in as a way to steer them away from crime, such as vocational education, according to the Telegraph. The 70-year-old prince hopes that experts can find a way to pull these adolescents away from the cycle of violence.
The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex joined a @PrincesTrust roundtable event at Clarence House today to discuss youth violent crime and the ways in which it can be reduced.
The discussion was part of the Trust’s work to help disadvantaged and vulnerable young people. pic.twitter.com/Hx1ftU7QyU
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 12, 2018
“This is a thing which seems unacceptable, frankly. We should say enough is enough. This time, we are really going to make a dent in this for the sake of so many young and so many families. That should be our aim,” Charles said during the meeting.
When considering what the cause of the increased crime rates may be, the Prince of Wales pointed out that many students in Britain find themselves to be unfit for the traditional academic system — and end up dropping out. He feels that these are the same students who may benefit from the addition of vocational courses.
“We need to find better ways of helping people in that adolescent transition period to take part in some exciting, adventurous, constructive, sometimes risky if you get past health and safety, opportunities,” Charles included in his speech after the roundtable concluded.
“I remember as an adolescent that… you need something, some motivation, something to get your teeth into at that period between 14 and 19 where all the worst aspects of this knife crime seem to happen,” he continued.
The group also discussed the importance of role models, and using social media in a positive light.
The Prince’s Trust was established in 1976 after a period of social unrest and high unemployment rates in youth, according to People. The organization will continue to hold these conversations and research ways to reduce crime rates as a part of their efforts to improve the lives of at-risk youth in Britain.
