Commonwealth Games Federation Partners with The Prince's Trust

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and The Prince’s Trust are today launching 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 strategic and transformational partnership will begin with the XXII Commonwealth Games, to be hosted by Birmingham (United Kingdom) from July 28 to August 8, 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 will then aim to continue the partnership for all future Commonwealth Games and Youth Games, with key projects to be channeled through the Commonwealth Sport Foundation. This will ensure that best practice can be transferred from one Games to the next.

The Prince’s Trust is already a member of the Birmingham 2022 Games community programme, working to ensure there will be plenty of opportunities for young people to be involved in the lead up to the Games and beyond.

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 such, the partnership will boost economic growth, community cohesion, sustainability, health and wellbeing up to and beyond 2022.

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.

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. The Commonwealth Sport Movement, driven by its values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny, is committed to uniting the Commonwealth’s athletes, citizens and communities to lead social change to unleash our human potential and transform lives.

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 will 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.

The Earl of Wessex as Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation said:

"Sport is vital in helping young people gain some of the necessary skills, experiences and values that are vital to help them navigate safely through life and in work. 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.

"Forming strategic partnerships, such as the exciting one between the Commonwealth Games Federation and The Prince’s Trust, can help us reach and empower many more young people. I look forward to seeing the positive effect we can achieve, especially in Birmingham and the West Midlands in the lead up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games."

Dame Martina Milburn, Group Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust, welcomed today’s announcement:

"The Prince’s Trust is thrilled to be partnering with the Commonwealth Games Federation. We are both committed to building a sustainable and prosperous future for young people and look forward to starting our work together in Birmingham.

We plan to continue this strategic partnership beyond 2022, so that The Prince’s Trust can support many more young people to engage with the Commonwealth Games Federation into the future."

Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said:

"On behalf of the entire Commonwealth Sport Movement, I am delighted that the CGF and The Prince’s Trust are partnering together.

This partnership is more important than ever given the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected us all and I believe that working together, we can provide a real boost to the lives of young people as well as contributing to economic growth and community cohesion.

Through this strategic partnership with The Prince’s Trust, we will be able to utilise the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Youth Games and our wider movement to the benefit young Commonwealth citizens."

Notes to Editors

1. The XXII Commonwealth Games will be hosted by Birmingham between 28th July and 8th August 2022. Birmingham is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK. The Prince’s Trust will become a partner of the Commonwealth Games Federation, helping to build a meaningful youth legacy by connecting young people with the opportunities generated by Birmingham 2022.

2. The Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad & Tobago were originally due to take place in 2021. Due to the change in date of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021 (due to the impact of Covid-19), the Youth Games have been postponed. The Prince’s Trust is currently working with partners to support school-age young people in Trinidad & Tobago to engage with their education.

About the CGF

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the organisation that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games, and for delivering on the vision of the Commonwealth Sport Movement: Through sport, we create peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities across the Commonwealth.

For more information please contact:

CGF Media and Communications Manager

Tom Degun

+ 44 (0) 7788 580790

t.degun@thecgf.com

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