Latest content: Youth

A new worldwide youth development index, an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat, will help countries make smart investments to improve opportunities for young people

Paraschos Cant from Cyprus, was the Senior Winner of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2015. Aged 15, He wrote an open letter to world leaders expressing his hope for the future. Paraschos joins an esteemed list of winners that have gone on to become authors, journalists, academics and Prime Ministers.

Africa is a continent of young people; our demography is quite different from the rest of the world. Within three generations, 41% of the world’s youth will be Africans. By 2030, Africa’s labour force will be larger than China’s; by 2035 it will be larger than India’s.

Ambassador Irwin Larocque, Secretary-General, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) provides a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) perspective for the 2016 Youth Development Index.

The Global Youth Development Index, an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat, ranks 183 countries according to the prospects of young people in employment, education, health, civic and political spheres.

An education advocate from Bangladesh who was honoured in the Commonwealth Youth Awards earlier this year has now been named as one of 17 United Nations Young Leaders.

The Royal Commonwealth Society has today launched The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2017, focusing on the topic of A Commonwealth for Peace. The launch coincides with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.

A new toolkit for youth advocates in small island developing states will help young people in the countries most affected by climate change.

Traditional leaders across the northern region of Ghana have come together to use their leadership roles and governance structures to end child marriage.

The network was launched at an event on Friday in Johannesburg, South Africa. More than 40 representatives from government, the private sector and civil society were on hand to endorse its creation.

The new secretariat of the Commonwealth Youth Council was launched today in Malaysia at a ceremony attended by Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace working group (CYSDP) contribute to the 8th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting.

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work, which recognise outstanding young people who have made a significant impact in improving the lives and livelihoods of others.

To mark International Youth Day 2016, on 12 August, the first-ever Australian National Youth Development Index report has been launched with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Inclusive, affordable and sustainable sport is intrinsically linked with a healthy, happy and engaged population, writes Australia’s Minister for Sport, Sussan Ley, who is chairing the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Rio de Janeiro on 4 August.

The Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting is an important opportunity to talk about our journey so far and the critical role their governments and cities can play in the continued success and impact of Commonwealth Sport.

The Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards celebrate the positive impact of youth workers on young people’s lives, their communities and their societies.

The role that sport can play in contributing to sustainable development, in areas like health, education, gender equality and economic development, deserves the same amount of attention as the glitz, glamour and scandal of high performance sport.

Commonwealth governments will gather in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to push for greater recognition of sport as a vehicle to deliver global development goals, such as on health and education.

The Secretary-General will challenge universities to increase the number of scholarships they make available to Commonwealth students when she speaks at a universities conference tomorrow in Ghana.

Young people posed probing questions to Secretary-General Scotland as she launched a youth initiative to be rolled out across the Commonwealth.

“The world is facing enormous challenges; we need you to be part of the solution.” - Patricia Scotland, QC, Commonwealth Secretary-General. The Commonwealth Secretary-General invites young people to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges today.