By Tim Parsons-
Prince Harry gave an inspiring message to youths at a charity event where showed empathy for the struggles faced by many youthis in the Uk who are looking for an outlet for their wild emotional energy Harry hugged Anthony Joshua at the launch of a charity event to support disadvantaged young people and motivate them to maximise sporting opportunities that can change their lives.
Joshua met Harry for the first time in two years at the Black Prince Trust Community Sports Hub, where the pair shared a hug, as the dispossessed world champion was forced to revisit his embarrassing defeat by the strong and hungry Mexican underdog, Andy Ruiz Jnr in Newyork a fortnight ago.
Asked by Prince Harry how the fight went, Joshua replied ”didn’t go very well, what can I say”. The question itself was natural but odd if Harry had seen the fight himself or even hear of its outcome. It may just have been Harry’s own way playfully trivialising the defeat,although a question like ‘what happened’ may have been more suitable to the reality of Joshua’s recent defeat. Both men clearly felt comfortable in each other’s company, joining forces to expand the promotion of sports in British schools.
Prince Harry was launching the largest ever grassroots campaign – Made by Sport- to use sports to empower young people by changing their lives. The four-year campaign aims to raise up to £40 million for community groups that cover disadvantaged youths.
The campaign promises to assemble more than 60 different sporting organisations in the hope of impacting schools and clubs across the country. Its purpose is to promote sports as a desirable substitute for crime and violence, given the Uk’s high knife crime rate which has made parents in the Uk scared for their young teenagers.
Released statistics that young people from poorer backgrounds are 50 per cent less likely to play regular sport is disturbing and surprising. Prince Harry is committed to playing his role in addressing the violence plaguing the streets of Britain.
EMOTIONS AND ANGER
Addressing teenagers at the event, Harry said:
“A lot of kids your age have anger and emotions they don’t know what to do with, that’s not unique,” Harry said.“They are looking for a way to channel it and this where they should be doing it.
‘’You make friends, you find family, you are just part of a different gang.’’ Interjecting, Joshua said: “Just remember, everyone has a purpose in life. All you need is a t-shirt, a tracksuit and a pair of gloves.” Made By Sport chairman Justin King said: “The Duke understands that sport has the power to change lives. He gets it. It can teach us skills that last a lifetime.”
Harry later told the audience of charity partners and young people that the Uk could spend hundreds of millions of pounds on the problems caused by a lack of sport in young people’s lives or “rip up all those cheques and start at the beginning to prevent it from happening in the first place”.
“I think this campaign will prove that, if we invest early on in young people, in the right areas with stuff that already exists – we’re not trying to create or invent anything new – this works and this is going to be full circle back to how we’ve always believed that change can happen.”
He added: “We have a responsibility in this campaign to ensure that people from all walks of society and every corner of this country are actually given the opportunity to shine, to flourish. “This is about community, this is about providing opportunity to young people all over the place to actually be part of something, something they might not be getting at home, within their own community.”