Power of Choice. The Kiyan Prince Foundation conducts impactful motivational talks aimed at encouraging young individuals across schools, prison, colleges, universities, and pupil referral units. These discussions are designed to steer participants away from antisocial behaviour and serious youth violence by fostering a positive mindset and reinforcing the importance of healthy self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-belief.
Central to these talks is the principle of self-empowerment, guiding young people to recognise and harness their latent potential. By teaching the importance of treating others with respect and kindness – mirroring how they would like to be treated themselves – the foundation sets a ornerstone for nurturing positive societal interactions.
Additionally, there is a significant focus on the need to support in addressing emotional and mental challenges. By providing tools and resources to heal emotional wounds, the foundation’s talk cultivates resilience and aim to break the cycle of hurt that can lead to further harm. It is not just about redirecting negative behaviours, but also about building a framework for sustained personal growth and positive community impact.
Sometimes we cannot control the circumstances we find ourselves in but, even at the most challenging moments, we always have the power to choose how we react.
Extract below from Public First / KPF Report – April 2024:
One way in which the young people we spoke to suggested combating the influence of peer pressure was through inviting external speakers to schools: people they can relate to as having come through similar experiences to their own and who they respect, who could act as positive role models in place of the pressure they may experience from their peers to become involved in crime.
While the concept of external speakers who can fill the position of positive role models was roundly popular with the young people we spoke to, there were some caveats. Firstly, some individuals felt this type of intervention would be more helpful for younger children who were not yet embedded in criminal activities rather than for older individuals.
The second caveat that was raised consistently was that only a specific type of person would be effective in speaking to young people about not being involved in crime. In the first instance, this individual needs to be someone that the young people feel that they can relate to. The urban music outlet Mixtape Madness, in their submission to the Youth Select Committee’s 2019 report on knife crime, echoed this argument by emphasising the need for real and relatable role models.[1]
The other aspect that we were told was needed was a direct experience of crime. Indeed, the Youth Select Committee stressed the importance of the Government amending their approach on role models to “focus on people with lived experiences, or people from troubled areas who have been successful in their own lives, who may be best able to inspire vulnerable young people”. [2]
We also conducted interviews with some individuals who had attended sessions where the Kiyan Prince Foundation had been the external speaker at a school. The feedback we received from this was positive. The young people we spoke to explained how having the session with someone relatable with direct experience of the devastating impact of crime made a bigger difference to their lives and viewpoints than another external speaker.
“We should have more people that go out and talk to them and to be honest with them. Because Mark, he tells us what teachers should be telling us. He gives us honest statements and shows us why we shouldn’t go into crime, rather than just outright stating it” – KPF Future Champions programme student
