Youth Work Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of youth development workers and their positive and enduring impact on young people.
Youth Work Week is an annual initiative by the Commonwealth Secretariat that highlights the contribution and achievements of youth work, youth workers, and youth organisations throughout the 53 Commonwealth member countries.
It was first established by the UK's National Youth Agency two decades ago, and since 2012 the Commonwealth has worked to expand its reach and scope across its 53 member countries.
The theme for Commonwealth Youth Work Week 2016, held from 7-13 November, is ‘Empowering young people through sport and arts’, acknowledging the creative and innovative techniques that youth workers employ to deliver effective youth empowerment programmes.
The Commonwealth Secretariat encourages youth clubs, national youth councils, youth ministries, departments, and national youth organisations, to get involved by hosting an event or activity for Youth Work Week. Contact us to share your plans for Youth Work Week 2016.
Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2016
Launched in 2013 the Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards celebrates outstanding youth workers across the Commonwealth who are instrumental to the positive development of young people.
Finalists will be shortlisted from each Commonwealth region - Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, and the Pacific – with one person ultimately selected as the Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year in each region.
As part of an awards ceremony in London on 10 November, the overall Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year, drawn from the regional winners, will be named. Please note, the ceremony is invite-only.
Victor Ochen of Uganda, founder of the African Youth Initiative Network and a former Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, was recognised as the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year.
If you know a youth worker who is doing great work using sport or the arts, then nominate them by completing the official online form at commonwealth-youthworkers.awardsplatform.com
Nominations will be assessed according to:
- Impact on young people’s lives – evidence of how the youth worker has made an impact on the lives of young people
- Impact on the wider community – the impact the youth worker’s intervention had on the community and families
- Quality of their interventions – evidence of the use of youth work principles, methods and sustainable approaches
- Innovation and learning – evidence of creativity in overcoming the challenges of delivery and in application of youth work theory
Nominations close 31 August 2016
How do you plan to celebrate Youth Work Week?
Send us your news, messages and photos via social media using the hashtag #cwyouth or #YWW2016
Twitter: @commonwealthsec or @ComSecYouth
Facebook: facebook.com/CommonwealthSec or facebook.com/ComSecYouth
Find out more about last year's Youth Work Week activities:
thecommonwealth.org/media/event/youth-work-week-2015