June 2012
will.i.am announces support for The Trust to help UK’s
disadvantaged youth
Musician and philanthropist will.i.am donates £500,000 to
The Prince's Trust to fund education, training and enterprise
schemes with a focus on technology and computer skills
development.
Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has teamed up with The
Prince’s Trust to help the UK’s most disadvantaged young people get
their lives on track, following a meeting with HRH The Prince of
Wales, President of The Prince's Trust.
will.i.am is personally donating £500,000 to The Trust via his
i.am angel Foundation to help young people build skills for work
and enterprise, with a focus on technology.
After meeting youngsters on a Prince’s Trust personal
development course in East London last month, will.i.am visited HRH The Prince of Wales
at his London home, Clarence House, to discuss how his i.am angel
Foundation could support the work of The Prince’s Trust.
will.i.am says: "As a judge on ‘The Voice’, the people of the UK
have welcomed me into their sitting rooms week after week and I
feel very much at home here.
He continued,
Working with The Prince's Trust, I am joining
the mission to help transform the lives of disadvantaged young
people living in under-privileged neighbourhoods in the UK. My
donation to The Trust will help these young people build skills
that are vital in today’s and tomorrow’s job market including
technology and computer knowledge.
He adds: "I grew up in East Los Angeles, one of the most
under-served and tough neighbourhoods in America.
"My life could have turned out very differently if it were not
for the support and encouragement provided by my single working
Mum, my uncles and my teachers who encouraged me to dream, and to
pursue my goal of getting into the music business.
"My family made sure I understood that getting a good education
and hard work were key to turning my dreams into reality and
beating the odds that come with growing up in a disadvantaged
situation.
The Prince’s Trust has a 36 year history of
assisting disadvantaged youth, so I am pleased to be collaborating
with an organisation that shares my mission to transform the lives
of young people who need extra support and structure in their
lives.
The funds will enable The Trust to provide enhanced support to
young people on its education programme - xl, its Enterprise
programme, and its personal development Fairbridge programme, encouraging and developing
key computer skills.
The courses support vulnerable and unemployed young people to
get their lives on track.
"The Prince’s Trust is a charity which depends on generous
donations such as these," says Martina Milburn, chief executive of
The Prince’s Trust.
She continued,
will.i.am is an inspiring character – we're
excited about his vision of helping the most disadvantaged to
improve their computer skills and we’re incredibly grateful for the
donation. It will make a huge difference to vulnerable young lives
in the UK today.