The Princess of Wales has launched ‘Shaping Us’, a campaign that is hoped will raise awareness of the importance of Early Childhood. The new long-term campaign from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is being spearheaded by Her Royal Highness and aims to transform the issue from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time.
The Princess of Wales launched the campaign in Leeds on Tuesday. She met vendors and members of the public at Kirkgate Market to discuss early childhood. After the market, Her Royal Highness travelled to the University of Leeds where she joined students on the Childhood Studies degree. Students studying this degree usually move on to careers in social work, therapeutic professions, and early years settings following their graduation.
Launching the campaign, The Princess of Wales said;
“The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships, and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives. It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children.
“These are the most preventative years. By focusing our collective time, energy, and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the health and happiness of generations to come.
“All of society has a role to play in this, even if you are not directly involved in a child’s life, because we are all responsible for building a more compassionate world in which our children can grow, learn and live.
“In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help support parents and caregivers provide loving, safe and secure homes for their babies and young children to thrive.”