
British Youth Council representatives attend Commonwealth Youth Forum and Council Meeting
In November 2015, elected representatives of the British Youth Council , attended the Commonwealth Youth Forum, and the meeting of the Commonwealth Youth Council in Malta. From 21-25 November, 2015, over 200 young people from all corners of the Commonwealth will come together in St. Paul’s Bay, Malta to discuss key issues facing their generation; Leon Ward and Kavita Sharma, the British Youth Council’s elected representatives to the Commonwealth went along to represent the young people of the UK and to advocate and lobby decision makers on the British Youth Council’s policies. This was the first major gathering of Commonwealth young people since the launch of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
Leon and Kavita took part in workshops, panel discussions, plenary session and the official meeting of the Commonwealth Youth Council. You can see the full programme here – 21112015-cyf-programme
The overall theme of the Forum was #WhatNext, and was further focused around four main themes of:
Economic Agenda
- Innovation and Technology: Closing The Gap: The role and contribution of Science and Technology in promoting economic growth in CW countries.
- Sustainable Employment: Re-Examining the Pathways to Sustainable Employment.
- Youth Entrepreneurship: Investing in Youth Entrepreneurship for Economic Growth.
Environment Agenda
- Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience and Recovery: Addressing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
- Protection of Natural Resources: Balancing Production and Consumption Patterns with Sustainable Development.
- Climate Change: Transforming Climate Change into Relevant Opportunity for the Youth.
Social Agenda
- Quality and Inclusive Education: Re-assessing access to Quality Education for youth.
- Health: Creating alternate pathways for accessing medical and health services.
- Youth Policy and Youth Work: Acknowledging Responsibility.
Political Agenda
- Peace and Security: Countering the rise of global extremism.
- Social Cohesion: A shared common history.
- Human Rights: A pillar of the Commonwealth.
The outcome of the forum was a Communique that was presented to decision makers at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.