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Prince Charles meets scouts to tackle youth issues
01/02/2012
Prince Charles met scouts in Lewisham to discuss action to tackle youth issues in some of the UK's hardest-hit areas.
Over a cup of tea at the Cafe of Good Hope, scouts discussed with the Prince how to boost the number of volunteers in deprived areas, among other solutions. The cafe was set up by the Jimmy Mizen Foundation in memory of the 16-year-old who was murdered in 2008. Jimmy was a scout, and the Mizens and Prince Charles share a belief in positive, community solutions that help prevent youth crime and gang violence.
Funding to boost volunteer numbers
Following the meeting, the Prince chaired a conference of youth organisations and politicians at Clarence House. This follows an earlier announcement by Eric Pickles, communities and local government secretary, of a £10 million grant over the next two-and-a-half years to support youth activities in specific areas of England.
The funding will be distributed through Youth United, a coalition of youth organisations, which includes The Scout Association. It will be used to recruit and train 2,700 new adult volunteers in England's most deprived areas, opening up opportunities for around 10,000 more young people to join in life-enhancing activities.
Scouting was well represented at the meeting and Derek Twine, chief executive said: 'We are pleased the government recognises the importance of our work in communities across the UK. The work we do with young people raises their self-esteem and helps them become active citizens.
'Together with other youth organisations, schools, parents, local authorities and the government, we can work towards building a society where young people feel involved and can engage with issues that affect them.'
Promoting life chances
Scouting is well placed to take up the challenge, as we have been promoting community engagement that improves young people's lives for over 100 years. The funding could help recruit leaders and start groups in the target areas, providing adventurous, creative and community-based activities that will reach out to new groups of young people.
Simrit, a 17-year-old explorer scout from Southall, said: 'Telling Prince Charles how much I’ve benefited from scouts was brilliant. He heard so many great life stories and really took an interest in them. He was really positive about Scouting and wants to give young people as many opportunities as possible to take part in these sorts of activities – I couldn’t agree more.'
Answer the call
There are currently over 33,000 young people who want to join Scouting, but can't due to a shortage of adult volunteers. Find out how you can volunteer for us by visiting our join pages.
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