Derek Ingram, widely regarded as one of the leading writers on Commonwealth issues, previous Deputy-Editor of the DailyMail, UK, and founder of the Gemini News Service, contributes his expertise to YoComm.com, the Pan-Commonwealth youth online media network.
"Making an Impact: The Commonwealth in
Parliament and in the Constituencies"
The Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK branch) jointly hosted a half-day conference on "Making an Impact: The Commonwealth in Parliament and in the Constituencies" on 12 March 2008 at the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, which was also supported by the Commonwealth Association.
Richard Bourne, Baroness Prashar, Lord Howell of Guildford
Clinton versus Obama - WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT ??
Right now the two most prominent names in speculation about the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination are Illinois senator and best-selling author Barack Obama, and New York senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.
The world and more especially the people of Zimbabwe are sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode anytime soon. “Power” in every form is a very useful tool but when used wrongly or found in the wrong hands can lead to disastrous consequence.
The people of Zimbabwe have no leader; the results from elections held a couple of weeks ago have not been released and this is causing great uneasiness amongst the people of Zimbabwe who will become victims of events when the undesirable war breaks out.
This is a Campaign; calling on all Commonwealth citizens especially the youth to sign-on and add their voice to the many calling for Robert Mugabe to release the results and stand down for a new beginning in Zimbabwe.
This campaign runs till the end of April and we are hoping to receive a million signatures and comments in support of the new Zimbabwe.
In Partnership with the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, following from the Stakeholders Meeting and the official Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting session, a workshop was organised to allow a continuation of the discussion and to bring to the fore certain thematic and organisational issues. The Workshop covered;
How can dialogue for youth development be sustained in the four year gap between 7CYMM and 8CYMM
How can duplication of youth initiatives be avoided and the maximisation of comparative advantages realised
A discussion and analysis on the concept of youth mainstreaming, mainstreaming processes and attitudes to mainstreaming by young people
In what ways can this consortium take forward the specific recommendations on building partnerships to achieve youth mainstreaming
How can the language of youth and peace-building remain positive and rhetoric fatigue be avoided?
more information on this workshop will be posted soon
"Media and Development Workshop" ,
Commonwealth Peoples Forum, Kampala, Uganda
The centerpiece of the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) in Kampala, 18-22 November, was a series of twenty interactive workshops run by coalitions of civil society organizations.
During the first session, Yocomm presented a best practice case study to the delegates.
"NKABOM 2008"
This year’s Nkabom project, which will take place in Cyprus this September and will explore the theme ‘Conflict and Beyond’ through an exciting and interactive programme of workshops, activities, tours, discussions and debates.
The programme will bring together around 25 young people from across the world to engage with local peace-building projects in Cyprus and think about the theme on a global scale, sharing experiences from their home countries. The programme will also nurture leadership skills, encouraging participants to become the Commonwealth leaders of tomorrow.
Further information about the Commonwealth Youth Leadership programme, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found below to download in the Information and Application Pack.
We would be most grateful if you could circulate the Pack to any young people (18-25 years old) who you think might be interested in applying.
Application forms must be received by email, post or fax by 10 June 2008.
Age Group:
18 - 25 Years
Closing Date:
Application forms must be received by email, post or fax by 10 June 2008.
Contact Person:
Claire Anholt Public Affairs Officer
Royal Commonwealth Society
London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7766 9202
Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9705 www.rcsint.org
Young people, representing the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth, met in Lagos in Nigeria on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 November 2006, and debated a series of major challenges affecting their nations and the globe. The first day involved the Opening Ceremony, with HE David Angell (High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria), Mr Stuart Mole OBE (Director-General, Royal Commonwealth Society) and the representative of the Governor of Lagos State, Opeyemi Bamidele, the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, among those who spoke.
A message from
Her Majesty The Queen,
Head of the Commonwealth
Last year, Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Uganda on the edge of Lake Victoria and agreed to an Action Plan for tackling climate change. It was an appropriate place to do so: from there, the waters of the River Nile begin a three-month journey to the Mediterranean.
Message from The Commonwealth
Secretary-General Don McKinnon
Monday 10th March is Commonwealth Day. For two billion Commonwealth citizens, it is a day to share and a day to celebrate.
Yet to share is not always to celebrate. Our theme this year, The Environment – Our Future, reminds us that we have a responsibility to share all that is good about the environment today with the generations of tomorrow...
YoComm at
"An Audience With Bill Gates"
On 30th January 2008, the Institute of Directors hosted “An Audience with Bill Gates” at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London as part of the “World Leader Lunch” series. The YoComm team participated at this exclusive seminar. Bill Gates talked about his views on the ‘Second Digital Decade’ and the IT innovations that are creating a “New World of Work”, Bill also announced the UK launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
Shilpa Shetty at RCS Meeting
Thirty one-year-old Shilpa Shetty, one of the five speakers on the occasion at the Westminster Abbey on Monday evening, touched on issues such as racism and AIDS.
“The Challenge of the 21st Century: Setting the Real Bottom Line.”
Dr. David Suzuki
"When I was born in 1936, there were two billion people in the world. In my lifetime, the population has more than tripled. We are now the most numerous mammals on Earth and since each of us has to be fed, clothed and sheltered, the collective ecological footprint of our species just from basic living is now very large. But in the past century, our increased technological prowess has been astounding, providing us with the capacity to alter the biological, physical and chemical features of the planet on a geological scale." Click Here For More...
Our Commonwealth 4 Poster Set
Discussion and Activity Ideas
YoComm team proudly presented the YoVoice Questionnaire statistics to Youth delegates from different Commonwealth countries at the 2006 Commonwealth Youth Forum in Malta.
The Golden Tapestry Project
The Golden Tapestry is a project for primary and special schools across the Common-wealth. Hundreds of thousands of children are contributing their own ideas and portraying their own lives and experiences in a unique collaborative artwork that is being exhibited around the world...
As part of the programmes marking the celebration of the Commonwealth Day which falls on the second Monday of every March, the Commonwealth debates were organised to create awareness of the Commonwealth through a healthy, competitive and fun mode among institutions.
