FAQ

What are the Commonwealth Youth Summits?
A unique debate programme run by the RCS. Through a series of two-day events, the Summits bring to life key international issues such as poverty, education and health for young people across the British Isles. Read all about them here.

When and where are the Summits taking place?
The Summits will be held in locations across the British Isles from 2010 until at least 2012. For further details, please keep an eye on this page, where we will announce dates and venues as soon as they are confirmed.

Who are the Summits for?
14-17 year olds from youth groups and schools, from all walks of life, and of all abilities.

We're so glad that you're interested in our project!
However, because being involved in a Commonwealth Youth Summit means missing school for a couple of days, unfortunately we can't accept applications from young people applying to us independently. Instead, please encourage your teacher or youth group leader to check out this website and/or this brochure , and ask them to get in touch with us. In the meantime, why not enter our Youth Summit design competition?!

I'm a teacher or youth leader, how can the young people I work with get involved in a Commonwealth Youth Summit?
If you are from one of the regions where we have a Summit coming up (please check our regional pages), we would love to hear from you. You can read more about the project and download an application form here.

If you are from another region in the UK, please drop an email to youthsummits@thercs.org  to express your interest in the project. If there is considerable interest in your area, and we haven't already run one in your region, we will do our best to put on a Summit near you.

How many students can I bring to the Summit?
The average number is around 10, although it may well be possible for you to bring considerably more, or fewer, students. If there is a Summit happening in your region, please fill in an application form for your school or youth group, indicating roughly how many participants you would like to bring. We will do our best to accommodate this number and get back to you once we have heard from others in your region and done our sums.

I'm from a UK Local Authority, education provider, Development Education Centre, charity or business – can I get involved in a Commonwealth Youth Summit?
We would love to hear from you! Please send an email to Claire Anholt, the RCS Youth Programmes Manager at claire.anholt@thercs.org . We can offer a fantastic benefits package to financial donors.

Unfortunately the programme is only running in the UK at the moment.
However:

• If you have funding available, we can send our Youth Summits team to your location to deliver a customised programme for you, or train local facilitators to run a Summit.
• We also hope to develop resources that can help teachers run Summits in their own schools. Watch this space….
• There are many other programmes that young people around the world can get involved with, for example, writing, film and photography competitions and Nkabom, the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme.

If you are based in the UK and are over 18, you can apply to be a facilitator. From time to time, the RCS also advertises voluntary and paid opportunities to get involved in our programmes, which you will be able to find in the What's New? section. Any other opportunities will also be advertised on the main RCS website.

What are the benefits of being involved in a Youth Summit?
To find out, read this page (for teachers), this page (for young people) and these comments (from young people who have already been involved in the project).

How much does it cost to take part in a Youth Summit?
It is free for young people to take part in a Commonwealth Youth Summit. However, they must come as part of a school or youth group that has registered in advance. We do not ask schools or youth groups to pay us to be involved.

How much time will it take up if I am involved in a Youth Summit?
Beyond the two day event itself, we hope that teachers/youth group leaders will be able to deliver 3 half hour preparatory sessions with their groups. We also ask young people to do some short preparatory work independently.

What about the long term impact of being involved in a Youth Summit?
Specially developed Teacher and Youth Leader sessions will also be held at the Summits, providing inspiration and practical ideas for incorporating active Global Citizenship into your ongoing work.

We also forge relationships with local partners, who we hope we can work with again in the future.

How are young people involved in the planning and delivery of the Youth Summits?
A Steering Committee made up of young people, teachers and global citizenship professionals guide the planning and delivery of the Summits at every stage. There is a Committee in London that guides the project as a whole, and local Committees in each region we work in.

During the Summits themselves, young people also lead and moderate the debates, present their findings to leaders and liaise with the media (working with professional journalists to write press releases, produce news articles and make film and radio reports).

What is the RCS?
The Royal Commonwealth Society is an international educational charity. Working to inspire and engage young people, the RCS promotes understanding of the modern Commonwealth. As an educator, it encourages young people to develop their skills, to realise their ambitions and, with an increased awareness of their role as global citizens, to engage with key challenges facing the international community. It also provides a platform for leading voices across politics, media, the arts, academia and business.

Our home is the Commonwealth Club, a members club in central London, where like-minded individuals meet and we have fabulous, contemporary events space for hire.

What else do you do?
You can find out more about the RCS on our main website, www.thercs.org. If you want to find out more about our youth projects specifically, check out www.thercs.org/youth.