Call for new members – CYSDP

Calling all young people in the Commonwealth passionate about using sport as a tool for development and peace… Join the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace (CYSDP) Working Group and be the leading and driving voice for youth in the Commonwealth towards promoting best practices in SDP

The Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace working group (CYSDP) is looking to recruit outstanding young leaders active and passionate in the field of sport for development and peace to contribute to its mission.

Background

In May 2013 the Commonwealth Secretariat supported the establishment of the CYSDP. It has a mission ‘to be the leading and driving voice for youth in the Commonwealth towards promoting best practices for sport, development and peace in their respective societies.’

CYSDP is a group of young leaders from Commonwealth regions selected by the Commonwealth Secretariat to work towards advancing youth development in the Commonwealth through sport. With a remit to ‘Advocate, Educate and Demonstrate’ on behalf of young people across the Commonwealth, the group utilises sport and non-sport platforms to highlight the benefits of employing sport as a tool to contribute to development issues, commonly referred to as Sport for Development and Peace (SDP).

The group is an integral part of the Commonwealth youth space and will continue to work to provide and promote the voices of young people in the SDP field, engage decision makers and educate youth practitioners on how best to advocate for their issues, while contributing to bodies of knowledge which bring to the fore youth issues in the SDP sector.

Roles and responsibilities of CYSDP

• Provides a youth voice and perspective on advancing the use of sport in development policy and programming in the Commonwealth;
• Meets on a quarterly basis (via web conference) and carries out on-going work planned and agreed by the working group in line with the CYSDP strategic plan, to deliver the mission of CYSDP;
• Formulates recommendations on SDP relevant to youth development and contributes to forums such as the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport, Commonwealth Youth Forum and Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting;
• Liaises with other Commonwealth and regional youth representative forums to advance awareness of SDP approaches and initiatives;
• Represents CYSDP at sport and non-sport platforms around the Commonwealth.

What we are looking for

• Commonwealth nationals between the ages of 18 and 29 (must be under 30 on 31st August 2016);
• Passionate and active youth leaders, academics or practitioners in Sport for Development and Peace in a voluntary, educational or professional capacity;
• Youth leaders, academics or practitioners with knowledge and experience in: advocacy and campaigning; public policy, governance, strategic development/leadership skills; marketing, digital media or graphic design; or innovative, small NGO or social enterprise development.

Appointments are made for one year terms, renewable for up to three terms.

Interested applicants are invited to make an expression of interest by providing a one page cover letter, outlining their motivation and suitability for joining CYSDP, as well as their CV and a well-developed submission on ‘why SDP is an effective tool in tackling youth development issues’. Drawing on personal experiences and research would be advantageous in developing the submission.

Submissions can be in the form of

• Academic essay or position paper (1000 words);
• Magazine feature article suitable for publication on Your Commonwealth (800-1000 words);
• Short film (5 – 10 minutes);
• Photography with extended captions/descriptions for each image (5 – 10 images).

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the current CYSDP Chairperson will be reviewing all applications required by 5pm GMT on Friday 13th November. Applicants will be shortlisted and will be required to take part in a telephone/Skype interview during the week of 16th November.

Applications should be submitted to Tikwiza Silubonde at SDP@commonwealth.int