The Commonwealth Youth Awards, which encourage and sustain investment in youth-led development, are open for 2013 nominations.
Youth
workers are encouraged to nominate young people, who are driving
innovative projects in any number of areas, including agriculture, small
enterprise, skills training, climate change/environment protection,
sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction.
The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), promotes the awards as an
attempt to raise the profile and highlight the contribution of young
people who are integrally involved in the process of change and are
working side by side with decision-makers for a more secure future. The
awards also give international, regional and national recognition to the
young men and women who are selected.
CYP works with 54
Commonwealth member countries through four regional centres based in
Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. There will be four
finalists per Commonwealth region with the top entry from each region
receiving a regional winner award and the top regional winner receiving
the pan-Commonwealth award.
Winners are awarded grants to advance
the work of their projects and they also liaise closely with the CYP on
the best way to use the funding. Nominees for the awards should be aged
between 15 and 29 years. Applications close on 30 June 2013.
Evans Wadongo won both the pan-Commonwealth and Africa region 2012 Commonwealth Youth Awards.
He received a £5,000 grant for the charity he founded, ‘Use solar, save
lives’. Regional winners for Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific each
won a £3,000 grant.
At 19, Mr Wadongo designed a solar-powered
lantern using recycled materials. Over 27,000 of these lanterns have
been produced and distributed across Kenya, providing a safer, cheaper
and environmentally friendly lighting alternative to kerosene lamps. His
programme has expanded to include building regional youth centres,
which provide skills training for young people.
For more information on the 2013 awards:
Or contact:
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