Commonwealth Games Federation Partner to Build a Legacy for Youth
September 11, 2020
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and The Prince’s Trust have launched a multi-Games strategic partnership to ensure many more young people will benefit from the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
This partnership will begin with the XXII Commonwealth Games, to be hosted by Birmingham (United Kingdom) from 28th July - 8th August 2022. The partnership will enable young people in Birmingham and the West Midlands to access a wide range of volunteering, training and employment opportunities generated by the Games.
The CGF and The Prince’s Trust aim to continue the partnership for all future Commonwealth Games and Youth Games, with key projects to be channelled through the Commonwealth Sport Foundation. This will ensure that best practice can be transferred from one Games to the next.
The Earl of Wessex, Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation said: “The Commonwealth’s sporting community can and does play a vital role in inspiring and supporting young people to develop themselves through non-formal education and learning, but we could do more.”
“We are both committed to building a sustainable and prosperous future for young people and look forward to starting our work together in Birmingham,” said Dame Martina Milburn, Group Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust.
The Commonwealth Games and Youth Games aim to engage and inspire young people through the transformational power of sport as a force for social change. Driven by its values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny, the Commonwealth Sport Movement is committed to uniting the Commonwealth’s athletes, citizens and communities to lead social change to unleash our human potential and transform lives.
In addition, there are plans to host three youth led summits between now and the 2022 Games, which will celebrate the global community, unlock young people’s potential, whilst also galvanising enthusiasm for the Commonwealth Games. As a result, they are expecting economic growth, community cohesion, sustainability, health and wellbeing to rise in 2022 and go beyond.
The new partnership takes on added importance due to the economic and social devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which has left young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds particularly vulnerable.
The Prince’s Trust, which was founded by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 1976, has supported over 950,000 young people. Since 2015, The Prince’s Trust has expanded its reach to support young people into education, employment and self-employment across the Commonwealth – including in Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Rwanda, Trinidad & Tobago and the UK.
As strategic partners, the CGF and The Prince’s Trust are both focused on transforming lives and building peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities across the Commonwealth. This exciting new partnership looks to build a genuine and durable legacy for young people in Birmingham and across the Commonwealth by enabling them to become future leaders and agents of change.
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