London Youth honours CVC and its Foundation’s continued commitment to London’s youth sector and young people

On Friday night, 5th of November 2021, marking the fifth day of Youth Work Week, London Youth recognised private equity and investment advisory firm CVC’s contribution to the capital’s youth sector by awarding them the 2021 Prince Philip Award at their Youth Work Week event.

The Prince Philip Award was created by London Youth’s first royal patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who supported the charity for over 70 years. HRH The Earl of Wessex has now taken over as Patron of London Youth. He has long been a champion of youth causes through his charities and patronages and is a leading advocate of the role of non-formal education and learning in young people’s personal development to realise their potential.

The award was presented by Stephen Moss CBE, Chair of London Youth, and is given in recognition of CVC’s ongoing support of London’s young people through the CVC Foundation, established in 2011, which supports both existing programmes run by its charity partners as well as its own initiatives. CVC’s partnership with London Youth alone has seen it support over 9,000 young people across the capital since 2015. More recently it supported the setup of a new Mental Health and Innovations programme which aims to train over 500 mental health champions across London.

One of CVC’s own initiatives is the CVC Young Innovator Awards, which provide a platform for young entrepreneurs to create the businesses of the future. For over five years, CVC has also been a consistent partner and funder of the CVC Summer Grants Programme, investing in projects run by young people for the benefit of their local communities, and it has supported hundreds of young people to get into employment by investing in apprenticeship funding and training. The foundation helped directly fund over 80 of London Youth’s members since 2015, and made a significant donation to celebrate CVC’s 25th anniversary, contributing to the funding of transformational programmes in hundreds of youth organisations across London.

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, CEO of London Youth said:

“The Prince Philip award recognises outstanding contributions and commitment to supporting frontline youth work, and the CVC Foundation is truly a fitting recipient. They have been unfaltering in their support of young people and grassroots youth work. They have supported London Youth’s mission since the beginning of this multi-faceted partnership, and they remained resolute in their commitment to our members throughout the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when young people most desperately needed youth work. By specifically recognising young Londoners’ need for both mental health and employability support this year, the CVC Foundation once again demonstrated their dedication to our shared belief that all young people deserve to achieve their full potential.”

“The CVC Foundation was established with the aim of improving the lives and prospects of disadvantaged children and young people in its local communities. We’re delighted to receive this recognition from our valued charity partner London Youth, as such a longstanding representative and champion of outstanding youth work. We’re further honoured that the award was presented under the patronage of HRH The Earl of Wessex, a staunch advocate of youth causes like his father before him.”