News Releases

Tackling the world’s pressing challenges

For Release Upon Receipt - July 7, 2016

UWI


The UWI hosts a conversation with the Commonwealth Secretary-General

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, QC, invites Caribbean youth to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges as The University of the West Indies hosts a Town Hall meeting at its Regional Headquarters, Mona, Jamaica on Friday 8 July, 2016. The special event which begins at 4:00 pm (Jamaica time), will also be livestreamed via http://live.mona.uwi.edu.

According to Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland “The world is facing enormous challenges; we need you to be part of the solution.” As a platform, 33Sixty is an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretary-General in collaboration with Common Purpose. This leadership programme equips aspiring Commonwealth leaders (aged 18-30) with the skills and the networks to make a difference, now. The programme derives its name from the fact that 33% of the world’s population live in the Commonwealth, and 60% of those are under 30.

The 33Sixty Jamaica edition of the programme, which takes place at The UWI Mona Campus from July 5-8 is centred around a global challenge, based on Goal #11 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: “What can our generation of the Commonwealth do now to make our cities more inclusive and safe by 2030?” Participants will be immersed in a series of activities to understand some of the world’s most pressing issues and work in groups to develop solutions.

The Friday 8 July Town Hall brings the week to a close; giving participants the chance to present their ideas to a panel of senior leaders and stakeholders, including the Secretary-General as she searches for exciting new initiatives to champion on the global stage.

Youth across the Caribbean will also have the opportunity to join the conversation via social media, using the event hashtag #33Sixty. Participating in 33Sixty gives our Youth a forum to have theirs voice heard at the highest levels of a global institution, and the ability to make a difference to their community, the Commonwealth and wider world.

True to its vision to recreate the Activist University, The UWI is pleased to be a partner in the novel youth leadership programme.

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About The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states. It is home to 2.2 billion citizens, of which more than 60 per cent are under the age of 30. The Commonwealth includes some of the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries, spanning five regions. Thirty-one of its members are small states, many of them island nations.  For more information, visit http://thecommonwealth.org/

 

About 33Sixty

33Sixty is a leadership programme delivered by the global leadership development organization Common Purpose, that equips aspiring Commonwealth leaders (aged 18-30) with the skills and the networks to make a difference, now. Students will go off-campus and into the city to understand some of the world’s most pressing issues, then work in groups to develop solutions. They will then get the chance to present their ideas to the Secretary-General as she searches for exciting new initiatives to champion on the global stage. For more information: http://commonpurpose.org/leadership/programmes/students/33sixty/

 

About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. For more information, visit www.uwi.edu

 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

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