Youth | Commonwealth

For more information contact our Youth team

Main page for this area of work

5th Global Youth Work Conference 2025

Commonwealth youth ministers, youth leaders, and youth work practitioners will gather in Malaysia for the 5th Global Youth Work Conference 2025 (GYWC2025), scheduled from 17 to 19 November, at the International Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

View page

Webinar: Capacity-building for young people on the building blocks for climate finance

28 October 2025 to 28 October 2025

(GMT)

Webinar

Young people are increasingly recognised as vital agents of change in advancing climate action. This means including them in climate-policy decision-making and implementation. However, many young people - particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other climate-vulnerable countries - continue to face barriers such as limited access to climate finance, insufficient green skills, and exclusion from decision-making processes.

View webinar

Commonwealth Start-up Fellowship: A launchpad for sustainable youth entrepreneurship

A large portion of the Commonwealth’s population, approximately 60 per cent, is currently under 30. With such a young demographic, there is an urgent need to equip them with the skills, especially entrepreneurial skills, to succeed.

Read news

Commonwealth Youth Awards introduces a new category honouring young champions of media freedom

Young communications professionals are being encouraged to apply for a special new award within the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards. The inaugural Patsy Robertson Award for Outstanding Communications Skills in Advancing Community Development and Peace is being included as an additional prize this year.

Read news

Commonwealth Youth Award winners making impact that matters

‘An amazing leap’ is how one winner of the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence in Development Work described the positive impact the prize had on the trajectory of his work. Far too many young people are impacted by the world’s multifaceted challenges, including climate change, conflict, inequity, unemployment and poverty.

Read news

Peace Webinar Series: Peace beyond borders: Youth-led Extended Reality (XR) for interfaith harmony

20 September 2025 to 20 September 2025

(BST)

Webinar

Join us online for the third edition of the Commonwealth Faith Festival Peace Talks.

This monthly webinar series brings together young changemakers and established leaders to exchange ideas, stories and strategies about minority rights, youth mental health and peacebuilding.

View webinar

Strides made in improving mental health to empower Africa’s youth

Good mental health is a symptom of thriving and resilient communities and an enabler of development. Yet, across the world, a silent crisis is growing, and it particularly affects our young people.

Read news

Fostering youth leadership in arts and health across the Commonwealth

As part of activities to commemorate International Youth Day, over 120 young artists, performers, community activists, social workers, and visionaries gathered for the Young Leaders for Arts and Health Summit at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London.

Read news

Blog: How creativity, the arts and youth leadership can contribute to a healthier Commonwealth

By Kunle Adewale, Founder of Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship, Ayesha Ali, Coordinator, Commonwealth Youth Health Network, Emily Gilmour, Health Officer and Karina Gosalia, Health Research Officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Health Section

Read news

Blog: Youth experiences should shape policy on decriminalising poverty

By Cynthia Nyongesa, Assistant Research Officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Rule of Law Section

Read story

Young people at the Secretariat empowered to drive transformative change

On International Youth Day, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Botchwey, began her workday by hosting an intimate breakfast with a cross-section of young people working at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Read news

London Youth Art Health Summit 2025

22 August 2025 to 22 August 2025

(BST)

Event

Join us for a global gathering of young innovators, academics, creatives and policymakers, shaping the future of health through the arts, culture and creativity.

View event

Shining a spotlight on youth achievements for International Youth Day

For over 50 years, the Commonwealth Secretariat has been instrumental in empowering young people across its 56 member countries to lead and drive progress on development goals.

Read news

Nominations for 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards open on International Youth Day

To highlight young people making a positive difference in their communities, the Commonwealth Secretariat recently opened nominations for the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work.

Read news

Commonwealth provides technical assistance to boost Esports across Pakistan

Pakistan’s gaming and app development ecosystem has been growing rapidly, with locally-produced apps recording a compound annual growth rate of 32% in global downloads between 2018 and 2023.

Read news

Celebrating Commonwealth youth’s contributions towards achieving a better and fairer world

Over 200 youth leaders from across the Commonwealth joined the Commonwealth Youth Council for the inaugural Youth Leadership Consultative Dialogue in Windhoek, Namibia. The event was led by Namibia’s Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, the Hon Sanet Steenkamp, and included other senior government officials and representatives from the Commonwealth Secretariat

Read news

International Youth Day 2025

1 August 2025 to 31 August 2025

Event

The Commonwealth will host a series of events in August to observe International Youth Day, a day when the world acknowledges the vital role that young people play as agents of change, leaders and mobilisers in promoting development.

View event

Blog: The Road to Belém – looking to Indigenous Peoples to protect our earth

By Akil Crichlow, Events Officer, International Water Resources Association; Elyse Blondell, Living Lands Charter Intern; and Mxolisi Sibanda, Climate Change Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat

Read story

International Youth Day 2025

The Commonwealth will observe International Youth Day on 12 August 2025, a day when the world acknowledges the vital role that young people play as agents of change, leaders, and mobilisers in promoting development.

View page

5th Global Youth Work Conference - Youth Work in a Changing World: Sustaining Local Wisdom for Global Connectivity

17 November 2025 to 19 November 2025

Event

The 5th Global Youth Work Conference, themed Youth Work in a Changing World: Sustaining Local Wisdom for Global Connectivity, will be held from 17–19 November 2025 at the International Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

View event

Peace Talk Series: Youth mental health, minority rights and the path to peace

6 August 2025 to 6 August 2025

(BST)

Webinar

Join us for the second edition of the Commonwealth Faith Festival Peace Talks

View webinar

Blog: Living the values – reflections from Commonwealth Charter Bangladesh workshop

Blog by Munim Mubashshir, Member (Student Representative), Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission, Bangladesh

Read news

The young Nigerian innovator lighting up communities with recycled solar innovation

When Stanley Anigbogu heard his name announced as the 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year in London earlier in March, he could hardly believe it. He had not expected to win, especially among a pool of brilliant nominees from across the globe.

Read news

Commonwealth Peace Prize winners share lived experience with future generations

"Breaking the cycle of violence is a necessity. Otherwise, there will be no society left to be governed." This was a stark warning from Rev Dr James Movel Wuye, one of the joint winners of the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize.

Read news

Opportunities to lead the Commonwealth Students Association are open

The Commonwealth Students Association (CSA) is now accepting nominations for executive roles for the upcoming 2025-2028 term. The CSA helps to promote educational opportunities for students from Commonwealth countries and advocates for their rights and welfare.

Read news

Latest content: Youth