Commonwealth Youth Programme SEPTEMBER 2016

Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan 2013-17

1. Democracy

2. Public Institutions

3. Social Development

4. Youth – Strategic outcome: That young people are more integrated and valued in political and development processes.

5. Development: Pan-Commonwealth

6. Development: Small States and Vulnerable States

Commonwealth Youth Programme - Theory of Change by working at a macro level with Youth Ministries, Youth Development Organisations, Youth Workers and Youth Leaders to develop enabling environments, facilitate connections, build capacity and inspire action, the Commonwealth can effect systemic, sustained and/or catalytic change that will cascade down to grass roots impact for young people.

Commonwealth Youth Programme

Youth / Sport Ministries

Youth Workers

Youth Leaders

Systemic, sustained and/or catalytic change

Grassroots impact for young people

Thought leadership, facilitate connections, build capacity, demonstrate & inspire

2013-17 Intermediate Outcomes

2. Engaging & Empowering Young People • Youth Networks and Platforms • Youth Development Mechanisms

1. Enabling Environments • Youth Policies & Frameworks • Youth Work

Professionalisation • Sport for Development &

Peace

1. Enabling Environments

1. Policies & Frameworks

•Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meetings (regional and pan-CW) •Youth Development Index (& national level YDIs) •Technical assistance and capacity building for Ministries, incl. for: •Evidence based National Youth Policies •National Entrepreneurship Policies (incl. Policy Guide on Youth Entrepreneurship)

•Youth development tools and frameworks, incl. policy frameworks, policy / capacity assessment tools, & youth mainstreaming) •Community of Practice in Youth Development •Ideal Youth Development Ecosystem •Youth specific SDG monitoring & accountability •Commonwealth Youth Policy Group

2. Youth Work Professionalisation

•Baseline on Youth Work •Youth Work Education & qualifications, incl.: •Diploma & Bachelor Degree in Youth Development Work •Global consortium to facilitate / promote Bachelor Degree as OER •Extension products using OER (eg online courses, Exec Ed programme)

•Commonwealth Youth Work Week •Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards •Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work Education and Training •Formation / capacity building of national youth worker associations, formation of Commonwealth Alliance of YW Associations

3. Sport for Development and Peace (SDP)

•Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meetings •Technical assistance for National SDP Strategies and Action Plans •Policy guidance for using sport to deliver 2030 Agenda for Development (SDGs) •Sport as a driver of socioeconomic development in Eastern Caribbean •Sport and youth development research •Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) •SDP education at major events (CW Games, CW Youth Games) •International Day of SDP

2. Engaging & Empowering Young People

1. Youth Networks

•Commonwealth Youth Council •Regional youth networks •Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (Asia, Caribbean, East Africa, Southern Africa) •Commonwealth Students Association •Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN) •Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network (CYGEN) •Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) •Commonwealth Human Rights & Democracy Network •Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development & Peace Network (CYSDP) •Commonwealth Youth Health Network •Effective models for National Youth Councils & Parliaments, Student Associations •[Model for youth engagement in post disaster rebuilding]

1. Youth Platforms

•Commonwealth Youth Forum & Youth Dialogue with Heads at CHOGM •Youth Leaders Forums at Youth & Education Ministers Meetings • YourCommonwealth.org & Commonwealth Correspondents

•Activities with/by Youth Networks •Commonwealth Youth Leadership Week •CAYE-Asia Annual Summit •Youth & SDP Advocacy Toolkit •Commonwealth Youth Expert Group Meeting on Climate Change •CVE capacity building workshop (Commonwealth YouthCAN) •Attendance / delivery of side events at international meetings (CW, UN) •Youth delegates in election observer missions •State of Student Governance Report

2. Youth Development Mechanisms

•Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development •Young Professionals Programme at Commonwealth Secretariat (& dissemination of model) •CommonTies for young Commonwealth citizens working / studying in UK •Capacity building of youth leaders and development organisations (eg ToT & manual in Human Rights) •2015 Commonwealth theme ‘A Young Commonwealth’ incl. Bright Ideas from a Young Commonwealth •Support for QEDJT •[Young Public Leaders Programme]

Overview

• Aims to create an enabling ecosystem for youth entrepreneurship

• Key priority areas for policy focus • Actions & youth-specific measures • Examples of good practice & lessons learnt • Indicators to measure effectiveness of policies

• Based on:

• UNCTAD Entrepreneurship Policy Framework • Commonwealth Guiding Framework on Youth

Entrepreneurship

Key Components

1. Formulating a National

Entrepreneurship Strategy

2. Optimising the Regulatory

Environment

3. Enhancing Entrepreneurship

Education and Skills Development

4. Facilitating Technology

Exchange and Innovation

5. Improving Access to Finance

6. Promoting Awareness and

Networking

For each Key Component:

Policy Objectives

Recommended Actions

Youth Specific Measures

Examples of policies and initiatives

Checklist of key questions

Policy Guide on Youth Entrepreneurship – Key Components

1. Formulating a National

Entrepreneurship Strategy

2. Optimising the Regulatory

Environment

3. Enhancing Entrepreneurship

Education and Skills Development

4. Facilitating Technology

Exchange and Innovation

5. Improving Access to Finance

6. Promoting Awareness and

Networking

6. Promoting Awareness and Networking

•e.g. #1. Highlight the value of entrepreneurship to society and address negative cultural biases Policy Objectives

•e.g. Publically celebrate entrepreneur role models, and involve entrepreneurs in policy dialogue processes Recommended Actions

•e.g. Encourage the development of young entrepreneurs’ and peer networks Youth Specific Measures

•e.g. Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs, advocating for and developing young entrepreneurs

Examples of policies and initiatives

•e.g. Are there efforts to promote cross-border networks and activities?

Checklist of key questions

Operationalising the Policy Guide (in partnership w/ UNCTAD, ILO, etc)

Regional level events

• Create awareness and engage key stakeholders

• Build capacity and interest of ministries in youth entrepreneurship strategies & policies

• Tanzania, May 2016 • South Africa, November 2016

National level projects

• Technical assistance to develop national policies, strategies and action plans (TA to Namibia, Solomon islands)

• Engage multiple stakeholders in collective action model (policy makers, private sector, regulators, financial institutions, NGOs, entrepreneurs’ networks, etc)

Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAYE)

CAYE As the number of young entrepreneurs grows, so does the need for a

bigger voice to articulate their needs/concerns.

young entrepreneurs have limited opportunities/ platforms to champion their cause, despite the numerous issues they face.

The Commonwealth, have been supporting the formation of alliances of youth entrepreneurs - to ensure them a bigger voice on issues that concern them most, and provide additional opportunities for learning and trade.

Formation of these alliances in Asia (CAYE-Asia – November 2012); in Caribbean (CAYE Caribbean – May 2015); in East Africa (CAYE East Africa – August 2015); in Southern Africa (CAYE Southern Africa – August 2016) and in West Africa (CAYE West Africa – planned for October 2016)

• It’s a ‘network of networks’ model

• brings together national networks of young entrepreneurs and organisations which support young entrepreneurs

• to engage with governments, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders

• to champion the cause of youth entrepreneurship at the local, national, regional and international level,

• and drive trade and good entrepreneurship practice and education within and beyond the region.

• For young entrepreneurs, there is immense potential in having a platform that links young entrepreneurs within and between each country and region, and also with the rest of the world.

Role of an Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs A regional alliance of young entrepreneurs can play an important role in enhancing economic participation for young people in the areas of:

a) Policy and Advocacy

b) Trade Growth and Business Development

c) Mentorship

d) Promoting youth entrepreneurship as a viable sector

“It is very exciting to see a CAYE alliance forming in the Southern Africa, which has so many passionate and talented young

entrepreneurs, all hungry to grow their businesses and contribute to their countries’ prosperity. And as well as driving trade within

and across borders, the coalition will give the young entrepreneurs a voice with policy makers to enhance the youth entrepreneurship

environment, and peer networks for support and sharing of experiences and good practice.”

The Youth Development Index

Youth Empowerment is a guiding principle of the CYP

to engage and empower young people, provide thought leadership on youth development, and support governments, youth practitioners and young leaders

to create environments that enable young people’s social, economic and political empowerment.

19

Social

Political

Economic

Main objectives of the YDI

Evidence based policy making

Monitor & track progress in Youth

Development

Compare with data sets that measure

economic, political, cultural institutions

and outcomes

Advocacy for youth specific data collection

& analysis

05/10/2016 Commonwealth Secretariat

20

What is Youth Development Index? • YDI is a composite index of 18 indicators that measure progress

on youth development in 185 countries

• It has 5 domains measuring levels of education, health& wellbeing, employment & opportunity, political participation and civil participation for young people

• Enables stakeholders to gain a better understanding of youth development in a single snapshot – the big picture

• Enables users to identify the areas in which collection of data on young people needs to be strengthened or expanded

• Tool and a resource to help policy makers, researchers development partners and YP see how young people are faring in absolute and relative terms and where policies & programmes and investment need to be targeted – improve quality and state of YD

• Data advocacy

Thank You

Sushil Ram Programme Manager

Youth Division The Commonwealth

s.ram@commonwealth.int