Royal Commonwealth Society - Canada
La Société Royale du Commonwealth - Canada

A Canadian youth project that devises sentences for young perpetrators of crimes motivated by racism and intolerance has received the Commonwealth Youth Gold Award from the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP).

The Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP) is a justice committee which originated in the Canadian province of Alberta. Its members are between the ages of 12 and 24. YRAP is mandated under Section 18 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act to work in Alberta's Youth Court with young offenders, to discuss the harm that has been caused by their actions and to formulate methods to correct the damage. They try to hold young people accountable for their actions in a way that is educational and rehabilitative, rather than simply punitive.

For example, a young person who injured another for using a racist term of abuse was instructed by the YRAP committee to highlight his frustration by composing a song. The committee held that, while the offender had a right to be angry, reacting with violence was not the answer.

Among other solutions devised by YRAP are community service, counselling, probation and custody. The project also deals with offenders affected by substance abuse, prostitution and homelessness. Consisting of 50 youth members and around 30 adult advisers, YRAP has already handled nearly 70 cases referred to it by police officers, judges and lawyers.

The CYP award included a cheque for £3,000, a certificate and medallions for 20 members of the winning group. Bruno Picard, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, accepted the prize on behalf of YRAP on 15 November 2004 at the Canadian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana.

Armstrong Alexis, Regional Director of the CYP's Caribbean Centre in Georgetown, said at the presentation: "This group did not wait on adults to create a forum for them. They considered their circumstances as young people, they defined a programme, they established objectives, they implemented a plan and they provided a valuable service to other youth.

"My call today is for such initiatives to be replicated across the Commonwealth. We in the CYP are hopeful that through recognising the efforts of young people we will be able to build societies where young women and men are empowered to develop their potential, creativity and skills."

Every year, up to five Commonwealth Youth Silver Awards are given in each CYP region -- Asia, Africa, Caribbean (and Canada) and South Pacific. Winning projects are then considered for the Commonwealth Youth Gold Award.

For further information about YRAP, please visit http://www.yrap.org/. For information on CYP please visit www.thecommonwealth.org/cyp.

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 210 17 November 2004

Click on the following link to retrieve the pdf file. If you do not have an adobe acrobat reader, it can be obtained from adobe at no charge.

Exit the 401 at Division St. When you reach King street, travel east about 1.3 kms

An obituary by Brian Graves is available through the following link

Education – Creating Opportunity, Realising Potential

Commonwealth Day celebrations on Monday 14 March 2005 will have the theme ‘Education – creating opportunity, realising potential’. Education is therefore also the focus of the 2004 Commonwealth Vision Awards, where short films by selected finalists are used for Commonwealth Day promotion in 2005.

The theme has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, following consultations with Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, and the Council of Commonwealth Societies.

Today, around 75 million children in Commonwealth countries lack access to basic education. As education is essential for equipping individuals with life skills and enabling them to achieve their full potential, the absence of basic education destroys the children’s life chances.

But education is not just a matter of personal tragedy, it is also a key impediment to development for societies and economies. A knowledge-based society will better facilitate expansion of human capabilities and empowerment, safeguarding the vulnerable and raising awareness of democratic values, social justice and critical enquiry. And as the newly-industrialised nations demonstrate, education enhances the potential for economic development and diversification.

The most recent Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (in Edinburg, in October 2003) endorsed six Action Areas for enhancing education. These are achieving universal primary education; eliminating gender disparities; improving quality in education; using distance learning to overcome barriers; supporting education in difficult circumstances; and mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in education.

The need for education for all is enshrined in one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which aims to reach universal primary school enrolment by 2015. As a leading Commonwealth educationalist has put it:

If we continue to leave vast sections of the people of the world outside the orbit of education, we make the world not only less just, but also less secure.
Professor Amartya Sen

LONDON - As a British visitor to Ottawa the other day, I noticed an odd thing: Union Jacks had suddenly appeared on several official flagpoles in the city centre. True, it was Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March. But the Commonwealth flag, not the British flag, is the one to fly.

A letter to the Citizen suggested it might have been a case of misplaced nostalgia. In fact, I learned that in 1964 Parliament ruled that the Union Flag should be flown on Commonwealth Day, which in those days was celebrated on the anniversary of the Statute of Westminster -- Dec. 11. It seems to have taken a long time to catch up with the times, because the Commonwealth flag came into use worldwide 30 years ago.

To me, it showed that more than half a century after the Commonwealth ceased to be "British," some people in Canada still seem to be suffering an imperial hangover.

That is harmful to a Commonwealth that is today actually the antithesis of empire and an interesting, even exciting, experiment in international co-operation among 53 countries in every continent and at every stage of political and economic development.

Those who see the Commonwealth in this wrong light are failing to convince the younger generation that it is a forward-looking instrument for bettering the lives of its 1.7 billion people -- almost one-third of the world's population.

Yet today it seems that Canadians hear more about La Francophonie than they do about the Commonwealth. In the speech from the throne opening Parliament last month, the Governor General mentioned La Francophonie, but not the Commonwealth.

Yet La Francophonie is small by comparison. It is in a different league. Apart from Canada and France itself, it is an association of states that includes no big hitters such as India, South Africa, Britain and Australia.

Membership in La Francophonie is important for obvious domestic reasons, but the role Canada has played in creating today's Commonwealth has been infinitely greater and much too little appreciated.

Its first secretary general, Arnold Smith, was Canadian. Pierre Trudeau reformed the Commonwealth's summits, invented the system of retreat for heads of government and introduced Commonwealth Day. Canada was mainly responsible for setting up the innovative aid body, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, as well as the distance-education arm known as the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver.

In the years of struggle to end minority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Canadian diplomacy was hugely influential and sometimes decisive.

In a few weeks, Canada will take its place again under the rotation system on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), with Bill Graham sitting on this watchdog body of foreign ministers that was set up nine years ago to gently induce member countries into better ways of government.

CMAG was ahead of its time in 1995 because its rules allow for a degree of intervention in a member country's domestic affairs.

Nine years later, the whole question of whether failing states should be persuaded to surrender a measure of sovereignty is becoming a hot international issue. Indeed, the recent throne speech said the Martin government wanted "agreement on new rules governing international actions when a government fails to protect its own people from tyranny and oppression."

The birth of CMAG was a first step in this process. It turned the Commonwealth into a rules-based association and led to the end of military rule in member countries.

In the 1970s and '80s, several military rulers took their seats at Commonwealth summits. Today, that is unthinkable -- a development for which the Commonwealth does not get the credit it deserves.

CMAG's attempt to involve itself in Zimbabwe was what made President Robert Mugabe so angry. Last December, he pulled his country out of the Commonwealth, but the pressure, though not enough, has helped to make Zimbabwe a pariah state.

That also happened with Nigeria when it fell under the rule of military tyrant Sani Abacha. Today, a civilian Nigeria is back in the Commonwealth, as Zimbabwe will surely be after Mr. Mugabe has gone.

CMAG was instrumental in suspending Pakistan from the Commonwealth after the 1999 military coup. At its next meeting, the Group will be under pressure from several countries, led by Britain, to recommend the return of Pakistan to full membership.

Pakistan left the Commonwealth once before and for 17 years kept knocking on the door to be allowed back in. It is anxious to return a second time. The decision will be difficult, with Britain and Australia wanting Pakistan back, for reasons not unconnected with Pakistan's struggle against al-Qaeda. A civilian government is now in place again, but the army remains a power in the land.

What all this shows is that Pakistan does not see the Commonwealth as a fag-end of empire, but as a body that gives its member countries, among other things, international respectability.

If, as now seems a distinct possibility, Pakistan's long dispute with India can be settled, the prospect of the these two huge countries at peace with each other at last will immensely strengthen the Commonwealth as a force for good.

Meantime, the Commonwealth ought to be playing a bigger role on the world stage than it has of late.

For instance, the United Nations somehow has to be reformed. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has revived the pressure for change and hinted about the urgent need when he addressed Canada's Parliament earlier this month.

It will be a tough haul. But Commonwealth countries make up nearly one-third of UN membership, and they could use the Commonwealth as a launchpad for change.

Arnold Smith always used to say that the Commonwealth was a tool to be picked up when the appropriate issue presented itself. In recent years, member countries have not picked it up enough. Leadership has been lacking.

I have just completed a lecture tour of Eastern Canada on "The Commonwealth in the 21st Century," and it is plain that in Canada, as elsewhere, the failure to engage people in the possibilities is partly the Commonwealth's own fault. Its public relations in recent years have been notably weak.

As a priority, the Commonwealth must attract greater attention from the young. An opportunity for it to do so has been opened up by Prime Minister Paul Martin. In his speech at the opening of Parliament, he announced the creation of a Canada Corps to harness the idealism and energy of young Canadians in international assistance -- as he put it, "allowing them to learn while they contribute."

The Commonwealth already has an effective, well-established -- though under-resourced -- Youth Program, with permanent centres in Guyana, Zambia, India, and the Pacific. It is active on many fronts, such as promoting micro-credit schemes that help young locals set up small businesses and education on HIV/Aids, problems of youth employment and vocational training. The Canada Corps could join hands with the Youth Program, an obvious case for picking up the Commonwealth tool to do the job.

In such matters as developing the Commonwealth Youth Program, strengthening CMAG and promoting UN reform, Canada could begin again to play a leading role in the Commonwealth.

But first it must get those flags sorted.

Derek Ingram is a London-based commentator on Commonwealth affairs who has covered 17 Commonwealth summits.

The Ottawa Citizen
Monday, March 8, 2004
Page: A13
Section: News
Page Name: Arguments
Byline: Chris Cobb
Column: Chris Cobb
Source: The Ottawa Citizen
CORRECTION: (From The Ottawa Citizen, March 12, 2004) The article "A
neglected treasure,"published on this page on March 8, included an
incorrect quote of remarks by former prime minister Joe Clark. The
quote should have read: "We tend to think of the *Commonwealth* in
terms of its British origins but we forget that the organization
also includes Islamic superpowers -- Nigeria, Pakistan, India,
Tanzania and Malaysia." Mr. Clark did not say that Indonesia is
part of the *Commonwealth*. The same incorrect quote also appeared in
a news article, "Mugabe haunts *Commonwealth* leaders," published on
Feb. 26, 2002.*****

It will be news to most Canadians but today, the second
Monday in March, is *Commonwealth* Day.

Fewer Canadians will know that *Commonwealth* Day was Pierre
Trudeau's idea and that the choice of the second Monday in March was
entirely deliberate. Given the seasonal differences across the
*Commonwealth*, today is one of the few days of the year when school
children in all 54-member countries will be at their desks.

The hope, quaintly idealistic in hindsight, is that teachers in
those classrooms will spend a little time today discussing with
their students the *Commonwealth*'s history, goals and significant
achievements. Some teachers will but it's a safe bet that none will
be in Canada, the country that helped establish the *Commonwealth* in
1931 and today has the enviable but dissolving reputation within the
group of honest broker and trusted leader.

Since Trudeau and Brian Mulroney, prime ministers who understood
the power of the *Commonwealth* and knew how to use it, Canada's
interest has waned. For largely political reasons, the Chretien
government shifted enthusiasm, resources and funding to la
Francophonie, the worthy but limited group that now includes the
great French-speaking nations of Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland and
Romania.

Canada contributes about $30 million in core administrative support
to the *Commonwealth* and, through various routes, funnels about $50
million to la Francophonie. It's small money in both cases and
obviously doesn't include hundreds of millions of dollars in
unilateral and multilateral aid. But it does show where the
commitment lies. The *Commonwealth* is chronically under-funded and as
a leader of the organization, Canada is partly to blame.

Given the expected lack of Canadian classroom instruction to mark
*Commonwealth* Day, it will be useful to dust off the facts sheet and
remember that the *Commonwealth* embraces a quarter of the Earth's
population (1.8 billion people, including 400 million Muslims) and
is the only organization other than the United Nations to span all
the continents. Unlike the United Nations, and most other
international bodies, the *Commonwealth* does not include the United
States, whose agenda, for better or worse, inevitably dominates
wherever its diplomats sit.

"The *Commonwealth* is large enough to be representative of many
interests but small enough to focus on specific issues," says former
Tory leader and External Affairs minister Joe Clark, who was on the
frontlines when Canada led the *Commonwealth* charge that destroyed
apartheid in South Africa. "We tend to think of the *Commonwealth* in
terms of its British origins but we forget that the organization
also includes Islamic superpowers -- Nigeria, Pakistan, India,
Tanzania and Indonesia. These are countries who are very much
interested in Islam being a constructive force in the world."

As British journalist and renowned *Commonwealth* scholar Derek
Ingram has noted, the public image of the *Commonwealth* in Canada,
Australia and, to an extent, in the United Kingdom, is that of an
irrelevant "fag end" of the British Empire -- a collection of
geriatric monarchies creaking towards extinction. Given that many of
the leading emerging countries are dynamic, forward-thinking
republics, this image is in total conflict with reality, but much of
the blame for that sits at the door of the *Commonwealth* Secretariat
in London, whose public relations efforts are unfocused.

At the last *Commonwealth* heads of government meeting in the
Nigerian capital Abuja, Canada rejoined the influential *Commonwealth*
Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which has been enormously successful
in recent years in helping Nigeria to its unsteady democratic feet
and dealing diplomatically with internal upheaval in countries such
as the Solomon Islands and Fiji.

It has been less successful in Zimbabwe, which is rife with human
rights abuse and will likely remain suspended from the *Commonwealth*
until its despotic leader Robert Mugabe dies.

CMAG suspended Pakistan after the military coup led by Pervez
Musharraf in 1999 and despite its efforts and pledges to restore
democracy, Pakistan remains excluded because the ministers feel
Musharraf hasn't gone far enough. As Musharraf made clear during a
recent North American tour, the exclusion is a major irritant for
him. He wants back in and is now having to negotiate the price of
re-admission.

Chretien's long-serving foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy reigned
during much of the shift in interest from the *Commonwealth* to la
Francophonie, but in an interview shortly after retiring from
politics said he was constantly frustrated by the attitude within
Foreign Affairs. "It was always hard for me to get a large number of
people in our department interested in the *Commonwealth*," he said,
"because they are so preoccupied with the United States. But Canada
has a talent for multi-lateral international diplomacy and we should
be out there doing it.''

The change in dynamic when the U.S. is not at the table opens new
horizons, said Mr. Axworthy. "One of the things we're beginning to
recognize is that a one-superpower world doesn't mean that only one
country is in control. There are many other power centres but
because the Americans are so big their very attendance at a meeting
tends to result in a subconscious deference to them. That often
leads to the neglecting of options that should be explored. In the
*Commonwealth*, that doesn't happen.''

All of which adds up to a Canadian potential that is both underused
abroad and under-regarded at home. If the Martin government
continues Canada's lackadaisical attitude towards the *Commonwealth*,
our standing within the group can only continue to suffer.

On its website, Foreign Affairs runs a contest for Canadian
secondary school students who can enter a piece of writing on Canada
in la Francophonie.

Winning entrants get a plaque and their work published in Journee
Internationale de la Francophonie. There is no equivalent Foreign
Affairs contest for the *Commonwealth*.

But there is a quiz on the *Commonwealth* Secretariat's own website
at www.commonwealthday.co.uk for Canadians, teachers and others who
care to catch the spirit of the day.

If nothing else, it will confirm our national ignorance and prove
how neglectful we are in securing Canada's role in an international
body that can only grow in importance.

Gareth Spanglett
June 1, 2004

It has been a couple of months since the RCS moved its web space to its new home, with added features and capabilities to allow for future growth and expansion, and it seems the rest of the world is following right behind!

The RCS site is now hosted with BlackSun (www.blacksun.ca), located in Saskatoon, SK. The move has opened up new opportunities for RCS Canada, its branches and youth. Each branch currently has its own branch site with a calendar, news, and a few web pages. The move to BlackSun has allowed more ambitious branches to have greater control, with an email account, dedicated web space and other features. The PEI Branch was the first to request the enhanced capabilities and the National Student Commonwealth Forum have created a very distinct and successful web site. Both sites can be found under the "RCS branches across Canada" section of the RCS web site.

The potential for promoting the Commonwealth, its values and celebrating its diversity is greater than ever before. Branches can share their experiences and activities with each other and the public throughout the year and attract new members with up to date information presented in an attractive form including pictures and presentations by speakers. Many of the applicants for the Youth Gold and Silver Awards and the National Student Commonwealth Forum found out about the event through the web site. One of the most challenging opportunities is to provide web based resources to support teaching about the Commonwealth.

Another feature of RCS web site's new home is enhanced web tracking and statistics. During the first three months with BlackSun, the RCS web site received over 16,000 visitors from more than 60 countries. It is presently averaging over 6000 hits a month and growing (there were 6,561 visitors in May). At this rate, the RCS web site will be visited by 75,000 to 100,000 web surfers this year.

Search engines are a common way that visitors find us on the Internet. Over 25% of visitors were identified as arriving from a third-party web site. More people found us using Google than any other search engine, although Yahoo and MSN were ranked second and third respectively. People also found their way to the RCS web site via the Department of Foreign Affairs (FAC), the Empire Club and"Limey Search" (limeysearch.co.uk).

During the month of May, "national student commonwealth forum" was the most common search term used to find the RCS site, followed by "commonwealth", "royal commonwealth society" and "commonwealth canada". Some of the other search terms used to find the RCS site include:

- harare declaration
- patricia lortie
- population of blacks in canada
- alyson horne
- canada values and beliefs
- programme sur la jeunesse
- brenda ogembo

Due to the number of branches posting news and updates, many branches are receiving substantial Internet traffic. For example, the search term "brenda ogembo" entered into Google leads to RCS Mainland BC's January newsletter. A Google search for "patricia lortie" leads to a news update from the Ottawa branch. As the branches post more material, it is attracting ever more visitors to the RCS.

Another part of the web site that continues to receive numerous visitors is our international links listing (http://www.rcs.ca/newlinks/index.shtml, under the "About the Commonwealth" section of the site). To this day, it remains one of the largest list of Commonwealth-related links in the world. If you know of a link that should be included, simply use the "add a site" button to submit it.

PICK UP THE TOOL FOR THE JOB
An address by Derek Ingram
at the British High Commission, Ottawa
March 2004

I have to confess to being something of a Commonwealth groupie, or so I seem to have become, having reported - and survived - all 17 Commonwealth summit meetings since my first in 1969, as well as several regional summits in between.

Survived sounds a bit downbeat. In fact, it has been a great experience. Many excitements. Many knife-edge moments. Quite a lot of fun. Like the moment at his first summit in 1969 a new Canadian prime minister slid down the banisters in London’s Marlborough House. It was Pierre Trudeau.

As interim National Youth Co-ordinator, I have had the pleasure of participating in several worthwhile, continuing youth-oriented projects, as well as working on a number of new initiatives aimed at increasing youth participation in the RCS. With limited time and resources, however, progress has been slow. Many of these initiatives remain in the earliest stages of planning. I have managed, though, to identify some concrete, feasible steps that individual RCS branches and members can take in support of the cause of Youth Involvement. Here are some highlights and some recommendations for the future:

The National Student Commonwealth Forum (NSCF)

Now in its 32nd year, the NSCF continues to attract a critical mass of eager participants and dedicated student-organizers. Effort to improve publicity and attract a greater variety of delegates seem to be paying off. Registrations are up (relative to previous years) and the Co-Chairs, Leona Chivizhe and Jessica Gallienne, both students at the University of Ottawa, are proving able organizers. Our webmaster, Vanessa Prinsen has developed an impressive and professional-looking NSCF website. Our application for travel funding has been approved by Exchanges Canada. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the student planning team for their efforts so far. When all is said and done, they will have spent, collectively, more than 2500 volunteer-hours of their time, and connected with nearly a hundred delegates, from every part of Canada! To my reckoning, this makes the NSCF one of the society’s most substantial projects. Still, there are a number of ways in which members can support the NSCF. These are:

1) Make the effort to speak with dynamic local teachers, mentors, and recruit prospective delegates. Ideally, we would appreciate it if you could provide us with their specific contact information, so that we can add them to our mailing list. The NSCF can be reached by email at nscf_2000@yahoo.ca, by fax at (613) 737-0794, or by mail at NSCF, c/o 2940 McCarthy Road, Ottawa, ON K1V 8K6.
2) Visit the NSCF website ( http://www.rcs.ca/~nscf), not only to learn more about the Forum, but also to get a feel for the many possibilities offered by the web for branch development.
3) Branches could encourage a greater diversity of delegates and ensure that “under-privileged” and “at-risk” youth have an fair opportunity to participate in the NSCF by creating small yearly bursaries of $200 that could be awarded to a few select, deserving delegates to cover the cost of their registration fees. Perhaps this could be a good way to recognise the society’s upcoming 50th anniversary, or the passing of a fond branch member. (The NSCF already covers travel costs but our budget is such that we cannot afford to waive our registration fees.) Several branches, such as Victoria, Mainland British Columbia and Halifax, to name only three, already actively support our recruitment by selecting (and often subsidizing the registration fees of) delegates through regional conferences and essay competitions. I hope this will continue. I am merely suggesting that branches might want to make reserve one or more of these ‘places’ for an deserving “underprivileged” delegate.
4) Members and branches could consider making a donation to the NSCF, or to help solicit such donations. (Perhaps the aforementioned bursaries might be considered a donation?) Our government sponsor has encouraged us to work on attracting private donations to supplement their significant grant and to prove that the NSCF has the support of the wider community.

The Commonwealth Silver and Gold Youth Service Awards

This past February, another long-time youth volunteer, Elodie Button, and I had the opportunity to participate as evaluators for the annual Commonwealth Youth Service Awards, which recognise outstanding projects run by youth, for youth. Working with Joy Tilsley, Betty Lemaistre and Andeas Berg we were able to select five top projects, which were then forwarded on to the regional competition in Guyana. All sixteen of the projects we evaluated were extremely impressive and deserve the recognition and attention of as many Canadians as possible. Similarly, I would like to commend the efforts of the organizers, who succeeded in overcoming significant time-constraints and bureaucratic challenges. I look forward to the continuing success of this initiative! Judging from anecdotal evidence, however, I get the impression that many members are unaware of this worthy project, or unaware that organizations have applied from their very own communities. I would therefore encourage:

1) Members and branches to make a special effort to inform themselves, beginning from the RCS website.
2) The organizers to continue their efforts at publicizing the awards within the RCS, perhaps by posting summaries of all the applicants and finalists on the website and/or distributing to local branches.
3) Branches to consider building relationships with local organisations that apply to the awards. Get a representative to come and speak at a RCS social occasion, in order to learn more about youth are working to improve your communities. The RCS, in turn, could also sponsor the project with proceeds from social events, or organize a joint initiative. (What better way to make a meaningful and tangible contribution than to support committed youth in your local community?). The RCS could also assist the youth organizers in accessing supporting resources, like meeting rooms etc. In the case of a youth video project, isn't there a RCS Int’l Video contest that they might be eligible for? Branches might even consider sponsoring some of the organizers as delegates to the NSCF.
4) Individual members and branches to spread the word about these awards and invite organizations in their communities to apply.
5) Formalise the role of youth as evaluators and participants in the organization of these awards by several youth volunteers for a standing Youth Jury/Panel.

Commonwealth in the Classroom

If the RCS wants to reach out to youth and teach them about the Commonwealth, we must begin by connecting with them at the classroom level. With the Commonwealth now apparently on the curriculum for Grade 6 in Ontario, a unique opportunity has presented itself. Success in this area will encourage other provinces to follow suit. With this in mind, I encourage the following actions:

1) Find a member or group of members (preferably with an education background) willing to champion this initiative.
2) Gather and develop suitable educational materials (Lessons, games, activities etc.) into a package for teachers.
3) Get Teachers Colleges, other Educational groups, and RCS youth volunteers involved.
4) Collaborate with High Commissioners to arrange classroom visits.
5) Ensure that Teachers received information on all RCS Youth initiatives together.
6) Lobby to put the Commonwealth on the curriculum in other provinces

A Commonwealth Literacy Internship

Preliminary discussions have begin on the possibility of developing an RCS-run youth internship programme that would place interested young Canadians in volunteer positions here at home and abroad to promote the cause of literacy. We are hoping to bring this idea before an informal working-group of members and youth sometime in the future. If you would be interested in being a part of these preliminary discussions, feel free to contact me at the address below.

Commonwealth Clubs and Regional Student Conferences

Another longstanding goal of the RCS has been to encourage the formation of Commonwealth Clubs and Student Conferences in schools and universities across Canada. One place this has succeeded extremely well is Vancouver, where students of the UBC Commonwealth Club manage a flourishing regional Student Conference with the assistance of the local RCS Branch. I would invite those interested to visit their website at: http://www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/commonwealth. Victoria and Halifax also possess similarly successful Student Conferences. Plans are underway to develop a Commonwealth Club at the University of Ottawa, the home of the NSCF. This club will not only support the NSCF, but also increase visibility for the RCS and Commonwealth on campus, and provide a venue for future Club and RCS Ottawa events. In order to encourage the formation of new Commonwealth clubs and student conferences, I would propose the following actions:

1) Branches appoint a member (or members) responsible for overseeing and supporting local youth in forming an Commonwealth Club and/or student conference
2) Have Branches be prepared to offer them speakers, venues, resources (such as help with photocopying etc.) and other support, particularly in the initial stages.
3) That I will take the lead in creating of an “Organizers Forum” (presumably on the web) to share resources (like simulation games and club constitutions) and lessons-learned between existing clubs and prospective organizers.

Advertising RCS Youth Initiatives Effectively
Although the RCS is involved in an impressive number of youth-oriented projects, I feel that many opportunities are lost through a lack of cooperation in cross-promotion between branches and initiatives. To give you an example: the Youth Service awards, the Essay competitions and the NSCF are all advertised to a significant number of schools and organizations across Canada. However, as I understand it, all have separate mailing lists, meaning that individual contacts are often unaware of other RCS projects. To resolve this, I would propose the following actions:
1) To make the Youth Coordinator or some other interested member(s) responsible for gathering relevant information on all RCS youth initiatives.
2) To make it a responsibility for all branches and projects to submit details of their initiatives to this resource person
3) To have this resource person create a national (and or regional) brochure(s) detailing all youth projects, their contact information, eligibility requirements etc. This brochure could then be distributed with all mailings to outside groups involving youth-oriented projects.
4) That I will take the lead in creating a web-page on the RCS website that can act as a source for information and links about all these projects.
5) Consider integrating various branch and project mailing lists into a single, national database that could be accessed by all RCS branches and initiatives.

David Lynch
Interim National Youth Coordinator
& NSCF Facilitator