The Duke of Cambridge puts youth homelessness in sharp focus
Enjoying a taste of life on the other side of a television camera, His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge joined young people supported by the leading youth homelessness charity Centrepoint at a media production workshop at one of its Bradford hostels.
The visit to Centrepoint Bradford Foyer was the first by His Royal Highness to see the charity’s work in the city. Centrepoint, to whom The Duke of Cambridge is a patron, has been responsible for providing a youth homelessness support services in Bradford and currently works with more than 300 homeless young people aged 16-25.
Providing vulnerable young people a safe place to stay is just the beginning of the charity’s work. Centrepoint also helps young people to tackle the physical and mental health problems caused by homelessness and supports them in learning new skills, returning to education and finding work.
His Royal Highness joined an employability workshop sharing his insights on dealing with tough interviews and helped young people prepare their CVs. In the media production session, which teaches young people transferrable skills like teamwork and communication alongside the practical aspects of film production, he showed he’s a quick learner, picking up the basics of camerawork.
Since becoming Centrepoint’s patron in 2005, The Duke of Cambridge has championed the charity’s efforts to end youth homelessness, an issue faced by 80,000 young people each year across the UK.
Martin Gill, Centrepoint’s Head of Housing and Support, said the royal visit was a great boost to the charity so soon after it began working in the district.
“Experiencing homelessness can leave young people’s confidence at rock bottom,” said Martin, “and it’s hoped that meeting His Royal Highness will help inspire residents to believe that with the right support they can achieve their ambitions.
“As a patron, The Duke of Cambridge genuinely believes in what the charity stands for and it’s great for the young people to see that someone with his profile cares what happens to them. They can see that he is interested in them and that gives them something to aspire to.”
Official photography from all of the visits can be viewed in the gallery section.