Latest Press Release
HRH The Prince of Wales launches "YOU London" and backs moves for a similar national youth scheme
16th July 2009
Over 1,300 young people from some of the United Kingdom’s oldest established youth groups joined The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at Buckingham Palace today to officially launch a London youth partnership called “YOU London”.
This unique network of adventure, military and emergency youth organizations, aims to recruit more adult volunteers, to enable more young people to join and to share some resources.
At a special Youth Garden Party, Their Royal Highnesses met young people and adult volunteers who make up the nine organizations in the YOU London partnership: The Scouts Association, Air Training Corps, Girlguiding LasSER, Boy’s Brigade, Prince’s Trust, Air Cadets, Sea Cadet Corps, St John Ambulance, Volunteer Police Cadets and Army Cadet Force.
1,300 young people joined the Garden Party following a massed walk from Wellington Barracks. Once inside the Buckingham Palace Gardens, they demonstrated some of their group’s activities: each of the nine groups had their own exhibition stands, six bands performed, there was a gym display and two climbing frames.
National vision
Earlier today, The Prince called for these and other youth organizations to work together nationally in partnership to maximize adventure and community opportunities for young people and to raise recruitment levels of adult volunteers.
The Prince said: “My hope is that, before too long, we can replicate YOU London on a national scale so that every young person in the United Kingdom has the opportunity, if they wish to, of joining a youth organization. Our nation’s youth united together in exciting and rewarding activities should, I believe, be our ultimate goal.”
During a visit to the Docklands Scout Project this morning, His Royal Highness, together with The Duchess of Cornwall, saw 90 young people from all the partners in YOU London taking part in a range of water-based activities.
Last month, The Prince launched another similar scheme in Wales, called Young Dragons, during a visit to Treorchy Comprehensive School in South Wales.
Supporting the YOU London launch, and among the guests at the Garden Party, was London Mayor Boris Johnson, who said:
“YOU London is simply a fantastic scheme that involves thousands of the brightest young minds in our city. Every young Londoner would benefit from the character building activities uniformed groups like the Scouts, Cadets and Guides provide and I hold them in the highest regard. We desperately need more adult volunteers to help run groups and give all young people, especially those that need steering on the right path, the opportunity to get involved. I hope today’s launch will provide the impetus needed to get more adults on board, and I will be working closely with YOU London every step of the way.”
Messages of support for YOU London and The Prince’s vision of a similar national youth initiative were received from The Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and The Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron.
The Prime Minister said: “I am delighted that the great success of Project YOU has seen it expand across London and Wales, and now I hope across the whole country, helping some of our most important youth organizations reach out to many thousands more young people. These organizations are enabling young people from every background to develop the skills, confidence and aspirations that come from challenging yourself, learning to lead, and giving something back. I hope that today's celebrations highlight the power of youth organizations to transform lives, and inspire many more urgently needed adult volunteers to come forward and be a part of this change.”
David Cameron said: “YOU London is a great example of the ability of Britain’s voluntary sector to innovate and to unlock the potential of our young people. The idea of youth organisations working together to increase opportunities for young people is one I wholeheartedly support.”
Hugh Purcell, chairman of the YOULondon Board, said:
“On behalf of the partners in YOU London I would like to thank His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales for his great interest and tremendous support, and for the wonderful launch today: our 1300 young people have all experienced a day they will never forget. YOU London is working, and its organizations, many with long histories of youth work, are helping each other to maximize the impact and opportunities for all young people and adult volunteers alike. We have realized that by talking and working together, we can pool resources to the benefit of all. It is our hope to include all those who have a positive interest in young people having the opportunity for fun, adventure and gaining vocational qualifications in a controlled environment. Personally, I am thrilled and privileged, on behalf of the Greater London Lieutenancy, to be associated with this conduit, YOU London.”
Notes to Editors
YOU London is a unique partnership of nine leading youth groups: The Scouts Association, Air Training Corps, Girlguiding LasSER, Boy’s Brigade, Prince’s Trust, Air Cadets, Sea Cadet Corps, St John Ambulance, Volunteer Police Cadets and Army Cadet Force
The aim of this innovative partnership, which has been piloted in Croydon and is now being rolled out across all 32 London Boroughs, is
• to recruit more adult volunteers;
• to enable more young people to join; and
• to share some resources.
Many of these organizations have existed for over one hundred years, but there is an urgent need for over 25,000 more adult volunteers to reduce the total of 100,000 young people on waiting lists.
The Prince of Wales hopes that the YOU London template can be used on a national scale with the aim of giving every young person an opportunity to join a youth organization. The aim is to broaden the membership to include such organizations as the BCTV, the Girls Brigade, Mountain Rescue, RNLI, Coastguard and Fire Brigade.
For more information contact the Clarence House Press Office or visit www.youlondon.org.uk.