1. Asian Voice - Saturday 23rd June 2012 9UK
Leading Lightsby Rani Singh
Special Assignments Editor
Shivangi Chaturvedi, 29
Shivangi Chaturvedi, a Major Donor Development Manager with The Prince’s Trust,
has spent a good portion of her life travelling around the world. Born in Lusaka,
Zambia, Shivangi was sent to boarding school in India, Woodstock International
School, at a young age. She completed her further studies at Cornell University and
the University of Sydney focussing on Hotel Administration and Marketing. While in
Sydney, she met her future husband and moved to London with him. She has spent
her career working in the media with stints at Sony Music International and CNN
International and recently made the major move to work in charity.
Tell me about your par-
ents.
Both my parents are
from Allahabad in India.
My father travelled to
Zambia as a lawyer and
bachelor on a three- year
contract, and 35 years
later my mother, a
banker, has built a won-
derful home with him
there.
Why did you choose
to work for the Prince's
Trust?
My parents worked
their hardest to give us
the best education and
opportunities, and I’ve
grown up in a loving and
encouraging environ-
ment. Yet, I still made
many mistakes in my
formative years. A lot of
the young people that
The Prince’s Trust
reaches have grown up
in difficult circum-
stances, without a safe
environment, without
anyone who believes
that they deserve a
future. The Prince’s
Trust enables, inspires
and believes in these
young people. I chose to
work here because I
wanted to work for an
organisation that makes
a difference that lasts
and tackles challenges
when no one else will. I
love what I do because it
matters.
How did the Prince's
Trust start?
In 1976 His Royal
Highness, The Prince of
Wales, recognised the
growing isolation of far
too many young people,
and worried about both
their lack of confidence
and motivation. He
acknowledged that there
needed to be an invest-
ment in young people for
the future of the nation,
and charged his Trust
with focussing on these
young peoples’ poten-
tial. Last year alone the
Prince’s Trust reached
53,000 young persons,
with more than three in
four of them moving into
education, employment,
training or volunteering.
As President of The
Trust, His Royal
Highness is extremely
passionate about the
work that we do and is
an inspiration to all of us
on a daily basis. He has
been closely involved in
the charity’s work since
its inception, and regu-
larly meets young people
who have benefited from
the charity’s pro-
grammes while attend-
ing a multitude of events
throughout the year.
What is the work of
the Prince's Trust?
The Prince’s Trust
focuses on helping those
who need it most, which
means 13 to 30 year olds
who are underachieving
in education, leaving
care, young and ex-
offenders and those who
have been unemployed.
Our core programmes
encourage them to take
responsibility for them-
selves and build a life
they choose rather than
what they’ve ended up
with. The programmes
vary, depending on the
needs of the young peo-
ple. There are individu-
ally tailored long term
one-to-one programmes
for some of our hardest
to reach young people
helping them re-engage
in society. Others help
young people looking to
be self-employed test
their ideas, write busi-
ness plans and often
start their own business-
es with both financial
and mentor support.
What initiatives do
you get involved with,
and what is your work
all about?
My task at The
Prince’s Trust is growing
awareness and interest
amongst individuals,
specifically philanthro-
pists, about the work
that The Prince’s Trust
does. An area I am cur-
rently focussing on is the
British Asian communi-
ty. As the largest minori-
ty in the United
Kingdom we represent a
plethora of socio-eco-
nomic demographics,
while the top twenty
richest British Asians
represent more than £35
billion, 27.1% of Asian
young people are unem-
ployed*. We specifically
need role models to
whom the young people
can relate. James Caan
and Konnie Huq,
ambassadors of The
Trust, fully commit to
and understand the
work that we do while
also being examples of
success within our com-
munities. Patrons of The
Trust, our highest level
of supporters, include
Lakshmi Mittal, Lord
Gulam Noon, The
R a n g o o n w a l a
Foundation and Rami
Ranger. They have
recognised the need and
have offered support,
without which we could-
n’t possibly do the work
that we do.
However, with over
1.03 million young peo-
ple in the UK out of
employment, education
or training, the require-
ment has never been
greater than it is now,
and we need to galva-
nize support from within
our community. To reach
a further 55,000 young
people this year we need
to raise over £55 million.
s* As per the office of
national statistics 2011
survey.
His Royal Highness
is extremely
passionate about the
work that we do
Shivangi Chaturvedi
On a pivotal night for
European politics and
Greece's survival, Greek
voters showed their sup-
port for the country's con-
tinued membership of the
eurozone. The pro-bailout
New Democracy party led
by Antonis Samaras, pic-
tured, secured a narrow
victory in Sunday’s elec-
tions.
The BBC reports that
New Democracy took
29.7% of the vote (129
seats) narrowly beating
their leftwing rivals,
Syriza, who took 26.9%
(71 seats). The pro-bailout
socialist party, Pan-
Hellenic Socialist
Movement (Pasok) fin-
ished in third place with
12.3% of the votes (33
seats).
The victorious party is
awarded a 50-seat bonus
in parliament and one pos-
sible scenario could see
the pro-bailout parties,
New Democracy and
Pasok form a coalition
government thus giving
them a majority with 162
seats in the 300-strong
parliament.
Syriza's charismatic
leader, Alexis Tsipras has
categorically refused to
participate in any coalition
with New Democracy and
he looks set to become a
strong anti-austerity voice
in the opposing ranks.
“Anti-austerity is the only
viable solution,” Tsipras
proclaimed.
In his victory speech,
Mr Samaras labelled the
election results as “a victo-
ry for all of Europe.” In
spite of this, the imminent
challenge for Greece's
political parties is to form
a functioning government
and appoint a leader.
In a statement released
on Sunday, The White
House congratulated
Greece on its elections
while urging the new lead-
ers to promptly form a
coalition in order to pre-
vent further economic
chaos. “We hope this elec-
tion will lead quickly to
the formation of a new
government that can make
timely progress on the eco-
nomic challenges facing
the Greek people. As
President Obama and
other world leaders have
said, we believe that it is in
all our interests for Greece
to remain in the euro area
while respecting its com-
mitment to reform. Going
forward, we will engage
Greece in the spirit of part-
nership that has guided
our alliance and the friend-
ship between our people."
In a joint statement
Presidents Herman Van
Rompuy and José Manuel
Barroso hailed the result
of the election. “The Greek
people have spoken. We
fully respect their demo-
cratic choice. We are hope-
ful that the election results
will allow a government to
be formed quickly. Today,
we salute the courage and
resilience of the Greek cit-
izens, fully aware of the
sacrifices which are
demanded from them to
redress the Greek econo-
my and build new, sustain-
able growth for the coun-
try. We will continue to
stand by Greece as a mem-
ber of the EU family and of
the Euro area.”
A Muslim woman who
repeatedly beat a ten-year-
old girl with a steel ladle
for not reading enough
verses of the Koran has
been jailed.
Asia Parveen, pic-
tured, who was five
months pregnant at the
time, left the child with 57
injuries and later claimed
her violent outburst was
prompted by her hor-
mones. The girl managed
to escape when Parveen
ran to her kitchen for a
knife, and was found
alone at a bus stop in the
early hours of the morn-
ing.
Parveen, 31, had
argued with the girl on
August 15 last year,
Snaresbrook Crown Court
in London heard. She
accused the girl of lying
about how many verses of
the Koran she had read
while praying before hit-
ting the girl with the ten-
inch ladle for 45 minutes
and forced her to stand
with her arms out-
stretched for four hours.
The girl, who cannot
be named for legal rea-
sons, escaped when
Parveen went to fetch a
knife which she bran-
dished, saying she was
going to kill her. Doctors
identified 57 injuries,
including marks on her
arms, legs, elbows and
head, when she was exam-
ined at hospital.
Parveen, a mother of
three, accepted causing
some of the girl’s injuries
with the ladle but claimed
that others must have hap-
pened when the girl ‘fell
over’.
Muslim woman jailed for
beating ten year old girl
Greek vote averts European disaster
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