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Application Deadline: 20
th February 2015
The Royal Commonwealth Society is seeking applicants for a five day
forum in Malta, where young people from around the Commonwealth will
meet to discuss gender inequality issues. The participants in the forum
will form the inaugural members of the Commonwealth Youth Gender and
Equality Network, which will focus on youth priorities for gender
issues, and actively engage with
Commonwealth processes to ensure youth priorities are reflected in
policy and practice. The forum will take place six months ahead of the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), and will be a key
opportunity to discuss gender equality concerns and priorities ahead of
active engagement in the Commonwealth Youth Forum, People’s Forum and
Women’s Forum, which all take place in the wings of CHOGM.
Applicants must have experience working on gender equality issues, either in the workplace, through studies or as a volunteer.
Context and Background
Young people are able to actively participate in Commonwealth
political processes via a number of platforms. The Commonwealth Youth
Forum (CYF) is a chance for young people to debate their priority areas
for further Commonwealth action, and to present this to Heads of
Government. The Commonwealth Youth Council was established in 2013 to
represent the voice of youth in the Commonwealth with an elected
executive of 12 representatives from national youth councils rotating
every two years. However, there is no gender youth network to advocate
for gender equality issues within the formal structures of the
Commonwealth.
The RCS is proposing to contribute towards filling this gap by
launching an international Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality
Network. Given work on gender issues the
RCS is well placed, alongside a range of participating experts, to
interact with young citizens of the Commonwealth, to work with them to
develop a strong youth voice on gender and equality issues.
The Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Forum
The forum will take place in Malta on 13th–17thMay 2015. It will be a
five day residential programme which will bring together young
professionals and experts in an inter-generational learning environment
for the purpose of capacity-building the group. This will occur through
workshops, discussions and training sessions. The interaction will
aim to develop knowledge in a range of areas, including on various
gender issues, on effective advocacy, and on further practical skills.
Themes covered will include child marriage, harmful practices,
domestic violence, sexual violence, access to education, economic
empowerment, entrepreneurship, leadership, STEM, LGBT rights and sexual
and reproductive health and rights. The workshops and discussions will
be facilitated by trainers and experts, and will serve as a space to
share knowledge and experience, as well as capacity-building the
participants to be able to understand the issues more clearly in their
global context, gain a greater idea of the ways in which they can
effectively affect policy changes and advocate more effectively at key
moments, particularly within Commonwealth structures.
PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must be:
- Between the ages of 18-29 at the start of the event
- Resident in a Commonwealth country
- Committed to upholding the Commonwealth values of good governance and sustainable development
- Fluent in English –the working language of the Forum
- Confirm that I am medically fit to travel and participate in the Forum
- Able to evidence professional or voluntary experience on gender equality issues
- Willing to share case studies and highlight relevant aspects of my work
- Willing to be an active participant and to spread the values
and outcomes of the network in my home country
for more details contact:
Leila Asrari
To apply click
Here
