Military personnel to get youth work training through charity partnership
Joe Lepper
Thursday, December 17, 2015
More than 100 wounded, sick or injured military personnel are to be helped into a youth work career over the next three years thanks to a £500,000 grant from Help for Heroes to The Prince's Trust.
The funding extends the partnership between the two charities that sees wounded, sick or injured military personnel gain experience as mentors and assistants on The Prince’s Trust’s Team programme, which helps disadvantaged young people.
It is hoped that 135 military personnel will benefit from the new funding and will bring the total number helped to gain careers in youth work through the partnership to around 250.
The link up was formed in 2010, with £537,755 already awarded to the Prince’s Trust by Help for Heroes, which supports military personnel and their families.
Philippa Clare, Help for Heroes partnership manager, said: “Not only are there significant benefits for our wounded, sick or injured personnel, this partnership also impacts positively our nation’s disadvantaged young people, it facilitates greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of military/civilian lives and, as a result, creates an impressive and far-reaching contribution to the development of local communities.”
Bryn Parry, chief executive and co-founder of Help for Heroes, added: “These heroes have served their country and are now choosing to build a second, fulfilling career serving in our communities. They have our respect and admiration.”
The work placements, which are open to serving personnel and veterans, will include supporting residential week activities, team building, community projects and vocational training run through the Team programme.
Piran, one of the military personnel to benefit, said: “I understood where a lot of these young people were coming from, because I’d been through times like they had too.”
He added that the experience offered through the partnership “gave me direction in life and supported me at the times I needed it most. I’m now more confident and feeling positive about the future”.
