By Dr Tony Mays 
Director: Education COL 

On 12 August  2025, the Commonwealth will observe International Youth Day. It is a day on which the world recognises the essential contributions that young people can make as agents of change, leaders and mobilisers in promoting development. 

This year’s global theme is “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”. 

This resonates well with the Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) commitment over the years to youth development and its continuing efforts. For example, youth development and empowerment are cross-cutting themes in COL’s imminent Eleventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF11). 

In planning for PCF11, we felt we must emphasise the vital role of youth in driving sustainable development and tackling global challenges. With over 60 per cent of the Commonwealth population under the age of 30, there is an urgent need to empower this demographic through education and skills training. But further, to achieve profound social change, the educational agenda must also be opened to a lifelong learner, to empower parents and young workers as we empower youth. With a signature team of powerful IGOs and NGOs, the many nations of the Commonwealth – particularly the small, more agile states – can innovate with new forms of education no longer on the horizon, but here, and now. 

Some of the papers under consideration for inclusion are: 

• Enhancing Technological Proficiency in Youth: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Gamified Learning Spaces in Open Education
• Situating the role of Community Learning Centres in fostering resilient youth for community development in Botswana
• Exploring the factors that affect the empowerment of youth leadership in rural areas
• Strengthening Youth Work in Botswana: Lessons from Micro-Credential Initiatives in Small Commonwealth Countries
• Engaging NEET Youths through Vocational Education: a case of Open School of Bangladesh Open University
• Blended Learning and Local Language Integration for Youth Skill Development in Northern Nigeria
• Enhancing Skills Development through Lifelong Open Education: Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Women and Youth In Future Work Environments. A Case of Khomas Region of Namibia
• Assistive Technologies and Outcome-Based Education: teasing the emerging technologies and innovative open education for training among the youths in Malawi
• Reimagining ‘New Literacies’ for Adult and Out-of-school Youths in a Contemporary Society: A Case of the National Literacy Programme in Namibia
• Gender, Innovation, Future Proofing Using Technology In Open Education (G.I.F.T.): A Pathway to Youth Resilience and Sustainable Workforce In Jamaica.
• Impact of Open Educational Platforms on Youth Vocational and Technical Skill Development and Employment Outcome in Nigeria.
• Adoption of Technology-Enabled Agricultural Extension Services by Kenya’s Youthful Farmers
• The University of the West Indies Global Campus’ Response to Empower Youth Through Education Across the Caribbean

In a similar vein, in the Pacific, one of the challenges driven by the limited capacity of the education sector is low skill levels and high youth unemployment. The impacts of Covid-19 have exacerbated youth unemployment issues, with young women and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) affected the most. While there are potential economic impacts, there are also increased risks of social disengagement, poorer health outcomes and unsafe behaviours. 

COL’s Partnership for ODFL in the Pacific project, supported by  New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sought to promote economic opportunities for youth in two ways: 

• Professional Development of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) / Education Providers 
• Skills and Leadership Training for Youth, Young Women and PWD 

Through professional development of TVET education providers, the project provided in-service training opportunities that TVET trainers could access using remote and distance learning methodologies to improve the quality of their teaching. It was felt that enhanced capacity of TVET trainers would improve the quality of TVET instruction and result in increased access to high-quality learning and training opportunities for youth. 

The project also aimed to build the entrepreneurial and leadership skills of youth, particularly out-of-school youth and those who are unemployed, with a focus on young women and people living with disabilities (PWD). The project worked with local NGOs to build their capacity to leverage ODL by supporting ODFL, developing structures and strategies to deliver leadership/vocational courses. Commonwealth of Learning had a partnership with three NGOs to provide skills training for youths. 

In partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), COL has also spearheaded the three-year Empowering Women and Girls (EWG) project. This project aimed to improve the realisation of human rights for women and girls, including PWDs from rural, remote, and underprivileged communities in selected areas of five Commonwealth Member States: Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The project has focused on empowering women and girls through strategic interventions to advance their educational attainment and skills development, increase their economic participation and improve their health and well-being, which will in turn lead to sustainable social transformation. The goal has been to ensure that women and girls can assert their equal rights, live a life of dignity, and be free from all forms of gender-based discrimination. The project team has also worked with men, boys and community leaders to garner broad-based support for the empowerment of women and girls and their role as full socio-economic contributors to their families and communities. 

Dr Tony Mays, COL’s Director: Education, notes that observances such as International Youth Day are important to help us reflect on what we have achieved to date and to galvanise action towards what remains to be achieved. With one in five children unable to access traditional secondary education and large and growing numbers of youths not in employment, education and training, more flexible and innovative ways need to be found to empower young people to take control of their own destinies, including addressing cross-cutting challenges such as democratic, economic and Climate Change resilience. This requires that we support our youth every day.