CYP regions
The CYP is unique among all the programmes of the Secretariat because of its regional base. There are four Regional Centres: in Zambia (Africa), India (Asia), Guyana (Caribbean), and the Solomon Islands (Pacific). As a student in this course, you are probably already at least slightly familiar with one of these centres. They enable CYP to reach a wider spectrum of young people than would otherwise be possible, and to offer a wider variety of training programmes and projects tailored specifically for the needs of young women and men in each different region.
The Plan of Action on Youth Empowerment (PAYE)
In 1998, Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, adopted the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Youth Empowerment (PAYE). The PAYE defines youth empowerment as having two dimensions:
Young people are empowered when they acknowledge that they have or can create choices in life, are aware of the implications of those choices, make an informed decision freely, take action on that decision and accept responsibility for the consequences of that action.
Empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others. These enabling conditions fall into four broad categories: an economic and social base; political will, adequate resource allocation and supportive legal and administrative frameworks; a stable environment of equality, peace and democracy; and access to knowledge, information and skills, and a positive value system. (PAYE p.11)
The PAYE lays out 13 strategic objectives for governments, aimed at helping to create these enabling conditions for youth empowerment, and provides a wide range of suggestions for appropriate action.