Photo: Kensington Palace
"You’re going places": William met the Amos Bursary scholars
Prince William visited UrbanMBA in Hoxton, east London, to meet young people supported by The Amos Bursary. The programme follows talented young people of African and Caribbean heritage for five years, through university and into work. "You’re going places," the Prince told them.
Prince William visited UrbanMBA in Hoxton, east London, on Wednesday. There he met young people supported by The Amos Bursary, along with several who have been through the programme before.
The visit was timed for Black History Month, marked in the United Kingdom every October.
"You're going places"
The Prince made no secret of being impressed by the people he met.
"You guys, you're going places and it's really good," he told them.
He had also looked at what they had in common. "What's interesting is tenacity and resilience scores quite highly among you all, which just shows how many challenges and barriers you've all had to face to get where you are now," he said.
What The Amos Bursary is
The Amos Bursary was founded in 2009 by Valerie Amos and her sister Colleen Amos. Valerie Amos sits in the House of Lords.
The programme runs for five years for each participant, and is about more than money. The young people get a mentor, help with the costs of university, and help into work afterwards. It is aimed at talented young people of African and Caribbean heritage.
It began with seven students a year. Today it takes in around 50 a year, from London and the West Midlands.
Those who came before
Among those he met was Xavier Hamilton, 34, from Dagenham. He was in the very first cohort, and now runs his own media company.
Baroness Sarpong was also there. She presented television before becoming an executive in the industry, and now sits in the House of Lords.
"In every part of society"
William said the programme ought to exist in far more places than it does today.
"Having the Amos Bursary in every part of society would be fantastic," he said.
