Team Commonwealth is the theme for 2014 Commonwealth Day

The 2014 Commonwealth theme, "Team Commonwealth" will be launched in the presence of HM The Queen at Commonwealth Observance on Commonwealth Day - 10th March. We want to get the message out about the theme, and amplify the conversation about what the theme means to the people of the Commonwealth. What does the theme means to you? And how are you going to celebrate the Commonwealth Week? Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by HM Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissioners in London. The Queen delivers an address to the Commonwealth, broadcast throughout the world. Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to promote understanding on global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth’s organisations, which aim to improve the lives of its citizens. The aim of Commonwealth Day is to celebrate the unity, diversity and linkages of the modern Commonwealth and foster greater understanding of the Commonwealth’s achievements and role. The theme for 2014 will be Team Commonwealth. The theme is intended to stress the importance of teamwork and collaboration both within and between Commonwealth countries. It also sets the tone for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later in the year. This theme will be reflected in the Observance and throughout Commonwealth Week.

Speech by CYC Chair at the ceremony commemorating the 2014 international women's day at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London

Inspiring Change, Youth Strategies to end Violence against women: Speech by the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council (Ahmed Adamu) during the 2014 commemoration of the International Women Day, at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Friday, 7th March, 2014. It gives me great pleasure to speak on this great day, the day we celebrate and appreciate women for their service to humanity, sacrifice for prosperity, perseverance in democracy and dedication to family. On this day, we, the young people commit to pay respect to the mothers of all humankind, and declare a campaign against any sort of violence against women Women are the greatest and essential part of the world today, there are over 3.5 billion women in the world, and unfortunately 1.6 billion of these women are either abused physically or sexually during their lives. One third of women in the world are beaten, and in every 9 seconds, woman abuse occurs. More than 55% of women think beating is part of their marriage lives, and many times women try to commit suicide due to oppression. Women suffer sexual harassments in schools and work places, large number of girls are been trafficked into prostitution, force labour and slavery each year. Young mothers are been maltreated for giving birth to girl child, women are forced to feel how they wish they were men, and domestic violence has been on the increase. These are few of the stories that women across the world carry. Abuse and discrimination against women have cost the world peace in society, discipline in family and honesty in governance. Fighting violence against women is not only a struggle for women, it is equally a struggle for men, and it is strategic to engage young people in this campaign, so that the menace will not be passed to the next generation. The young people in the Commonwealth are determined to ensure zero violence against women in our generation. The gender consideration in all the Commonwealth institutions and programmes have exemplified the best practice to ensure respect and recognition for women. The Commonwealth Heads Governments, the Commonwealth Women Affairs ministers and the Commonwealth Youth have all condemned all sorts of discrimination against women. According to the 2013 youth declaration during the 9th Commonwealth Youth Forum in Sri Lanka, the young people reiterate their concerns on violence against women. They called on all Commonwealth member states to adopt quotas across all tiers of legislation with the aim to increase women’s representation to between 30% to 50% in political and other decision-making institutions. They also called on all member states to implement education programmes for young men and women that emphasize on gender fairness and the vital role of young women as key agents of national development. The young people also called on the Commonwealth Youth Council to advocate for comprehensive gender sensitization programmes which particularly address the harmful consequences of violence against women, men and children. That is why the Commonwealth Youth Council is exploring the establishment of a thematic Commonwealth Youth Group that will lead the campaign against any sort of violence or discrimination against women in all Commonwealth Nations. This campaign will target the causes of women abuse and what motivate men/women to engage in the abuse. One of the challenges that hinders the effectiveness of campaign against women abuse is the concentration of discussions on what women do to expose themselves to the abuse without considering what men do to cause the violence/abuse. In this campaign there is no victim side or perpetrators side, all men and women, young and adults have to come together to end the menace of women abuse. As Martin Luther King Junior said “what hurts more is not the words of an enemy but the silence of a friend. What hurts more is not the words of the perpetrators of women abuse/discrimination, but the silent of men. Mahatma Ghandi also said “we have to be the change you wish to see in this world.” Inter-generational discourse on how to end violence against women is timely and important; Women and girls make up 70% of the world’s poor, and are often the pillars of stability in communities, families and other social settings. One of the core values of the Commonwealth is to support the poor and the vulnerable groups, and this programme speaks volumes of this value that the Commonwealth uphold. I want to thank the Organizers of this meeting especially the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the Commonwealth Youth Council will continue to partner and support any sort of initiatives to put an end to violence against women. (5 photos)

ASSESSMENT OF YOUTH INCLUSION IN POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE IN SOME SELECTED COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES:

By Dr. Ahmed Adamu

1. Australia:
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS: 18
The youngest ever member of the House of Representatives was 20 year old Wyatt Roy elected in the 2010 federal election after the Electoral Act 1918 was amended to reduce the age of candidacy for that office from 21 to 18.
SCORE: Good

2. Canada:
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS: 18
In Canada, any person 18 years of age or older may stand for election to public office. However, to be appointed to the Senate, one must be at least 30 years of age, must possess land worth at least $4,000 in the province for which he or she is appointed, and must own real and personal property worth at least $4,000, above his or her debts and liabilities. These restrictions were most recently enforced in 1997.
SCORE: Good

3. Cyprus:
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS: 25
In Cyprus the minimum age to be elected president is 35 years.
SCORE: Fair

4. Nigeria
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS:30
In Nigeria, a person must be at least 40 years of age to be elected President or Vice President, 35 to be a Senator or State Governor, and 30 to be a Representative in parliament.
SCORE: Poor

4. South Africa
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS:18
Section 47, Clause 1 of the 1996 Constitution of South Africa states that "Every citizen who is qualified to vote for the National Assembly is eligible to be a member of the Assembly", defaulting to Section 46 which "provides for a minimum voting age of 18 years" in National Assembly elections; Sections 106 and 105 provide the same for provincial legislatures.
SCORE: Good

5. United Kingdom
MINIMAL AGE FOR ELECTED POSITIONS: 18
In the UK (other than in Northern Ireland) a person must be aged 18 or over to stand in elections to all parliaments, assemblies, and councils at the European, UK, devolved, or local level. This age requirement also applies in elections to any individual elective public office; the main example is that of an elected mayor, whether of London or a local authority. There are no higher age requirements for particular positions in public office. Candidates are required to be aged 18 on both the day of nomination and the day of the poll. This was reduced from 21 by the Electoral Administration Act 2006. SCORE: GOOD

Commonwealth Youth Council calls for common minimum age (18 years) for standing elections in all Commonwealth Nations. If at 18, a person can vote, why cant she/he be voted for?

Ahmed Adamu Inaugural speech as the Pioneer Chairman of Commonwealth You...

Ahmed Adamu new voice for commonwealth youth

Commonwealth Youth Council Chairperson, Ahmed Adamu Arrives Nigeria Yo...

Meeting between the FMYD Perm Sec, Dr Henry Akpan and the CYC Chairpers...

Hon. Ahmed Adamu, Chairperson CYC, at the official launching of the YCAEV

Link to Pictures from Nigerian Visit

https://www.facebook.com/ahmed.adamu.188/media_set?set=a.10201919325199851.1073741835.1085842609&type=1

Commonwealth Youth Council Launches Campaign to end election violence

The Commonwealth Youth Council launched an international campaign to reduce incidents of violence perpetrated by young people at elections.

The Youth Campaign Against Election Violence began with an inaugural conference in Abuja, Nigeria between 30 and 31 January. The campaign involves encouraging youth volunteers across the country to develop awareness-raising activities, including street rallies, social and cultural events, workshops and media appearances, to persuade young people to shun violence at election time.

The launch came as preparations gear up for the next Nigerian general elections in 2015. During the last general elections in 2011, more than 800 people died as a result of violence sparked by political, ethnic and religious divisions.

Ahmed Adamu, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), hosting the event, said: “Too many young lives have been lost before, during and after general elections in Nigeria – yet this is not a problem unique to this country. This CYC youth-led campaign aims to sensitise young people on the need to be tolerant and embrace peace during elections.”

Youth representatives attending the Abuja conference will serve as election peace marshals and organise local campaigns and workshops in their home states. Following the pilot in Nigeria, the initiative is expected to be rolled out by the Commonwealth Youth Council to other Commonwealth member countries.

The conference drew attendance by youth leaders from Nigeria’s 36 states, with speakers representing Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development and the Independent National Electoral Commission, as well as civil society and youth development organisations and political parties.

There was also representation from the Commonwealth Youth Programme, which was instrumental in setting up the Commonwealth Youth Council, and which continues to provide support it.

James Odit, Africa Regional Director for the Commonwealth Youth Programme, said: “At election time, everyone deserves to have their voice heard and to exercise their democratic right to vote. But without peace, this is virtually impossible. Engaging young people as agents for peace is a very powerful approach to addressing the scourge of election violence.”

The Youth Campaign Against Election Violence is the first project to be organised by the Commonwealth Youth Council, an autonomous body representing the 1.2 billion young people from across the 53-nation Commonwealth community. The Council’s inaugural executive committee was elected in November 2013.

The Commonwealth Youth Council is a vehicle for young people to share their views and take action on global development issues. It advocates for governments around the Commonwealth to engage meaningfully with this generation.

More information can be found about the Commonwealth Youth Council on its website:
www.commonwealthyouthcouncil.org

http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/commonwealth-youth-council-launches-campaign-to-end-election-violence/

Commonwealth Youth Council and Commonwealth Foundation unlock Partnership potentials

The Commonwealth Youth Council, in its efforts to broaden the scope for partnerships, opportunities, and advancement of youth development agenda, had a productive meeting with senior officials of the Commonwealth Foundation.

The meeting which was facilitated by the Commonwealth Youth Programme, provided the opportunity for both organizations to share their activities and programmes, with a view to exploring potentials for joint-collaboration, in support of young people in the Commonwealth.

The meeting was attended by the Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, Vijay Krishnarayan, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council, Ahmed Adamu, Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, Myn Garcia, Director of Youth Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Katherine Ellis, Programme Manager of the Commonwealth Foundation, Diana Atungire-Ocaya (the order is presented as in the picture below). Messeh Leone from the CYC Secretariat was also present.

The meeting focused on Commonwealth Youth Council’s potentials in helping to enhance youth-led projects, awareness and capacities of youth organisations to access funding from the Commonwealth Foundation’s grant programme; the promotion of national and regional youth participation in policy and decision makings; and the effective participation of youth in tracking the post-2015 consultations and recommendations from Commonwealth member states and institutions.

The Commonwealth Foundation welcomed CYC’s Youth Campaign Again Election Violence (Y-CAEV) project to be launched across Commonwealth countries and applauded it as good model for youth engagement in participatory governance, being a key focus of the Commonwealth Foundation. Y-CAEV is been identified as one of the areas for collaboration. The Commonwealth Foundation looks forward to receiving CYC’s strategic plan to identify areas for partnership.

THE POWER OF YOUTH

Youth are the most active organ of every society, they make and shape every societal change, and they are the hopes for the future. It is obvious that youth have unyielding potentials, and everyone talks about it, but we rarely see how these potentials are tapped or transformed to a realistic level that will make young people independent and active citizens in their communities. It is time for young people to realize their power, and how they can change the world they live. In most nations, especially the Commonwealth nations, Youth constitute the largest population segment, which means they can determine who sit on the seat of power, what economic policy to adopt, and choose their rightful position in political and economic aspect of their countries.

Governance is critical in fulfilling and optimizing youth potentials, the people at the helm of governance play significant role in choosing the fate and status of young people, unfortunately very few of them recognize the potentials of young people. For young people to demonstrate their power, and retrieve their rightful positions, we have to come together and participate actively in democratic and leadership processes. However, this can only be guaranteed by having some among us at the helm of leadership and governance. Let there be global leaders at youthful ages that connect, engage and prioritize on the youth development issues. We can make this difference by putting our colleagues on leadership positions, and yes we can do it. Let me take Nigeria as a case study where general elections are imminent. Nigerian Youth have the power to determine who becomes the next country’s president.

According to the country’s population census, Nigerian Youth between the age of 15 and 39 constitute 41% of the country’s population, and 70% of the country’s potential and eligible electorate. This means that minority 30% of eligible voters are the adults between the age of 40 and 85 who also constitute 17% of the country’s population. The remaining 42% are the children between the age of 0 and 14. From this statistics, youth who are the majority voters in the country have the power to decide who wins elections at every level. If the Nigerian youth will support an intelligent young person at the age of 40, and overwhelmingly support that candidate, definitely, that person must win. Similarly, the predominantly feared electoral malpractice would not have been possible because no youth will be at disposal to be used for such crime. This will put the young people at the centre stage of every decision making, and give them the voice and willpower to demand any level of political representation and participation. It will also help in curbing political and economic corruptions. The level of societal crimes and youth unemployment will reduce drastically as the government priorities will be for youth empowerment.

Finally, I urge young people across the Commonwealth Nations to be united and seek their rightful political positions. This is one of the easiest ways we can guarantee a safer and better future, and a way of ensuring proper youth representation and empowerment.

COMMONWEALTH YOUTH COUNCIL ESTABLISHED STANDING COMMITTEES:

Reference to article 17, item number 1 of the Commonwealth Youth Council’s constitution, the executives of the council established the following committees and subsequently appointed members for the committees.

1. PROJECT AND BUDGET COMMITTEE:

Committee’s terms of reference: The Committee shall:

1. Be responsible for compiling and designing the CYC strategic plans and budget.
2. Come up with a monetary estimate for each project/programme.
3. Allocate time/period for each activity
4. Advice the executives for strict implementation of the strategic plans
5. Assist in executing the CYC projects where necessary
6. The CYC shall appoint implementation team for each project/programme
7. Collect reports and progress on every project/programme
8. Compile details of all CYC activities and achievements
9. Consult other youth organizations and advice the executives on new proposed programmes.
10. Explore partnership and collaboration potentials with other relevant stakeholders through the vice chair: Partnership and resources
11. Categorise and organize line of actions base on Policy, Advocacy, project, and programmes.
12. Initiate and introduce new line actions and recommend to the executives.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE:
1. Jerome Marlon Cowans (Jamaica): cowan_jerome@hotmail.com (Head of the committee)
2. Rashid Sylvester (Greneda): rashidsylvester@gmail.com (secretary of the committee)
3. Mr. Atemo Dishon Opulu (Kenya): atemodfo@gmail.com (deputy head of committee)
4. Mr. HASNUL HANIFF BIN HARUN (Malaysia): hanifuia@gmail.com
5. Ali Ehtsham (Pakistan): ali.e.ehtsham@gmail.com
6. Hamza Yunusa Jibiya (Nigeria): al_hamzat@yahoo.com
7. David Aoneka Rupa (Paupau New guinea): davidaoneka.rupa@yahoo.com.au
8. Lola Mustapha (UK): lola.mustapha@live.co.uk
9. Amila Wensiri Rajapakshe (Sri Lanka) amilawensiri@yahoo.com

2. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE:

Reference to Article 9 item no. 2 of the CYC constitution, the CYC Executives approved the creation of Membership Committee.

Committee's Terms of reference:
1. The committee is responsible for approving Members and Affiliate Observers of the Council.
2. The membership Committee shall review applications and submit recommended applicants to the executives for considerations.
3. It should provide clear process of registering with the CYC to all interested organizations.
4. The committee should call and explain the benefits of registering with the CYC to all interested youth organizations.
5. The committee shall liaise with the regional representatives to establish the CYC’s regional and national memberships and affiliations.
6. It is responsible for ensuring that CYC established its focal point at regional and national levels and seek the approval of the executives.
7. It shall support the regional representatives to ensure proper and democratic youth structures by all members and affiliate organizations.
8. The committee should receive and recommend to the executives all requests and concerns from member organizations and affiliates.
9. The committee should also have a database of all CYC members and affiliate organizations.
10. The committee can come up with initiatives to ensure wide coverage and support to the CYC membership.
11. The committee is responsible for outlining the rules and regulations for electing regional and country delegations to the commonwealth youth general assemblies in-line with the CYC constitution.
12. The committee is responsible for wide spread of the CYC membership across the commonwealth.

MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE:
1. Komezusenge Daniel (Rwanda) komezada@yahoo.fr (committee head)
2. Vanessa Picker (Australia) Vanessa.picker@gmail.com (committee secretary)
3. Ella Wairiu (Solomon Island) ewairiu64@gmail.com
4. Nathan Chanda Bawalya (Zambia) nathan.fmcba@gmail.com
5. Wendell Bertrane (St. Lucia) bertrande007@hotmail.com
6. Christina J K Giwe (Papua New Guinea) gchristinajk@yahoo.com
7. Senel Wanniarachchi (Sri Lanka) senelwanniarachchi@gmail.com
8. Karl Bugeja (Malta) bugejakarl@gmail.com
9. Hussen Riyas (Maldives) riyaaz2020@gmail.com

3. COMMITTEE ON MEDIA, PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Committee’s terms of reference:

1. The Publicity & Public Relations Committee will design a communication plan that will ensure information is effectively disseminated to Commonwealth Countries and surrounding communities about the activities and events of the CYC.
2. Issues press releases in collaboration with and on behalf of the CYC.
3. Liaise with relevant media outlets to insure media coverage of all CYC activities within the Commonwealth and wider audience.
4. Be responsible for maintaining and updating the Official CYC Website, Facebook Page, Twitter account and any other social media outlet.
5. Assist with arranging and managing media meetings and conferences for the CYC.
6. Assist in the development of a social calendar for all activities and international events and celebrations relevant to the CYC.
7. Design and publish a quarterly CYC Newsletter
8. Design CYC promotional materials
9. With the recommendation by the executives, assign media contact in every country within commonwealth
10. Any other function assign to the committee by the CYC executive.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
1. Rahatul Ashekin (Bangladesh) ashekinratul@gmail.com (Head of the Committee)
2. Mridul Upadhyay (India) engineer.mridul@gmail.com (Deputy Head of the committee)
3. Ziggy Steven Adam (Seychelles) ziggyadam@ftc.sc
4. Koziba Malibala (Botswana) kazibam@gmail.com
5. Alicia Swinamer (Canada) mycnational@gmail.com
6. Triffany Daniels (Guyana) tiffanyd_89@hotmail.com
7. Hanan Ali Abbasi (Pakistan) nyapak1@gmail.com (member and Chief Media Adviser)
8. Popoola Isiaka Olamilekan (Nigeria) popoolaio@gmail.com (Secretary of the committee)

Media Practitioners:
9. Oba Olasunkanmi John (Blue print Newspaper), member of the committee and special assistant to the Chair on Media and Publicity.
10. Abdulhamid Yunusa (Daily Trust Newspapers), member of the committee and Media consultant to the CYC.

More standing committees to be established.

see more @: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/commonwealth-youth-council-establishes-standing-committees/

NEW YEAR MESSAGE BY THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMONWEALTH YOUTH COUNCIL (CYC)

Dear Young people of the Commonwealth and across the world,

As we are blessed to witness yet another new year, I want to congratulate all of you and wish you a happy and healthy new year. This is usually the time we celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of another, it is a season of rising hopes and new expectations. The year 2014 is a year for peace and unity, it is a year young people will renew ...our commitments towards advancing youth development agenda. 2013 had been with so many challenges and opportunities, let us learn from those challenges and build on the opportunities presented, the year 2013 was very historical as it was the year that young people of the Commonwealth came together to chart a new beginning by constituting and electing the inaugural executives of the Commonwealth Youth Council. This has given the youth more hopes and confidence that, with this powerful platform, the young people’s interest and voice will be effectively represented and amplified respectively in the years ahead.

The year 2014 is the year for Youth; it is the year young people will rise to play an integral role of rebuilding economies and nations. Young people are agents for progressive development and major assets of every society. With our vigour, creativity and intelligence, young people are central in every positive change. In this year, young people will seek for proper inclusion in governance, and adequate support in Education and Entrepreneurship. The present and future prosperity of the world lies on the youth, and empowering us is a way of ensuring a safer and a more prosperous world.
I would like to use this opportunity to call on young people to be more united and become active citizens in our societies. I equally urge youth to embrace entrepreneurship, as it is one of the ways of tackling youth un-employment. We will continue to advocate for support and sponsorship to young entrepreneurs. I will encourage young people to venture in business that meet market demands. Similarly, youth shall use this New Year to renew our perceptions about Agriculture, as it is one of the major employment provider and way of earning a decent living.

As representatives of young people in the Commonwealth, we will always listen to you and involve you actively in everything we do, and we hope you will support us in achieving our shared vision for empowering and engaging young people in the Commonwealth. The CYC will partner and engage all youth development stakeholders and initiatives that aimed to empower young people in the Commonwealth and beyond. I wish you a very fruitful and blessed new year.
Thank you,
Ahmed Adamu,
Chairman.

NEW YEAR MESSAGE BY THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMONWEALTH YOUTH COUNCIL (CYC)

Dear Young people of the Commonwealth and across the world, As we are blessed to witness yet another new year, I want to congratulate all of you and wish you a happy and healthy new year. This is usually the time we celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of another, it is a season of rising hopes and new expectations. The year 2014 is a year for peace and unity, it is a year young people will renew our commitments towards advancing youth development agenda. 2013 had been with so many challenges and opportunities, let us learn from those challenges and build on the opportunities presented, the year 2013 was very historical as it was the year that young people of the Commonwealth came together to chart a new beginning by constituting and electing the inaugural executives of the Commonwealth Youth Council. This has given the youth more hopes and confidence that, with this powerful platform, the young people’s interest and voice will be effectively represented and amplified respectively in the years ahead. 

The year 2014 is the year for Youth; it is the year young people will rise to play an integral role of rebuilding economies and nations. Young people are agents for progressive development and major assets of every society. With our vigour, creativity and intelligence, young people are central in every positive change. In this year, young people will seek for proper inclusion in governance, and adequate support in Education and Entrepreneurship. The present and future prosperity of the world lies on the youth, and empowering us is a way of ensuring a safer and a more prosperous world.

 I would like to use this opportunity to call on young people to be more united and become active citizens in our societies. I equally urge youth to embrace entrepreneurship, as it is one of the ways of tackling youth un-employment. We will continue to advocate for support and sponsorship to young entrepreneurs. I will encourage young people to venture in business that meet market demands. Similarly, youth shall use this New Year to renew our perceptions about Agriculture, as it is one of the major employment provider and way of earning a decent living. 

As representatives of young people in the Commonwealth, we will always listen to you and involve you actively in everything we do, and we hope you will support us in achieving our shared vision for empowering and engaging young people in the Commonwealth. The CYC will partner and engage all youth development stakeholders and initiatives that aimed to empower young people in the Commonwealth and beyond. I wish you a very fruitful and blessed new year. Thank you, Ahmed Adamu,  Chairman. - See more at: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/new-year-message-by-the-chairperson-of-commonwealth-youth-council-cyc/#sthash.WcyiwzrS.dpuf

COMMONWEALTH YOUTH COUNCIL CONDEMN KILLING OF STUDENT IN KATSINA, NIGERIA

The Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) has condemned the shooting to death of 22 year old student Umar Ali-Dodo in Katsina allegedly by a soldier at a military checkpoint. 

A statement issued by the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council Ahmed Adamu yesterday expressed concern over the “loss of lives of young people” describing it as “completely avoi-dable.” 

Last Thursday, Umar, who was a student of the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina fell to the bullet of a soldier when the driver of a vehicle carrying him tried to overtake a truck at the checkpoint along Katsina-Dustin-Ma road, Batagarawa local government area. 

The Youth Council demands an investigation of the incident and for justice to be done. 

“The security personnel are supposed to protect lives and properties of all citizens. It is against humanity to shoot against unarmed civilian. The soldiers at the check point would have identified the car and its registration number, or pursue the vehicle instead of firing a gun shot,” Adamu said in the statement. - See more at: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/commonwealth-youth-council-condemn-killing-of-student-in-katsina-nigeria/#sthash.3AjzOoL4.dpuf

CYC CALLED FOR MORE SUPPORTS TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), Ahmed Adamu called on commonwealth member states to invest more on young entrepreneurs in order to create more employment and promote economic growth, the call was made during the African Youth Summit, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda from December 18 – 22, 2013. The summit was organized by the Rwanda Students Association in collaboration with the International H.O.P.E. and Rwanda Federal Ministry of Education. 

In his words, ‘In order to support African young entrepreneurs, there should be enabling economic policies, ranging from credit facilities, low taxes, low interest rates etc. There should also be simplification of the procedures and bureaucracy of becoming an entrepreneur, and there should be a special support to Small and Medium enterprises. There should also be education and training in the area of entrepreneurship. Young entrepreneurs should be supported from their local governments at the grassroots. There should also be an economic/market research in Africa to identify the markets needs and economic gaps. There should be free labor mobility within the continent in order to address the problem of structural unemployment.” 

Mr. Ahmed Adamu was in the Summit as a special guest, panelist and inspirational speaker; he emphasized on the potentials of young people as agents of progress and development, and urged the youth to be opportunity entrepreneurs that innovate business ventures in order to meet up with the market gap. While admonishing the young people to develop and use their skills and talents constructively, he said: “we, the youth, have to realize our potentials, we are the strength and proud of every society, we make everything happens. We have the energy, creativity, talents, and we are not corrupt. Youth have the exuberance and can dedicate time to do better things.” The Summit was well attended by the Rwanda President who was ably represented by the Minister for education, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Nigeria, permanent secretaries, young people from over 30 African nations and other important personalities. 

 Part of the CYC Chairperson’s activities while in the country included:  meeting with the Rwanda’s National Youth Council’s Executives and visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial site. He called on the Commonwealth youth to learn good lessons from the peace and reconciliation model adopted by Rwanda in order to enjoy more tolerant societies among the Commonwealth nations and the world at large. 

The CYC is planning a country visit to Rwanda with at least two youth delegates from every commonwealth nation to witness the physical transformation in the country and appreciate the Rwandis for supporting peace and tolerance among themselves. This will also give opportunity to learn more from the Rwanda’s model for social reconciliation and peace building, and to hear directly from genocide survivals and visit the genocide memorial. 

- See more at: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/cyc-called-for-more-support-to-young-entrepreneurs/#sthash.DpyP4maI.dpuf

CYC agitates for agric funding

The Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) has called on all commonwealth heads of governments to provide of more funding to the agricultural sector to help revitalise and modernise the sector by providing contemporary agricultural facilities. Chairperson of the council, Comrade Ahmed Adamu, in a statement last weekend said the CYC will chase for increase in budgetary allocation for agricultural sector. “Agriculture has been a major provider of employments to large number of young people in commonwealth countries, but this sector needs to be modernised in many of these countries so as to make it attractive to young people. “As the sector is been modernized, new equipment and facilities will be introduced, the CYC will ensure that youth are properly trained on how to make use of these facilities, and they will be sensitized on the potentials of the sector in changing their lives,” he said. He said the sector has lost its prestige in the eyes of so many young people due to its traditional nature. Adding that investing in all value chains of agriculture will create millions of job opportunities to teaming unemployed young people in the commonwealth countries. According to him, the CYC through the regional, national and local youth structures will identify the youth that need support in agriculture. This, he assured, will include youth that are already into agriculture and those that want to join the sector, while relevant business collaborations and sponsorship will be facilitated to empower these young people. - See more at: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/cyc-agitates-for-agric-funding/#sthash.zCkjFhp5.dpuf

THE 2 SPEECHES OF AHMED ADAMU (CYC Chair) AT AFRICA YOUTH SUMMIT HELD IN KIGALI, RWANDA FROM 17 TO 22 DECEMBER, 2013. THE THEME OF THE SUMMIT WAS "SELF RELIANCE FOR AFRICA'S PROSPERITY"

19th December, 2013.

The major African problem is lack of economic independence resulted from a commodity based economy. African economy produces more of raw materials than finished products. Africa has the highest potential in agriculture, energy and mineral resources, yet imports most of its foodstuff, energy, and other required economic ingredients. This has weakened the Africa’s economic autonomy and reduces its hard currency earnings leading to devaluation of its currency exchange rate against other currencies. It is important to note that Africa is responsible for many western and European countries’ economic prosperity. Africa contributes to the economic growth of other countries through travels, investments, banking, education, debt services, visas, money transfers, cheap labor etc

If Africans will save the money they spend to travel abroad for leisure, and the money they spend to pay exorbitant tuition fees, and invest that within their continent, they can build the best tourist sites and best universities in the world, and they would have empowered their teaming youth population. Let all Africans come home and build the continent; they should not let others use their brains to build their own economy at the expense of African prosperity. Let Africans be proud and patronize their own brands/products.

Africans should engage in opportunity entrepreneurship not necessity entrepreneurship. Opportunity Entrepreneurs are those that innovate business ventures to meet up with market demands, they look for problems or gap in the market and try to fill in the gap, and this boost the economy and create more employment opportunities. While necessity entrepreneurs are those that engage in any business to sustain themselves, they duplicate and condense the market resulting to lower prices and lower profit, and making the economic growth even lower.

There are bunches of opportunities and potentials in Africa ranging from the fertile lands, unlimited energy resources, and most importantly the abundance of active human labor. The memory of Mandela is not far away, and we all celebrate his life, because he fought for freedom and equality, our generation will not fight for freedom because we are all free, but we can be celebrated like Mandela if we become successful entrepreneurs. The commonwealth Youth Council will be awarding success young entrepreneurs as an encouragement.

In order to support African young entrepreneurs, there should be enabling economic policies, ranging from credit facilities, low taxes, low interest rates etc. There should also be simplification of the procedures and bureaucracy of becoming an entrepreneur, and there should be a special support to Small and Medium enterprises. There should also be education and training in the area of entrepreneurship. Young entrepreneurs should be supported from their local governments at the grassroots. There should also be an economic/market research in Africa to identify the markets needs and economic gaps. There should be free labor mobility within the continent in order to address the problem of structural employment.

20th December, 2013 (the second speech)

The Chairperson presented an inspirational speech. His speech was titled “How to have stronger African economy and better African youth”. Below is the summary of his speech (his words):
“I want to start my speech with sharing my dream for Africa; I have seen three types of Africa in a near future. I have seen Africa being the leading global economy, I have seen Africa where the whole world is proud and longing to come and pursue dreams, and I have seen Africa where youth are the major drivers of the democracy and economy.

For Africans to achieve this dream, we have to be self-reliant, which is the theme of this summit. To be self-reliant, we need to have the sense of pride, we have to believe in Africa and ourselves as Africans, and we have to stop looking up to others, we have to be ourselves and promote our culture and the values we stand for. We must be responsible for our natural resources, and process it within our continent. Any external company that wants to buy our resources, it has to process it within the continent. Governments must invest hugely on the processing and manufacturing industry to enhance economic independence and create employment. The African governments shall stop giving scholarships to study abroad, the money should be saved to build world class standard universities in the continent, or ask the international universities to build their campuses across Africa.

Africans can achieve this considering the fact that Africa currently feed the world, and contribute toward empowering the global industrial sector. Africa meets large percentage of the global energy demands. Africans contribute hugely to economic development of other countries through tourism, education, banking and finance, travels, etc. If we can redirect all our resources toward building our own economy, we can be more than we can ever imagine.

We shall not listen to the cynics that told us we cannot, we shall not let any external force to create division among ourselves, we have so many things in common more than our differences, we shall come together and salvage our continent, we shall think more of our plight and how to solve them by ourselves.

Unfortunately, nowadays, Africans are xenocentrics who think that their own lifestyles, products, or ideas are inferior to those of other cultures. Look at all of us here, only few of us wear cloth that symbolizes our cultural heritage, most of us here including me wear someone’s traditional cloth. Another challenge we face is the use of foreign language at our primary level of educations. Mandela once said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart” this means that teaching a child in his mother’s language is best way to make him understand the concept. English can be introduced to enable students communicate to the rest of the world but not as a language for educational instructions. We have to discard many of the existing educational curriculums and introduce new ones that address our own peculiar societal challenges and opportunities. Let us have our own African international television, let us control what Africans see on their televisions sets, so that we can promote our own cultural values and promote our brands.

It is equally disheartening how we Africans allowed ourselves to be divided, look at what is happening in South-Sudan, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo, you will see Africans killing Africans, a brother killing brother, neighbor killing neighbor. Have you ever seen a European killing European? we have to start wearing eyes that sees commonness than differences, ears that listens to good than bad, bodies that do right than wrong, and hearts that forgives than avenges.

We have to start identifying and talking about our own problems and seek for way forward. Youth are the hope for the future Africa we dream, and we will lead this revolution. Now I will talk about our own problem as youth: is not everybody that will agree if I say some of the African youths are lazy and greedy, trying to get rich easily and quickly and anyhow. We have to learn to be brave and pursue greatness through integrity and honesty. Look at Mandela, he is not remembered because of his richness, he was remembered because of his honesty, integrity and excellent traits. If his life taught us anything is that, life is about honesty not wealth. That is why Commonwealth Youth Council has launched the Mandela annual Youth award for young people that follow the footsteps of Nelson Mandela. We should stop competing against ourselves but against the world. We shall shun away from Nepotism and selfishness. I will give you my personal story, there was a time I contested for the chairman of a local government youth council in my community, but I was told that I am not the preferred candidate because I know too much. You can imagine, I was disqualified because of my competence. Where else in the world could you imagine a person being disqualified for being more competent? Now I am standing here today speaking to you as the leader of the world’s largest youth organization, the world have seen something in me that people in my own community could not have the eyes to see. My elections was tough and was based on competence, and I am sure I was able to convince more than 1.2 Billion young people of the commonwealth to give me this mandate. Now the world is benefiting from my qualities, and I was never given that equal opportunity in my own community. So this is one of the African problems, we have to encourage and empower our intelligent and competent young people instead of frustrating them. The African youth have to be united, the more united we are the more powerful we can be to compete against the world and shape every democratic and economic decision in our continent.

We, the youth, have to realize our potentials, we are the strength and proud of every society, we make everything happens. We have the energy, creativity, talents, and we are not corrupt. Youth have the exuberance and can dedicate time to do better things. Look at me now, every single day I read and reply many emails, without getting tired, do you think an old person can be dedicative like that? look at Obama, he was elected at the age of 47, which means that he was given so many chances and opportunity at younger age, which we, the African youth do not enjoy similar treatments. Recently, a young man at the age 27 was appointed a foreign minister in Austria, isn’t that a good thing, youth have to be given the chance, how could they be good and capable leaders if they are not prepared now?

Finally, I want to call on the youth to be more united, and remember to be good ambassadors of Africa wherever they are and at whatever capacity. for example, by holding this position I realized that I am carrying four images, the image of myself, the image of my race, the image of my country and the image of African continent, and whatever I do will have great impact on how the world perceive Africa and African youth.

INTERVIEW: Commonwealth Youth Council will unite youth structures in Nigeria, others- Chairperson

The CYC chairman outlines his organisation’s agenda.

Ahmed Adamu was elected as the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council on November 12 in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. He spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on how his position would benefit the Nigerian youth, as well as his other plans.

PREMIUMTIMES: Congratulations on your election. Tell us about the Commonwealth Youth Council and your new responsibilities.

Well, thank you. Emerging as the first-ever Chairman of the world largest youth-led organisation could not be an easy thing. Imagine leading over 1.2 billion young people from 53 different countries, and from different ethnic, regional, and economic backgrounds; it definitely puts me in a position of huge responsibility and expectations.

Being the first commonwealth youth leader, we have to learn things, then work it out, and then improve on that, and the fact that we have only two years, we have to learn fast and work harder to achieve the desired result.

The Commonwealth Youth Council, CYC, was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Governments in line with the Commonwealth Charter. It was established to play an integral role in advancing the youth development agenda and the co-ordination of activities and policies of the Commonwealth in the field of youth. The council shall work for and represent the voice of all young people within the commonwealth. CYC is the largest and most diverse youth-led organisation in the world. It is the recognised voice of more than 1.2 billion young people of the Commonwealth and it provides a framework for youth-led development initiatives.

How do you think this would impact on an average Nigerian youth?

First, I will say it has given every young Nigerian a sense of pride and inspiration. Seeing your brother rising to lead young people at a global level, it is a plus to Nigeria and Nigerians. As a Nigerian, I am always aware of the images I am carrying; I am carrying the image of myself, my race, my country and my continent. I will do my best to give an excellent impression of the constituencies I am representing. The Commonwealth Youth Council has lots of plans for young people, we have put in place different mechanisms to support young people in different capacities, and I want to assure Nigerians and other Commonwealth youths that we will use our influence to change the lives of millions of youths. The CYC is empowered primarily by the Commonwealth Heads of Governments, and with the support from every head of government, we shall be able achieve lots for the Commonwealth youth.

What is your agenda?

The immediate things we are preparing to do – like in the next one or two months – include the country advocacy tour. We would wish to visit every Commonwealth country, but going round the whole 53 nations in two years may not be possible considering the enormous responsibilities we also need to embark on; but we will go round as many of these countries as possible.

The purpose of the advocacy tour is to have the opportunity to meet with the youth leaders and the youth, and hear from them. They will tell us what they want us to do for them, and what are the concerns or agitations they want us to advocate on their behalf. We will then study their National youth organisation structures. If there is any crisis within the national youth leadership, we will interfere and resolve it. We will then meet the president of the country to brief him/her and advocate what the youth want. It will give us the opportunity to establish direct relationship with the government of the country and create room for partnerships and support.

During the visit we will also visit some youth development projects. This is important for the annual Commonwealth Youth Award of Excellence, CYAE, where the CYC will nominate Heads of Governments for the CYAE. The youth decide who the awards should go to; we have different award categories.

We also have a very fantastic youth programmes and projects, which we are compiling now. They are within the areas of health and reproductive issues, democracy and good governance, education, ICT, Entrepreneurship, etc All of these require huge amounts of money, and we will partner with all relevant stakeholders to achieve our mutual objectives. We may not completely implement all these, but I am sure building a foundation for the CYC is something that will go down in the history of commonwealth youth.

What do you think are the major challenges the Commonwealth Youth are faced with and how can they be tackled?

Young people constitute more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth population, and they are the highest percentage with regards to vulnerability, poverty and insecurity. The youth are the hope of the present and the future, and to have a secure future Commonwealth, we need to know their problems and how to solve it.

I will now speak from my personal experience, the major youth problems are lack of quality education, quality employment, and professional skills. Once you give the youth the required education, and provide them with competitive and lucrative employment opportunities or train them on different professional skills, you have empowered them.

Presently, an online youth survey is going on to hear directly from the Youth on what they think are the first six steps to improving their lives. This is done by the United Nation to hear the opinions of people, so that the global leaders would be informed as they begin the process of defining the new development agenda for the world. I encourage young people to fill in the My World global survey.

What is your expectation of the Commonwealth heads of state on youth?

Every two years, Commonwealth heads of governments meet, and they pay good attention to youth concerns. At the end of the meeting, they adopt youth commitments, which they would all agree to implement in their various countries. Our primary expectation of them is to implement these commitments, in addition to the Youth declaration, which is another document adopted by young people identifying their concerns and suggesting the way forward.

So, CYC as an advocate for young people would follow up to see that these two documents are implemented in every Commonwealth nation. As I mentioned, the CYC was established by the commonwealth heads of governments in line with the Commonwealth Charter, and the heads of governments agreed to support the CYC. We expect to partner and help the heads of governments in achieving their objectives in the field of youth developments.

What is your advice for the Nigerian government on youth empowerment?

My advice is to do more for the youth, Nigeria is one of the leading countries in terms of supporting young people, but the number of young people in the country is many. So you would still find majority of the young people without employment. But, as the government is doing more, private partners should complement its efforts. The situation would then be improved.

I must commend the Nigerian government for initiating the YouWin programme, which I applied for at its initial run. I was not successful but lots of my friends benefited from it. It empowered them and they were able to employ many young people.

I also commend the Nigerian government for supporting the National Youth parliament and the council as well. Like I said, my advice is to do more, and engage more young people. I was happy to see that President Goodluck Jonathan appointed a young man as his Special Adviser on Youth and Students Matters; that is commendable. We also want to see young people being engaged by the parliamentarians and their states governors, and also see them included in National delegations to international events.

Do you need any support from the Nigerian government?

Yes, we will soon be visiting Nigeria for the country advocacy tour. I will also personally visit Nigeria to meet with the President and discuss how the Nigerian government should help the CYC so that the whole world would be proud of young Nigerians.

What advice would you like to give to the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN?

I think the problem with NYCN has to do with the youth themselves. Priority should be given to the system rather than the individual personalities. I recommend that the constitution be respected. I learnt that three different persons are addressing themselves as presidents of NYCN; who do want us to recognise? If we are giving support to the Nigerian youth, who is our focal point? Not only CYC, but other stakeholders who want to come and invest in the youth, who should they contact?
So, my initial advice to them is that they should resolve their differences as it would cost them and the Nigerian Youth in general.

We would set up a committee to study the whole issue and give us a report. We would then act objectively based on the committee’s report. One of the CYC primary responsibilities is to unite, consolidate and unify youth-led structures within Commonwealth nations. Some countries have similar problems like Nigeria; we will go and fix their problems. For countries, that do not have national youth bodies, we will partner with the governments of those countries to establish that. Our jurisdiction is to ensure every Commonwealth nation has a well-structured and organised youth leadership. Every country in the Commonwealth have signed and agreed to give the CYC the responsibility to ensure harmony and coordination of youth activities within the Commonwealth.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/151456-interview-commonwealth-youth-council-will-unite-youth-structures-nigeria-others-chairperson.html

Commonwealth Youth Council launches website

The digital face of the Commonwealth Youth Council was launched yesterday at www.commonwealthyouthcouncil.org The website is a hub of information and the first point of contact for the Council, which represents youth bodies from across the Commonwealth making it the largest and most diverse youth body in the world.“We welcome more organisations to join us as members so please register your interest with us through the website,” said the Council’s Chair, Ahmad Adamu, who was voted into office at the Commonwealth Youth Forum in Sri Lanka in November 2013. He added: “The Council is the recognised voice of young people in the Commonwealth. We want young people to contribute to the discussions through their national and regional youth organisations and youth-led NGOs.”The Council will act as a vehicle for young people to share their views and take action on the global development agenda; advocate for governments to meaningfully engage young people in representation internationally; and act as a centre for information on youth development and empowerment. Youth bodies which are members of the Council will be able to partner with the Council to build knowledge on youth issues and deliver projects; receive endorsement; determine their country delegation to the Council’s General Assembly; and access financial support from the Council. The Government of Pakistan pledged US$100,000 to the Council at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November, to be used for youth-led development projects. The Council’s leaders are now developing its strategic plan. In the next year its Executive will visit Commonwealth countries to meet with young people and governments, to help forge ways for young people to have a stronger voice and contribute meaningfully to national development. Members of a Canadian youth body MYCommonwealth met with Mr Adamu yesterday at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London to discuss their mutual organisations and how they will work together. - See more at: http://commonwealthyouthcouncil.org/commonwealth-youth-council-launches-website/#sthash.aHKmF6ox.dpuf