The Prince's Trust supported the inaugural Stephen Lawrence Day together with the Home Office and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust at an event hosted in South London.

The Prince's Trust hosted event brought young people together to share their stories, and in keeping with the theme of the day to ‘Live Our Best Life’, discuss the positive contributions young people make to their communities and society.

The Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service and Minister for London, Nick Hurd MP attended to meet and hear the experiences of young people, including those who have taken part on Prince’s Trust programmes.

Stephen Lawrence Day celebrates the life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence, who was tragically killed in a racist attack when he was 18 years old. The Prince’s Trust and Home Office supported the day by placing young people’s voices front and centre, amplifying their ideas on how they can play a bigger part in the creation of a society where everyone can thrive.

Young people taking part in the Prince’s Trust Team programme presented a social action project, which involved refurbishing a community centre in South London. The Team programme is a 12-week personal development programme to build skills and confidence for young people to take the next step into employment, education or training. The group were also involved in discussions with the Minister on inspiring young people and strengthening communities.

Prince’s Trust Young Ambassadors Hezron Brown and Taslima Khan, who have both been impacted by violence, spoke at the event and asked questions to Nick Hurd. Hezron and Taslima shared their experiences and led a discussion on youth violence, including how violence impacts communities and how it affects perceptions of young people in society today.

Hezron Brown did a Get Started with Theatre programme with The Prince’s Trust, a short employability programme to gain self-confidence and life skills. From Birmingham, Hezron became homeless at 13 and later entered a life of gang and criminal activity. With help from The Prince's Trust he now works for the National Citizen Service and mentors young people across the UK.

The Prince’s Trust supports young people aged 11-30 to make positive life choices and gives them the confidence and skills to ensure they are healthy, happy and safe.

Hezron Brown, Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador said:

It is an honour to be joining the Home Office and Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to support the first Stephen Lawrence Day. I am so pleased that, with the help of The Prince’s Trust, I am able to share my own story as a way to guide other young people to live their best lives and go on to have bright futures.

The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd, said:

Stephen Lawrence Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to come together for change in their communities. Young people must be at the heart of this work, helping build a society that treats everyone with fairness and respect, regardless of their background.Thanks to the brave and tireless work of the Lawrence family significant lessons were learned from the tragedy of Stephen’s death, and his legacy will never be forgotten.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence, OBE said:

The lessons and legacy we can learn from Stephen is truly inspirational for all to see. I would like to thank The Prince’s Trust for supporting the inaugural Stephen Lawrence Day and encourage every young person to live their best life in their community.