Ozwald Boateng lends his support to Government and UCKG

Ozwald Boateng OBE, world-renowned Savile Row menswear tailor is lending his support to the British government's Reach initiative, a programme designed to create positive role models for young black men in the UK.

He will sit on a panel of judges who have been appointed to select 20 black male role models in the UK from areas such as the arts, law and medicine.

The programme's aim is to encourage young black men to fulfill their potential. "There is a real need to inspire young black men and I think that can only be achieved by demonstrating different black men from different professions doing well," said Boateng. "I think that's going to be a powerful thing for them to see."

Ministers who will launch the idea say the aim is to offer young people from black and mixed-race backgrounds an alternative to the culture of ‘crime, drugs, guns and gangs’ into which some are lured.

Ozwald Boateng is also supporting the UCKG Refurbishment Programme by donating at tailor-made, ready-to-wear suit, shirt and tie in order to be raffled. Works for the new Youth Centre in Peckham have already started This Youth Centre will be focused on training, academic excellence, and life skills, although there will be light-hearted moments, too. The project will give the young men and women of Peckham a head-start for productive and happier lives, perhaps putting them in the headlines for all the right reasons. Find out more about the Peckham project.

Want to get your hands on some raffle tickets? Visit your local UCKG HelpCentre to purchase them.

Released on Wednesday 23rd July 2008