FIJI’S Minister for Youth and Sports Laisenia Tuitubou is encouraging youths to submit nominations for the Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work that aims to raise the profile and highlight the contribution young people make to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
There will be four finalists for each Commonwealth region with the top entry receiving the Regional Winner Award and the top regional winner receiving the Pan Commonwealth Award, being named the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2019.
“Yet again, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Youth Council provides an excellent opportunity to recognise the great work young people are doing throughout the Commonwealth, ranging from poverty alleviation to conflict prevention and resolution, to promoting and enhancing democracy and development,” Mr Tuitubou said in a Government statement issued last night.
The Commonwealth Youth Awards give international, regional and national recognition and support to those young men and women who have demonstrated young people’s capacity and potential to make positive contributions to their communities, nations and the world at large.
This year, the youth awards will be launched during the same week as International Youth Day, with the theme ‘Safe Spaces for Youths’.
To qualify, nominees must have been engaged in development work for more than 12 months, either in a professional or voluntary capacity, must be a Commonwealth citizen, and the development work must focus on the SDGs being implemented in a Commonwealth member country, should not be older than 29 on December 31 of the award year; and must agree to take part in publicity by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Youth Council.
The four regional winners will be invited to receive their awards at an official ceremony in London, United Kingdom during the Commonwealth Week in March next year.
Applications open on August 10, 2018, and close by October 31, 2018.
The nomination process is via an online website platform only at: https://commonwealth-youthexcellence.awardsplatform.com/
Self-nomination is permitted.
