The Kiyan Prince Foundation Launched

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Trying to make some good out of a very sad event. See also The Kiyan Prince Foundation (From May 2008: "Remembering Kiyan Prince" Remembering Kiyan Prince


QPR Official Site - QPR & THE KIYAN PRINCE FOUNDATION

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to announce that it has joined forces with Sky One's Noel's HQ to help launch the Kiyan Prince Foundation.
Prince, a former QPR player, was tragically stabbed to death at the age of 15 following an altercation with another student outside the gates of the London Academy in Edgware in May 2006.
Since then, his father Mark has been actively seeking assistance to launch the foundation - the culmination of which arrived during a live TV show on Sky One on Sunday night, in which he was surprised by Noel Edmonds.
The Sky One host informed him of a package that will help to maintain and develop the already positive work he has done in local communities to prevent knife crime on the streets of London.
Speaking on Sunday's show, Edmonds said: "Mark, you are a truly incredible man and your story has touched the hearts of so many people.
"You have stayed so strong since Kiyan's death and the very least you deserve after all the heartache you've been through is the support of a group of people who will help cater for your every need."
Prince was visually touched by the news and after fighting back the tears, added: "This is amazing and I want to thank each and every person who has made this possible.
"I am really looking forward to working with these people and taking the Foundation to the next level."
The aim of the Kiyan Prince Foundation is to raise awareness of:
*The suffering and knock on affect that knife and gun crime has on the family and friends of the victim.
*The affect the crime has on the perpetrator.
*The affect our thinking has on the choices we make.
*Connection between academic achievement and success in life.
*Empower young people to value lives and believe they can achieve their dreams in their own lives.
*Empower young people to rather walk alone than join a gang.
*To reach these aims we will have projects that educate young people to build strong minds and re-educate their minds about the carrying of weapons.
*Young people need to be happy and not afraid to think as individuals. They need achievable goals and more importantly guidance on how to reach those goals.
*They need to make choices that are best suited for their future and well-being and avoid gang involvement.
*Goals will be achieved through sports classes, tutors that specialise in various interesting fields, motivational speakers and meeting with successful men and women. We will also look to broaden awareness of the many opportunities that young people in England have that may not be available to others and look at the different ways they have achieved positive goals in their lives.
*Meeting and speaking with knife and gun victims.
The foundation's ethos will be to "Never use violence, Never threaten violence in any way."
As part of the R's partnership, the Club will dedicate our forthcoming home fixture against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday 25th November 2008 to Kiyan and the Foundation.
Additionally, the Club will develop a long-term relationship with the Foundation as it grows, and Mark will be invited to host a minimum of six workshops over the 2008/09 season with the ever-popular Kickz programme.
QPR's Football in the Community Manager, Andy Evans, added: "The enduring image associated with Kiyan is the picture of him in the QPR kit he so dearly loved.
"As a Club, we are one hundred per-cent committed to helping Mark Prince to continue with the outstanding work he has already undertaken with the capital city's youngsters.
"We will use the Charlton fixture to celebrate the life of Kiyan, who would have been celebrating his 18th birthday on that day, as well as to highlight the excellent work Mark is doing in the local communities."
Evans added: "As well as the fixture to celebrate his life, we will be working closely with the Foundation to deliver workshops to the participants of our Kickz programme, as well as providing a support group for Mark and his team to deliver their goals."
Below is a summary of the Club's other commitments to the Foundation over the coming months.
*QPR will dedicate two pages in the Charlton Athletic programme to the Foundation.
*The Kiyan Prince Foundation will be the chosen charity for the QPR versus Charlton Athletic fixture - Mark and a team from the Foundation will be able to collect donations.
*The Foundation logo will be on the big screen during this match.
*Information about the Foundation will be on the QPR website on Saturday 25th November.
You can find out more about the Kiyan Prince Foundation by logging on to www.kiyan.org

For further details on QPR's involvement, call Andy Evans on 020 8740 2540. QPR