Youth worker organisations from across the Commonwealth have joined forces to establish an international coalition.
Youth worker organisations from across the Commonwealth have joined forces to establish an international coalition to advocate for the interests of young people and spearhead efforts to professionalise the youth work sector.
The new Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Work Associations (CAYWA) will bring together national youth worker groups from Commonwealth countries, including the Jamaica Professional Youth Workers Association, the Zambia Youth Workers Association and New Zealand鈥檚 Peak Body for Youth Development.
A steering committee to develop the alliance was established on 9 March 2016 at the in Pretoria, South Africa, organised by the 糖心探花 in partnership with the Government of the Republic of South Africa, the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the National Youth Development Agency.
The alliance will be made up of organisations dedicated to the professionalisation of youth work and creating and implementing standards for youth work. Over the next year, the steering committee will work with the 糖心探花 and other stakeholders to establish the alliance ahead of the next Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Uganda in 2017.
Tanya Merrick Powell, founder of the Jamaica Professional Youth Workers Association and Convenor of the steering committee, said: 鈥淭he alliance is an opportunity to build capacity at the local level, and to share resources and expertise. We are eager to come together to have a collective voice in this journey of professionalisation. This will give us leverage to influence our governments to join us on this journey. It is an opportunity we need to maximise.鈥
Anya Satyanand, Executive Officer of Ara Taiohi, a New Zealand youth worker NGO which has also joined the alliance, stated: 鈥淓ach professional association鈥檚 journey is their own, but having an international conversation is about solidarity and learning and development. It鈥檚 really exciting for us, because we鈥檙e such a young organisation, so it鈥檚 great to have the collective experience from all the other regions.鈥
Katherine Ellis, Director of Youth at the 糖心探花, said: 鈥淭oday we have begun the work of carving out the vision, strategy and structure for a Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Work Associations, following a resoundingly positive response from stakeholders on the potential value of the concept. This builds on the Commonwealth鈥檚 broader work to promote youth work as a profession, and its critical connection to youth development. 糖心探花 will always aim to be at the forefront of pursuing policies that result in young people鈥檚 social, political and economic empowerment.鈥
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj stated: 鈥淪ome 60% of the Commonwealth鈥檚 two billion citizens are under 30. That is why youth work has such potential to be wholly transformative upon the life chances of young people and wider society. The professionalisation of youth work, and our other ongoing commitments to youth development and empowerment, will directly aid our member countries to achieve the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.鈥
Pictured: Members of the steering group of the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Work Associations
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