During a full day of in-person and online events commemorating International Youth Day, the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) team launched a virtual museum highlighting 50 years of supporting member countries with youth development work.
Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development at the Commonwealth Secretariat, under whose portfolio the CYP falls, noted that examining the programme's history is important, especially as they set the stage for future work at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa later this year.
The decision to host the museum virtually was deliberate. Robinson noted that the Secretary-General envisions a digitally driven Commonwealth and has enjoined her leaders to incorporate technology in all aspects of the Secretariat's work. It was serendipity as the International Youth Day theme, ‘From Clicks to Progress’, also sees a future where technology underpins and accelerates development work.
Those at the launch viewed the museum online and on virtual reality headsets.
Showcasing ecological diversity
The museum's interface was designed to highlight the diversity of wood, water, and landscape of the Commonwealth, and it was held together with a honeycomb design that represents the connectedness of the 56 member countries. The first exhibition to be hosted in the Museum – “CYP@50” - honours the contributions of the CYP since 1973. The posters, animations, videos, slideshows, 3-D artefacts and other content showcase the accomplishments of our young people and our governments in youth policy formulation, promoting youth entrepreneurship, empowering professional youth workers, and ensuring the full participation of young people in decision-making.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, in her address to the audience of High Commissioners, young people, youth workers and other stakeholders, said:
“The museum will stand as a permanent, interactive, flexible and adaptable platform, hosted by the Secretariat, accessible via a web browser, and – for the more technologically advanced among us – via virtual reality.
“It will be a platform to celebrate the progress of our member states; to recognise the great work of our accredited organisations, youth networks and international partners; to highlight the development contributions of young people; to increase awareness of development priorities across the Commonwealth; and to promote learning, skill development and capacity building for digital engagement.”
A future generation of curators and developers
The Secretary-General highlighted the contributions of the young curators, some of whom were in the audience, who offered their time and talent to bring the project to fruition. She commented that while there is no lack of genius in the Commonwealth, there is often a lack of opportunity.
Dr Terri-Ann Gilbert-Roberts, Research Manager at the Commonwealth Secretariat, worked closely with historian, Harriet Aldrich to research the history and with Troy and Kuku Richards, co-founders of the Museum of Diversity and 23 young curators across the Commonwealth to build the immersive world, as a Year of Youth legacy project. The curators benefitted from a 10-week training programme through which they gained valuable life skills while researching the history of the CYP.
Troy Richards, who mentioned being of Caribbean descent, said he enjoyed learning so much about the Commonwealth Secretariat and its work in implementing the project. He encouraged others to take advantage of the interactive features built into the immersive world.
View the museum and the CYP@50 exhibition
Media contact
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Ijeoma Onyeator Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat
