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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Awards Prove Youth Not Wasted on the Young

5 September 1997

Five groups of talented young people ? from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka ? have once again proven George Bernard Shaw wrong when he said 'youth is wasted on the young.' All of the groups are behind outstanding community projects which have been recognised with Commonwealth Youth Service Awards for 1997, valued at £3,000 each.

The diverse winners include a project to shelter young people living on the streets of South Africa and one to provide job opportunities for rural women in India.

To qualify for Commonwealth Youth Service Awards, all projects must have been in existence for two years and be wholly or principally developed and administered by young women and men. In particular, the judges look for the extent of youth involvement, the sustainability of the projects, their originality and the extent to which they address a community need. The Commonwealth Youth Service Awards are presented annually by the Commonwealth Youth Programme, a voluntary fund set up in 1973 to promote the well-being of the Commonwealth's largest constituency: the young.

The winning groups and details of their projects are as follows:

Chalk and Soap Project ? Antigua and Barbuda
This project teaches marginalised boys and young men the benefits of working together as a team and provides them with a better financial footing after they leave school. Established in 1995, the boys help manufacture chalk and soap products and market these to the community. The Ministry of Education assists the project by purchasing their products and provides duty-free concessions for importing the raw materials. For further information, please contact: Mr Vincent Benjamin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, St John's, Antigua and Barbuda.
 
Casual Work Campaign ? Sydney, Australia
Aimed at young migrant workers, and those who are unemployed, the Casual Work Campaign serves, educates and represents young working people in Australia, particularly those in industries such as retail, fast food, hospitality and tourism. The group's objective is to produce a pamphlet stating casual workers' rights according to each state's regulations and to assemble an educational kit with the help of trade unions. For further information, please contact: Tim Gill, 25 Union Street, Granville, Australia. Tel: 02 9682 6719.

Socio-Economic Upliftment of Rural Women ? Raisen, India
This project provides job opportunities to rural women, aged 15 to 35. In the past two years, it has helped train over 1,200 rural women in such areas as cutting and tailoring, food preservation and manufacturing handicrafts. The group says it will use the award money to purchase additional training machinery, a training centre and raw materials. For further information, please contact: Ms Sarvar Sultan, Azam House, No. 33, Ward No. 8 Old S.P. Office Road, Raisen Distt. Raisen, Tel: 2178

District Environmental Promotion Programme ? Kandy, Sri Lanka
This project helps foster environmental awareness among young people and create youth leaders in biodiversity and conservation. Over the past two years it has helped form 28 environmental conservation committees and has introduced organic farming strategies among vegetable and paddy cultivators. The youths also act as a pressure group on environmental matters. For further information, please contact: Mr Uddala Seneviratne, Tel: 94 8 222 039.

Streetkids Projects ? Gardenview, South Africa
Since 1973, this project has worked with high schools and youth communities in many parts of South Africa to devise shelters for young people between the ages of 12 and 19 living on the street. Its organisers attempt to get as many back home as possible and to prepare them to play a positive role in society. The group intends to use the award money to help establish a farm for streetkids near Cape Town or create a study bursary. For further information, please contact: Streetkids Projects, PO Box 75558, Gardenview 2047.

 

97/44                     5 September 1997

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