Prince, players and peace ­ the quiet story

AT A time when there is so much hopelessness and fear about the inner city, a simple initiative promoting peace and partnership in the inner city has been bringing quiet change. The Prince's Cup, an initiative of Kingston Restoration Company and the British High Commission has been bringing together young men from every inner-city community in the capital city. Even on that Saturday in the so-called Wild West, young men from Denham Town, Jungle, Jones Town, Rema, Trench Town, Hannah Town, Rose Town braved the tension, fear and stray bullets to come out to meet at the Prince's Cup event held at Mico Teachers' College.

Support peace

The Prince's Cup is a bold attempt to support peace within and between inner-city communities by using football as an unifying force. Over one thousand young men from the capital's eighty-one inner-city communities have organised themselves into 5-a-side teams to compete in this process. Day long events have been held at the UDC car park downtown, Liguanea Park in New Kingston and Mico Teachers' College in Cross Roads, with community champions emerging for each area. Kingston Restoration Company, the project managers, have been using these events as a way of disseminating to this most critical and unreached social group of men basic information about how they can take advantage of education, training and entrepreneurial opportunities available to them. As intense and rough scrimmage football has been played on the field, old antagonisms, rivalries and misunderstandings have been resolved positively off the field. Peace, human development and opportunities for these young men are the goals.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales decided to support the process after his visit to West Kingston last year. Though he will be unable to attend the finals, scheduled for July 29 at Sabina Park, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be in attendance and will crown the Prince's Cup champions. The champions will as their main prize go to the UK courtesy of British Airways and join the England football team in their final training camp before the England versus Netherlands international football game.

As Gresford Bennett, the Prince's Cup project co-ordinator for KRC says "It is all about making the communities and our capital safer. As the competition has progressed and hundreds of people have turned out, we have felt that sense of camaraderie and confidence among inner-city residents. For some of the guys the simple but significant difference is that they can now walk down roads where they could not contemplate passing beforehand. Getting around for work, school or leisure is a little easier as people know and have shared time together through the Prince's Cup".

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