The Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) is the official representative voice of the more than 1.2 billion young people in the Commonwealth.

The CYC was first established in 2013 with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth Youth Programme. It was endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their biennial summit in Sri Lanka as an ‘autonomous, youth-led organization.

Led by a nine-member executive, the CYC acts as a coalition of national youth councils and other youth-led civil society and private sector bodies from across the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth. The current CYC chairperson elect is Kim Allen from Papua New Guinea.  

It aims to further advance the youth development agenda by integrating young people into the development work of the Commonwealth at national, regional, and Pan-Commonwealth levels. It also provides a sustainable platform for unified engagement with decision-makers and youth-led development initiatives.

The CYC works to mobilise the voices of young people and advocate for governments to meaningfully engage young people. It partners with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other organizations with a focus on youth development.

Follow the CYC Facebook and Instagram pages for more updates.

The Commonwealth Students Association (CSA) unifies and represents the needs and aspirations of national student councils and other student organisations in the Commonwealth.

It was launched in 2012 at the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (18CCEM) in Mauritius, where student leaders gathered to make recommendations on the current issues in education and strengthen their role in the Commonwealth education sector.

The main aims of the CSA are ‘to promote unity among student organisations in Commonwealth countries; to protect the rights of Commonwealth students and to contribute actively to the development of student movements; and to create an environment for student unions and student movements to build their respective and collective capacities, to freely express and advocate’.

The CSA is supported by the Commonwealth Youth Programme and is led by an elected Executive Body, which is currently chaired by Dr Maisha Rezas of Singapore.

It plays an instrumental role in the planning of the Commonwealth Students Congress, the largest gathering of students across the Commonwealth. The inaugural Commonwealth Students Congress was held in The Bahamas in June 2015.

Visit the CSA Facebook page

The Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Network (CYSDP) promotes the use of sport as a tool for achieving development objectives in youth development. CYSDP is made up of young practitioners in the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP).

It aims to be the leading voice for youth in the Commonwealth towards promoting best practices in sport for development and peace in their respective societies – by targeting young people and policy makers, including safeguarding principles and innovative applications of sports towards global development goals. 

Follow CYSDP on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.

Learn more about CYSDP

The Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN) was established in 2009 during the Young Commonwealth Climate Summit in London, where 150 young environmental leaders gathered to share experiences and expertise.

The CYCN aims to build the capacity of young people in their endeavours to address climate change and other environmental issues, and advocate on climate change from a youth perspective.

The network is run by a team of dedicated volunteer professionals and young people from across the Commonwealth, with support from the Youth Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

The CYCN supports actions that empower young people to translate climate change programmes into effective policies that will have a measurable impact on youth well-being. It also links projects implemented by its members across the Commonwealth in order to develop common actions and campaigns.

CYCN members advocate within national and local governments, as well as in international agencies and global spaces such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to ensure that future generations are spared from the harshest effects of climate change.

Visit the CYCN Facebook page

The Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) brings together young people from across the Commonwealth to upscale and optimise grassroots, national, regional and Pan-Commonwealth efforts to promote peace, respect & understanding and preventing violent extremism.

CYPAN aims at fostering collaboration between members and creates space for policy advocacy as it relates to peace and countering violent extremism.

Its vision is to strengthen and optimise grassroots, national, regional and pan-Commonwealth youth participation in promoting sustainable peace and the fight against violent extremism.

Its mission is to connect, build capacity and provide support of youth activists from across the Commonwealth and beyond; including artists, tech entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, youth workers, filmmakers, cartoonists, students and innovators to promote peace and fight against violent extremism.

The network was established with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat and grew out of a partnership with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Commonwealth Youth Health Network (CYHN) is a platform for young people to advocate and engage on global issues related to health, through individual and collective action, as well as through partnerships with other youth structures and key institutions at national and international levels.

Its members are drawn from different sectors, including the medical community, civil society and non-governmental organisations.

CYHN partners with the Commonwealth Secretariat and member countries in achieving health-related development goals – in particular, SDG 3: to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.

The network was launched in June 2016, at the end of a visioning workshop held at Marlborough House in London. It was established with the support of the Youth Division and the Health and Education Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Its current Chair is Lucy Fagan of the United Kingdom.

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The Commonwealth Youth Human Rights and Democracy Network (CYHRDN) provides a platform for collaboration with young people on important national, regional and global human rights issues. It also strengthens the capacity of young people to engage with their communities, policy-makers and wider stakeholders.

The network aims to achieve its advocacy and capacity-building objectives through partnerships to contribute to research, policies and programmes. Its priority areas include disability rights, anti-discrimination and domestic violence.

Its vision is to actively engage young people in education and advocacy in the area of human rights and democracy.

Its mission is to create a collaborative space for young people to achieve collective human rights and democracy goals through capacity development, the dissemination of knowledge and by supporting young people to engage in human rights and democracy.

The network was launched in June 2016 at the end of a visioning workshop held at Marlborough House in London. It was established with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Learn more about CYHRDN

The Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network (CCYDN) is a youth-led disability friendly network, whose mission is to strengthen the voices of children and young people with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth, via increasing awareness of their rights and supporting their participation and inclusion. 

The aim is to increase access to platforms for youth with disabilities as changemakers, and to influence positive change on issues that matter to them. CCYDN recognises that children and young people with disabilities have much to say and contribute as changemakers and influencers in policy and delivery and their inclusion, contributions, lived experiences have an important role to play. 

Follow CCYDN on Twitter for more updates. 

Learn more about CCYDN

The Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAYE) works to strengthen and support the ambitions of young entrepreneurs in Commonwealth regions. These regional networks ensure they have a combined voice and representation at forums to influence policy development on youth entrepreneurship.

These coalitions seek to champion the cause of young entrepreneurs at the local, national, regional and international level, through its engagement with governments, the media, the public, and other relevant stakeholders. They are committed to achieving measurable progress towards the development of youth entrepreneurship and innovation within Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Canada and the wider Commonwealth.

There are three regional CAYE networks:

Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs - Africa

Originally represented as three separate networks (CAYE-East Africa, CAYE-Southern Africa and CAYE-West Africa), the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs-Africa (CAYE-Africa) was established in May 2019 to merge the work and impact of each former network into one unified alliance for the Africa region.

The alliance was formed by young entrepreneurs from eighteen African Commonwealth countries. The young leaders recognised that the alliance’s current “network of networks” model required a more targeted and engaged approach in order to increase impact, strengthen linkages across the region and embolden a clear unified approach to CAYE’s agenda in Africa. This shift will provide a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase business enterprises and promote trade within the country, region and beyond.

The current CAYE-Africa Coordinator is Joel Bamwise of Uganda.

Read more about CAYE-Africa

Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs - Asia

CAYE-Asia was established in 2011 as a network of young entrepreneurs from across the Asia region and their respective organisations. It commits to supporting young entrepreneurs across the region; creating a network for mentorship and advisory services to young entrepreneurs; contributing to human capital development through education and training; providing information on access to finance and other resources; and influencing policy mechanisms for entrepreneurial development.

It is a ‘Pipeline Partner’ for Child and Youth Finance International, and its members have played an active role in supporting the Commonwealth Youth Programme in replicating the CAYE-Asia model throughout other Commonwealth regions.

CAYE-Asia also hosts an annual summit to provide a platform for engagement and networking among young entrepreneurs. The last summit was held in Goa, India in 2019.

The current CAYE-Asia Co-ordinator is Anuj Agarwal of India.

Visit CAYE-Asia on Facebook

Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs - Caribbean & Canada

Youth entrepreneurship organisations from 13 Commonwealth countries across the Caribbean and including Canada formed a regional alliance of young entrepreneurs in December 2014.

The mission of the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs-Caribbean & Canada (CAYE-C&C) is to:

• focus on building support for youth entrepreneurship;
• promote knowledge-sharing among member organisations and stakeholders;
• provide information to young entrepreneurs;
• facilitate regional trade for young entrepreneurs.

The network was formally launched in July 2015.

The current CAYE-Caribbean & Canada Co-ordinator is Selma Green of Barbados.

Visit CAYE-C&C on Facebook

If you are interested in being involved with these entrepreneurial networks or establishing a similar network, contact the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Youth Division.

YourCommonwealth.org was launched in 2011 as an interactive site for young people, students and youth leaders from across the world to engage with each other and provide a youth perspective on global debates. It is supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat and has its own independent editorial team.

The website hosts the work of the ‘Commonwealth Correspondents’, a pioneering network of young and aspiring journalists and social commentators who publish articles, interviews and comment pieces on issues of mutual concern. These young writers come from every Commonwealth region, and are eagre to share their perspectives on events occurring in their community, country or region.

YourCommonwealth.org was named ‘Communicator of the Year' in the 2012 Nexus Commonwealth Awards.

Learn more about Commonwealth Correspondents

The Commonwealth Youth Gender Equality Network (CYGEN) is a youth-led network which actively promotes and supports the meaningful inclusion of youth voices on gender equality issues in local, national, regional, Commonwealth and international agendas. 

Supported by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), who act as the network’s secretariat, CYGEN brings together young experts on a range of gender issues from across all regions of the Commonwealth. CYGEN continues to build a network of young gender experts from across the Commonwealth who can collaborate and share good practice in their work. 

Learn more about CYGEN

Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation empowers Commonwealth Youth to support, contribute to, and advocate for sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth and to look at ways in which cities and human settlements can better reflect the needs of youth.  

The creation of this network is in response to the Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth, launched in 2021 by the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative which acknowledges the importance of youth in sustainable urbanisation. The network builds on the Youth Manifesto for Sustainable Urbanism launched at CHOGM 2018, London. A unique aspect of this network is recognising the need to foster interdisciplinarity between youth interested, or beginning their careers, in sectors related to the built environment, such as the technical professions, local government and academia. 

Learn more about Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation

The Commonwealth Association of Planners’ (CAP) Young Planners’ Network was established to connect and mobilise planning students and young planners across the Commonwealth to help address the needs of young planners and youth more generally, and to contribute a youth perspective to the work of CAP. 

Follow CAP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.

Learn more about CAP