The next generation of the Commonwealth will be centre stage during a major summit next week.
More than 500 delegates will gather for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting’s (CHOGM) Youth Forum to exchange ideas and formulate plans on the key issues affecting young people across the 53 member countries.
The Forum will see more than 40 speakers from a range of government, civil society, non-governmental organisations and international youth networks take part in range of plenaries and group discussions at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre.
One of the major highlights of the Forum, which takes place in London from 16-18 April, will be the announcement of the four regional winners of the Commonwealth Youth Awards, in addition to the unveiling of the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
The Forum will also see the election hustings and the election of a new Commonwealth Youth Council executive, the body which represents the voices of more than one billion young people from across the 53 member states.
Delegates will also spend half a day volunteering in the UK capital; at previous CHOGM’s this has involved donating blood, visiting children’s homes to meet with disadvantaged young people, and playing sport in orphanages.
Head of Social Policy Development at the Commonwealth, Layne Robinson, said, “The Commonwealth Youth Forum is unique it is a diverse gathering of youth leaders from across the 53 member countries who are developing concrete youth-led action plans that will set the agenda for the next generation and help deliver a common future for the Commonwealth.”
