The CYP in Action

At the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting, which took place this week in Colombo, Sri Lanka, they asked for a voice in decision-making forums, locally, nationally and regionally. Young people constitute more than half of Commonwealth citizens and their input is vital to the future of their societies and countries.

The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), through its four regional offices in Guyana, India, the Solomon Islands and Zambia is looking at how the organisation can contribute in a meaningful way to address the needs of the young people it represents.

Sushil Ram, Programme Manager of CYP Pacific, based in the Solomon Islands explains the importance of adding value to what is already being done.

“There are many youth and development organisations working in the region, and we strongly believe that CYP, with its limited resources, is better equipped to focus on building strategic partnerships to add value and provide new ideas.

“In the Pacific region, there are a range of NGOs and we are observing duplication and repetition of projects. Limited resources are wasted.”

‘Youth mapping’

He says that the CYP in the Solomon Islands has been engaged in a ‘youth mapping’ exercise: Identifying organisations, looking at what they are doing and establishing where there are gaps.

“Now we are trying to give agencies leads in thematic areas such as governance, building the capacity of youth organisations and research. There is a huge gap in youth participation in the region and we are working towards creating national youth structures and strengthening national youth councils.”

Mr Ram says that they had made good progress in getting governments to recognise the need to engage young people in the issues that are affecting their livelihoods.

Through the United National Development Programme and the Body Shop Australia, a private sector partner, they are supporting business skills development programmes in Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

“We are identifying young people already in business. We know that in the Solomon Islands, where unemployment among young people is 60 per cent, jobs in the government and private sector are very limited.

“Over 80 per cent of small businesses fail in the first year due to a lack of business skills. Through these partnerships, we have supported a range of young people with their own initiatives ranging from poultry farming to tour operations.”

Bridging the digital divide

Raj Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre agreed that it was important to focus on core strengths. “For us, it is Information Technology – bridging the digital divide through our in-house IT centre in Chandigarh.

“We provide highly-subsidised training to young people, including certificate courses lasting from two to six months. In any given day, some 40 to 45 young people come to the centre to learn basics.

Unique to CYP Asia is a computer lab on wheels. It is a van with six internet-linked computers with battery back-up when they travel to rural areas. Twelve youngsters at a time can be given training.

“Since its launch three years ago, we have imparted basic computer literacy to some 3,000 young people in rural areas and urban slums.”

Last year, a van was donated to neighbouring Pakistan and it is hoped to extend the project to Bangladesh in 2009.

Unemployment and poverty are the major problems in the region, and HIV/AIDS continues to be a major issue. “The disease epidemic is a matter of concern in India, the region’s most populous country,” he says.

Peer-to-peer mentoring

CYP Asia Centre currently supports the Commonwealth peer-to-peer mentoring programme - ‘Young Ambassadors for Positive Living’ - to address issues relating to HIV/AIDS, drugs and substance use and to promote positive living among youth.

James Odit, Regional Director for Africa says that the health of young people is a critical issue. “It’s one area I personally want us to concentrate on more. My vision is to see the CYP Africa Centre become a Centre of Excellence in HIV/Aids Programming for young people.

“We have Young Ambassadors for Positive Living working in Zambia – where the Programme is based – and in Swaziland and Uganda. Shortly, we will be extending this initiative to Mauritius and Ghana, amongst others.”

Young people, some with HIV themselves, are being trained as peer educators to understand HIV, how to prevent it and how to live positively. They are able to go out and interact with other young people.

The Africa office is also engaged in building the capacity of young people to take up leadership positions in the future. “They identify critical areas of concern and we organise training workshops to develop their skills in response to what they are asking for.

“This could range from effective communication to leadership,” says Mr Odit.

“We also run a programme for youth development workers, which involves people from all over Africa. Sixteen countries are heavily engaged in this.”

The training modules are developed by CYP in conjunction with universities and colleges, with part of the funding being provided by CYP.

“In Africa, the population is such that we have very large numbers of young people in need of support. In addition, the performance of economies within the continent has a direct bearing on governments’ ability to address social problems. The pressures are considerable,” Mr Odit explains.

Addressing crime and violence

In the Caribbean region, the major concerns are related to crime and violence. Henry Charles, Director of the regional programme, based in Guyana, says there are a lot of youth initiatives by mainstream organisations and governments – what he describes as “feel good” projects.

“They have not had a sustainable and positive impact on the situation. CYP remains committed to a strategic approach to youth development, so that we are able to assist countries and agencies in the region to develop an enabling environment and a strategic framework for youth development.”

Mr Charles says the Commonwealth’s Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment will raise the profile of this work considerably, in terms of getting governments and young people on board.

CYP Caribbean is actively engaged in training youth leaders to provide the tools and capacity to better engage at community level.

“One of our core strengths is that we are constantly interrogating the youth development landscape, looking the emerging issues and trends, the emerging strategies and interventions. We are at the cutting edge so that we are able to lead the way for other organizations and for governments,” Mr Charles explains.

The Centre has moved beyond implementing the highly successful Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative – a scheme whereby microfinance and business skills can be accessed by young people wanting to start their own businesses or become self-employed.