Smart Solutions for disadvantaged young people

Using a variety of proven programmes The Prince's Trust support over 3,000 disadvantaged young people each year and 83% of the young people that complete their programmes progress to further education, employment or training. The young people the Prince's Trust work with are:

• Unemployed
• Educational underachievers
• In care or leaving care
• Offenders/Ex-offenders

The report Destined for the Dole? which was published by The Prince’s Trust in August 2010, revealed that more than one in 10 (13%) young people in Northern Ireland expect to end up on benefits. The report found that those from families where no one works are not only more likely to struggle to find a job themselves, but are also far less confident about their future. Some are growing up believing their own destiny lies in the dole queue. On average 40% of young people engaged by The Prince’s Trust each year live in the top 25% of deprived wards in Northern Ireland.

The Prince's Trust programmes offer excellent value for money, especially when compared to the cost of paying for social welfare support, tackling criminal activity and the long-term health costs for many of the estimated 52,000 young people not in education, employment or training.

[i] Figure from Department for Children, Schools and Families in response to Parliamentary Question; 7 December 2009

[ii] Department of Social Development website figures – 9 February 2010

[iii] Figure from Prison Service Northern Ireland Annual report 08/09

By providing support that is tailored to each young persons needs and working in partnership, The Prince’s Trust can deliver cost effective solutions with high positive outcomes to thousands more disadvantaged young people. Their  programmes are proven to help break the cycle of dependence on welfare support, long-term unemployment, deprivation and workless households and help young people progress further than they ever thought was possible and create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

The Prince’s Trust programmes contribute to many of the key Public Service Agreements from The Programme for Government 2008-2011 such as tackling the skills barrier to employment and employability, improving the outcome and life chances of children and young people and improving the life chances of children leaving care.  

One young person involved with the Prince's Trust explains the life changing impact it has had;

"I am 17 years old and I joined the Prince’s Trust because I needed a change, something to support me and guide me in the right direction for a more positive life.  Before I joined the Team Programme, I was involved in a lot of crime, drinks and some drugs. Nothing else mattered to me but my bad habits.  I had no future, but the big dark lonely hole that I was slowly sinking into.

My parents and friends were always trying to support me, but I never took their advice or help, I thought I could do it on my own. I knew this life wasn’t for me but I couldn’t see any other roads or paths to take that would lead me on the right way, so I thought, “Well this must be for me”. I just carried on with it, getting drunk, taking the odd drug here and there, stealing, fighting, vandalism and you wouldn’t want to hear the rest!

It didn’t get any better, in fact, it just got worse! The police were now hearing more about my behaviour and started watching me. They stopped me a few times and warned me about where I was going to end up, but still I didn’t listen, I didn’t care, I just carried on with all sorts of crime. I started living on the streets, as I thought I could survive on my own. When I got back to my parent’s house I again ended up doing the same things again. This happened so many times it was like a routine for me, this carried on for about a year getting worse every day.

I thought it was the start of the end of my life, until 12 weeks ago, when I joined the Prince’s Trust Team Programme. Now I have all sorts of new qualifications and experiences and I’m doing very well.  I now have something to wake up for in the morning for and I’m hoping to get on to a course in personal training”.