Transforming lives and
building sustainable communities
countries
young people
years
The Prince’s Trust Group around the world
The Prince’s Trust Group is a global network of charities founded by His Majesty The King. We are now active in over 20 countries, both within the Commonwealth and beyond. In a rapidly changing world, we deliver education, employment, enterprise and environmental projects that enable young people and communities to thrive.
About The Prince’s Trust Group
The Prince’s Trust was founded in the UK in 1976 with the vision that every young person should have the chance to succeed. That vision remains unchanged today.
Since 2017, we have been building a global network of support for young people. In 2020, The Trust reached the incredible milestone of helping over 1 million young people transform their lives. We are now active in over 20 countries across the Commonwealth and beyond.
Our mission is more relevant now than ever before. The global coronavirus pandemic has had profound implications on the life chances of a whole generation of young people and will affect the most disadvantaged communities the most. We are responding by delivering on our twin commitment to employability and sustainability.
Unemployment remains an urgent global challenge, particularly for young people and underserved communities. Our programmes support young people and communities on their journey from education to employment, empowering them to build their own futures.
‘It seems to me that every young person, wherever they live, deserves a chance to succeed – and that when that chance is given, we all share in the dividend.’
His Majesty King Charles III
We partner with private sector organisations, government agencies, civil society groups, schools and youth organisations to deliver in-person, digital and blended programmes that enable people and communities to learn, work and thrive.
Our programmes draw on our 47 years’ experience as a leading youth organisation in the UK and are adapted to the local context around the world.
We help young people and communities to achieve tangible outcomes.
Our Employability programmes help young people to build their communication and confidence skills. They include work experience and further employment opportunities.
Our Enterprise programmes provide the best training and mentorship to prepare and support young people to launch their own business.
Our Education programmes prepare young people to navigate life by providing practical learning experiences and nurturing personal development and employability skills.
We also deliver employability and enterprise programmes for military veterans and indigenous groups.
Overlooked and Underprepared
To find out more about the future of work for young people around the world
Our Impact
Our 2021 Impact Report sets out how we supported young people during the first year of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Our President and Founder, HM King Charles III, has made a lifelong commitment to sustainability and environment stewardship. This is reflected across our work – through projects that focus explicitly on environmental matters and through our core Education, Employment and Enterprise programmes.
Themes
Our mission is to transform lives and build sustainable communities, with a particular focus on empowering young people. We work on four inter‑connected themes.
Education
We support young people through alternative approaches to learning, focusing on personal development and transferable employability skills. We help young people to build their confidence and self-esteem, and to develop vital communication and teamwork skills. Programmes range from school-based clubs to online business simulation games and intensive pre‑employment courses.
Employment
We work with partners and employers to enable young people to develop skills and access opportunities that will lead to sustainable work. These include employer-led programmes tailored to specific sectors, offering a combination of preparatory learning and on‑the‑job training. We also offer mentoring services, recruitment fairs and support with CV and interview techniques.
Enterprise
We give young people and military veterans the chance to explore business management and equip budding entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Business mentors support trainees to test their ideas and are on hand throughout the initial launch stages and beyond.
Environment
We help young people to access employment in green trades, in sectors ranging from energy to forestry. In some countries, we also deliver projects that improve urban and natural environments, raising awareness of sustainable land practices and championing traditional design and construction skills.
Commonwealth
HM King Charles III is the Head of the Commonwealth, an association of 54 countries working together for prosperity, democracy and peace. The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people, 60% of whom are under 30 and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
The Prince’s Trust Group works closely with local partners across the Commonwealth, supporting young people and communities to develop the confidence and skills to succeed. Since 2020, we have partnered with the Commonwealth Games movement to inspire and support young people across the Commonwealth.
Timeline
1976
With a backdrop of mass unemployment in the UK, and a feeling young people were being left behind, the then Prince of Wales uses his Navy severance pay of £7,600 to establish pilot projects for young people including lifeguard training for young offenders; the conversion of an old cricket pavilion for inspiring musicians and grants for unemployed young people.
1983
The Youth Business Initiative, now the Enterprise programme, is launched with unemployment at a 50-year high and in the wake of nine days of riots in Toxteth, Liverpool - the programme has so far supported over 86,000 entrepreneurs to start their own business.
1985
The foundation of the Team self-development programme is launched in Wales and today is delivered in countries from Barbados to Malaysia.
1998
School xl clubs are launched that seek to motivate young people at risk of falling out of mainstream education. The programme has since evolved in to the Achieve programme - outside of the UK, the programme is also now delivered in 7 other countries.
1999
The Prince’s Trust as we know it today is consolidated. The charity is recognised by HM The Queen and given a Royal Charter.
2003
A ‘Fashion Rocks’ event at The Albert Hall raises £1.2m with performances from Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Duran Duran, alongside 12 of the world’s top fashion designers.
2004
The Get Into programme is piloted in response to the need for young people to gain vocational skills and work experience. The Get Into programme has been supported by a number of top employers including the NHS, HSBC, Marks & Spencer and TK Maxx. The programme is now delivered in a number of countries overseas including Greece, India and Jamaica.
2004
The Trust launches the first ‘Celebrate Success’, a star-studded awards ceremony recognising the amazing achievements of The Trust’s young people. This is now an annual awards show, The Prince’s Trust Awards, hosted by iconic British TV presenters, and long-time trust supporters, Ant and Dec.
2011
The then Prince of Wales visits areas of London affected by violence and looting including Tottenham, Hackney, Lambeth and Croydon. The Prince’s Trust calls on business to help raise a further £1.5m to help young people affected by the violence.
2015
Prince’s Trust International is launched by the then Prince of Wales at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta - the charity now delivers in 17 countries.
2016
The Trust celebrates 40 years.
2016
Mosaic becomes part of The Prince’s Trust providing mentoring support for young people from disadvantaged communities, with particular focus on young Muslims.
2017
Prince’s Trust Australia joins The Prince’s Trust family
(formerly Prince’s Charities Australia).
2018
Prince’s Trust Canada joins The Prince’s Trust family
(formerly Prince’s Charities Canada).
2018
Prince’s Trust New Zealand is established.
2018
The Prince’s Trust Group brings together all Prince’s Trust charities into a global network.
2019
HH The Aga Khan becomes the Global Founding Patron of The Prince’s Trust.
2019
The Africa Advisory board for Prince’s Trust International is established, enabling the launch of our work on the continent.
2019
Prince’s Trust USA is established.
2020
The Prince’s Trust reaches the incredible milestone of helping over a million people to transform their lives.
2021
The Prince's Trust reveals its first global report in an annual series into the future of work. Sponsored by HSBC the report highlighted young people's green and entrepreneurial ambitions.
2022
The Prince's Trust has its first Global Gala in New York co-hosted by Chairman of our Global Ambassador Group, Lionel Richie and Global Ambassador, Edward Enninful. The Prince's Trust hosts a series of events during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda including an event with our Founder and President, the then Prince of Wales, celebrating work around the Commonwealth.
Our Founding Patrons
His Highness The Aga Khan is the Global Founding Patron of The Prince’s Trust Group and HSBC is our Global Founding Corporate Partner. Through their incredible generosity and thanks to our other valued supporters, we are expanding our work to transform young lives and build stronger communities across the world.
Global Award Winners
The Prince’s Trust Global Awards
Started in 2018 and presented annually at The Prince’s Trust Awards, The Prince’s Trust Global Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of young people and communities supported by The Prince’s Trust around the world.
Ahmad, Jordan
2019 Global Award Winner, Team
Prince's Trust International
Former gang member Ahmad has turned his life around. He is now a respected local tour guide and volunteer youth leader.
EcoRoad, Jordan
2022 Global Award Winners, Enterprise Challenge Prince's Trust International
Zaid, Maya and Mohammad have come up with an ingenious way to use speed bumps to generate electricity.
Akeme, Barbados
2020 Global Award Winner, Team
Prince's Trust International
Akeme once flirted with a life of crime. Now he has his own catering company and is saving up to buy a food truck.
Kristin, Canada
2021 Prince’s Trust Group Award Winner,
Operation Entrepreneur
Prince’s Trust Canada
After sustaining an injury that forced her to retire from service, Veteran Kristin joined the ‘Operation Entrepreneur’ programme and started her plant business.
Ekalale Susan, Kenya
2021 Global Award Winner,
Enterprise Challenge
Prince's Trust International
When Ekalele Susan’s parents’ jobs disappeared due to Covid-19, she stepped up to support her family – despite still being at school.
Alex, UK
2022 Young Achiever of the Year,
Employability Online
The Prince’s Trust
Being labelled a naughty child and moving school four times made Alex’s early years a struggle, but an Asperger Syndrome diagnosis was the start of a change in his life and he eventually became one of the first people with the condition to join the Royal Air Force.
Global Ambassadors
The work of The Prince’s Trust is supported by our Global Ambassadors who help The Trust to scale our work around the world.
Lionel Richie
Chairman of the
Global Ambassador Group
Lionel Richie’s music is part of the fabric of pop music and he has achieved the honour of having #1 records for eleven consecutive years. With more than 125 million albums sold worldwide, an Oscar®, a Golden Globe®, four Grammy Awards®, the MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016, and is a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017. In March 2018, Richie put his handprints and footprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, one of the oldest awards in Hollywood. He has received the Ivor Novello PRS for Music Special International Award. Lionel was also honoured at the 23rd Annual Power of Love Gala in Las Vegas in 2019 that raised 10 million dollars for the Cleveland Clinic, Nevada. Lionel is currently a judge of ABC’s American Idol. The Tuskegee, Alabama native is a true music icon.
In Spring of 2019, Lionel was named Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for The Prince’s Trust for his selfless work helping young people all over the world achieve their dreams and transform their lives.
Edward Enninful
Global Ambassador
Edward Enninful took over as Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue in August 2017 and was promoted to European Editorial Director of Vogue in 2020 after holding a number of high-profile roles in the fashion industry. Enninful has worked with British title i-D where he was named Fashion Director at the age of 19, as well as American magazine, W and has made extensive contributions to American and Italian Vogue.
Born in Ghana 49 years ago, one of six children, Edward was brought to London as a child and grew up in the city's Ladbroke Grove area. He attended Goldsmith's, University of London, but left before graduation in order to plunge full-time into a fashion editing career. He has received a number of awards including an OBE for Services to Diversity in the Fashion industry as well numerous acknowledgements from the fashion and journalism industries for his creative work.
Edward shares his unmatched experience from a global career, with particular interest in our work in Africa to help guide and support the work of The Prince’s Trust across the world.
Case Studies
Sahara, Barbados
Sahara (12) doesn’t want to wait until she’s left school to start her own business – she’s keen to get going right now. Her business idea, Frutify Smoothies and Health Shack, focuses on healthy snack food, especially for children.
Rinah, Kenya
Before Rinah (25) started her own business, she and her husband struggled to put food on the table for their two young children. Rinah’s earnings from her thriving hair salon and grocery shop have transformed their family life.
Kieran, UK
Kieran’s (26) first business Kern and Bond, which he opened in 2019 showcases his graphic design skills and offers clients the opportunity to brand their businesses. His second business Katchee Gifts opened in 2020,
Rusheda, Jamaica
For Rusheda (15) from Jamaica, taking part in the Achieve programme has been an eye-opening journey, through which she discovered and developed new skills.
Habiba, UK
When Habiba completed two courses with The Prince’s Trust she gradually became more confident.
Grace, Canada
For Grace (17) taking part in the Get Into Programme helped her to secure a part time job and adjust to her surroundings in a new country.