In March shortly after the UK went into lockdown, DDCAP committed to extend its partnership with The Prince’s Trust beyond the scope of its Patron status by donating to The Prince’s Trust Young People Relief Fund. Through the Young People Relief Fund, the Prince’s Trust has been able to continue their work with some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people who are greatly impacted during this challenging and unprecedented time. DDCAP’s donation supports The Prince’s Trust as they seek to continue to offer to support to these young people through their team of youth workers and volunteers, continuously speaking with young people to find out what is important to them, via phonelines, live chat and texting services open from 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week.
Specifically, through their Covid-19 Young People Action Plan, The Prince’s Trust have been reaching out to vulnerable young people during this crisis in the following ways:
- Wellbeing: providing one-to-one support over the phone and online, helping those who are struggling to cope with isolation and social distancing
- Education: working with teachers to support those who are now not in school, as well as those who may still be attending
- Employment: delivering structured programmes to help those who don’t have a job, to build confidence and reskill; and work with their partners to train young people to start critical jobs in health care and the supply chain
- Enterprise: providing mentors and support to those who are self-employed and worried about their future
- Community: Many young people are already responding to the current situation by volunteering in their local areas. The Prince’s Trust seeks to grow its youth volunteering network to enable more young people to help their communities, responsibly and safely
The Prince’s Trust recently contacted DDCAP to provide an update on the work the Young People Relief Fund has helped to provide to young people at this time. Specifically,
- The Prince’s Trust had received thousands of expressions of interest in its Enterprise Fund. This fund has been set up to help young entrepreneurs to keep their businesses afloat during the current crisis. It functions as a safety net for young people who are not eligible for existing government schemes or have been unsuccessful in their applications for support. They are now looking for volunteers with a business background to support and review applications from young people across the UK.
- The Prince’s Trust has had inquiries from over 1,000 young people nationwide in the space of one week which were supported by the Trust’s team of youth volunteers.
- The most popular type of support is 1:1, focusing on young people’s well-being, with over 500 young people accessing this support in the previous week. For many of these young people this is the only contact they had had with another person – a real lifeline.
- The majority of young people taking part in The Prince’s Trust group courses have been focused on employability skills and gaining access to work
DDCAP Group is, as ever, proud to be a Patron of The Prince’s Trust. For more information or to get involved, please visit https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-the-trust/coronavirus-response or contact getinvolved@princes-trust.org.uk. Together we can be there for young people in this time of crisis.
About The Prince’s Trust