A future generation of leaders has been learning how to give more than one billion young people across the Commonwealth a greater say in how their countries are run.
A future generation of leaders has been learning how to give more than one billion young people across the Commonwealth a greater say in how their countries are run.
Thirty-five delegates from the Commonwealth Youth Council and other Commonwealth youth networks have been attending the Youth Leadership Training workshop at The Commonwealth headquarters in London.
The Commonwealth sees young people aged 15-29 as assets to a country’s development who should be empowered to realise their potential. The 53 member countries have a combined population of more than 2.4 billion people. More than 60 per cent of them are under 30 years of age.
The workshop is designed to give aspiring leaders strategic skills to bridge the gap between young people and their governments and also to advocate for greater inclusion of young people at all levels of decision making, policy planning and implementation at national and regional levels.
Nafula Wafula, Vice Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council in charge of policy and advocacy, was among those who attended the workshop: “I think young people definitely have a major role to play in the future of the Commonwealth and also in the progress of the world that we see today,” she said.
Nafula Faith Wafula interview
“Young people have energy, vision, solution, and we are very much willing to work together to make a difference on this planet. We have learnt a lot in the leadership training, especially the power of networking. It has been interesting to see just how exactly we can all work together to create maximum impact,” she added.
The training included a talk by karate champion Geoff Thompson. He told the delegates about the importance of sport to young people. The medal-winning martial arts expert emphasized participating in sport as a way to achieve peace and development goals.
