Coalition Members Featured in Commonwealth Action Series on Youth Development

As a result of the postponement of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was supposed to be held in Kigali, Rwanda earlier this June 2020 – the Commonwealth launched the Commonwealth Youth Action Series. 

The Action Series has six episodes that will be released from July to December 2020. The series will offer a forum where young people from the 54 member countries can discuss pressing issues and agree in tangible solutions to present to the Commonwealth leaders. 

The Commonwealth Action Series has the following episodes: 

 · Episode 1: Taking Charge of our Future

· Episode 2: Trade, Entrepreneurship, and Employment

· Episode 3: Technology and Innovation 

· Episode 4: Youth Development: Inclusive, Equitable, and Accessible 

· Episode 5: Governance and the Rule of Law: Youth Leadership and Decision-Making 

· Episode 6: Environment Climate Change and Sustainable Blue Economies 

Episode 4: Youth Development: Inclusive, Equitable, and Accessible will be launched on Tuesday, 27 October. The Episode 4 sub-session is about fighting the biggest killer of young people in the Commonwealth – road crashes. It will also talk about how young people are taking action across the world and how youth can join the movement. 

 The sub-session will feature members of the Coalition and will dive into the biggest threat facing young people in the modern age. Road crashes claim the lives of close to a thousand youth daily. Young people make up 60% of the general population of the Commonwealth countries. These young people face the ever-growing threat of a failing and unsustainable mobility system. 

The session, through our youth panel, will address these issues. 

It will be led by Simon Patrick Obi, Founder and Executive Director of Green Light Initiative. The panelists include Alex Ayub – National Youth Coordinator of the Kenya Red Cross, Olivia Nalwadda – Program Officer of the American Refugee Committee, Grace Willems - Transport Planning and Infrastructure Advisor for the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), and Nkumbuye Amie – Founder of Vision Zero Youth Council (Rwanda). 

Speakers will include Raquel Barrios – Project Manager of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, Jessica Truong – Vice President of Programmes of Toward Zero Foundation, and Professor Agnes Binagwaho – Vice-Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity. 

By the end of the session, participants will be able to explain the extent of the road trauma facing youth in the Commonwealth, identify ways in which youth are taking action to fight against the road safety problem, identify actions that Commonwealth countries can take to address the issue, and explore avenues open to youth to take immediate action through the Coalition. 

Join the session by registering!