A three-day Youth Forum, which began in London on Monday, will discuss plans for more than one billion Commonwealth citizens.More than 500 delegates will gather for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting's (CHOGM) Youth Forum to exchange ideas and formulate plans on the key issues affecting young people across the 53 member countries.
The Forum will see over 40 speakers from a range of government, civil society, non-governmental organizations and international youth networks take part in a number of plenaries and group discussions at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre.
One of the major highlights of the Forum, which takes place in London from April 16-18, will be the announcement of the four regional winners of the Commonwealth Youth Awards, in addition to the unveiling of the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. The Forum will also see the election hustings and the election of a new Commonwealth Youth Council executive, the body which represents the voices of over one billion young people from across the member states.
Delegates will also spend half a day volunteering in the UK capital; at previous CHOGM's this has involved donating blood, visiting children's homes to meet with disadvantaged young people, and playing sport in orphanages. "The Commonwealth Youth Forum is a diverse gathering of youth leaders,’’ said Layne Robinson.
-UNB, Dhaka