CYP South Pacific centre appoints appoints a new intern

At 20, Matthew co-founded the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning (SAIL) Program which now engages over 300 volunteers across Melbourne and in Sydney, Australia. He is also the Director of the Sudanese Online Research Association.

He writes for newspapers and magazines on current affairs and is frequently invited to speak to youth, educational and community groups. In 2004, Matthew worked for the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya and at the Kakuma refugee camp.

Matthew was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World, by the Junior Chamber International in 2005 for his contributions to "children, world peace and human rights". In 2005, he was awarded the Victorian Young Australian of the Year.

While at the centre, Matthew will be working to:

• Develop a framework/concept for Young person's award in each of our member countries
• Develop a framework for a Youth internship programme at the SP Centre
• Assist in the setting up of a Youth Empowerment and Resource Centre in Honiara
• Follow up on RYC projects, namely the partnership programmes as well as touching base with the RYC members on how they are going with their assigned tasks in the RYC Strategic Plan agreed on in Samoa.

The Regional Director of CYPSP, Ms Afu Billy, congratulated Mathew Albert for taking the internship and said that the CYP looks forward to assisting him in successfully completing the objectives of the internship. It is hoped that the internship programme will enhance his skills in youth work and provide him with an international perspective of youth development. At the same time, the internship will provide the Commonwealth Youth Programme South Pacific Centre with a talented and outstanding young Commonwealth citizen to participate in the development and implementation of youth programmes.