Youthful resilience will be Commonwealth core strength in coming years, Samoa summit declares
The vibrant colours and rich Samoan culture filled the room as the 13th Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) opened in Apia, Samoa
Youth
The “Palauan Dream”
Palau’s tourism industry may be slowly recovering, but there are concerns that its young people are not participating in the
Moeloto Tuilaepa Tiatia wins for Samoa and the Pacific
Moeloto Tuilaepa Tiatia of Samoa has been elected to the Commonwealth Youth Council executive board ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa. She emerged as Pacific representative after a keenly
USP students with big dreams
Hundreds of students from around the region this week filled the Australia Pacific Lecture Theatre at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Laucala Campus, with much eagerness to further their studies. Every year,
Black Wednesday: PNG’s Tinder Box explodes
Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, is recovering from looting and burning of businesses in its National Capital District (NCD) after members of the PNG Police Force went on strike last month. “Black
Youth at the heart of building resilience
Advocating for the availability of financial aid from the government has become one of the key strategies for Pacific youth working towards community resilience. Sotiana Sorovakatini of the Bua Urban Youth Group said
Fiji’s low youth vote due to address records
A drastic drop in the voter turn-out for young people is of concern for the Fiji Elections Office. Only 58.46% of eligible voters aged 18 to 20 years voted in the 2022 general election. The Acting Supervisor of
Reduce voting age to 18: Samoa Election inquiry
A Commission of Inquiry (COI) has recommended Samoa lower its voting age from 21 to 18 so teens can cast their votes like their peers in the region. The recommendation calling for Samoa’s voting age to be
Illegal narcotics and meth use among youths a concern in Fiji
When Fiji’s Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua pointed out last year that the use and distribution of hard drugs had spiraled out of control and was a far bigger disaster than climate change, he was not
Kalekana Powerpuff Kids’ Club: Improving the lives of young Fijians
Like many of Fiji’s informal communities and settlements, when many people hear the name ‘Kalekana’, they associate it with drugs, crime and poverty. Yet, a group of dedicated youths are working on
Big picture vision conversations missing in the Pacific
Big picture conversations about the future of the Pacific islands should be happening, but they are not, said one of the region’s foremost commentators in an interview published this week in the Marshall Islands
PILNA identifies room for improvement
Pacific Island teachers are satisfied and proud of their work, but many of them have high stress levels. This is one of the newly-released findings of the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) for
Emerging leaders take concerns to Canberra
Ongoing issues of overpopulation, economic inequality, domestic violence, climate change, geopolitics, illiteracy, and many health challenges are worrying to many Pacific Islanders. For young emerging leaders from the
Fiji Votes: A case of youth apathy or activism?
Young voters again have the opportunity to determine the result of Fiji’s election and the direction of the country in December, but many feel that political parties and candidates have failed to address the issues
Jobs, debt, inflation, representation: Issues concerning Fiji youth
Islands Business’ Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti asked young voters about the upcoming Fiji elections, and the issues of concern to them. This is what some of them had to say: Akansha, 21, from Nakasi, Suva is voting for
PNG youth carrying weapons ‘becoming a norm’
The rise in the use of a newly invented weapon called the wire-catapult or “silencer” is a big concern for East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea, says East Sepik Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent
Leaders of today: Declaration endorsed at youth forum in Rwanda
Young leaders representing 54 Commonwealth countries have presented a six-point action plan on youth development to Heads of Government gathered for a seminal meeting in Rwanda. The 25-page declaration makes
We have no choice but to fight for our future
“The threat of nuclear weapons is an existential crisis and we feel the weight that this places on us for our future,” says Bedi Racule. “It can be really hard to face these things, but we have no choice but to
Pacific youth raise concerns over debt levels
“25 years from now – my children, your grandchildren are at a risk of potential tax and financial burdens that will be crippling if nothing is done today to reduce our region’s growing debt.” This was the
Honourable mention: Our young climate activists
While our leading political regional agency named a series of climate champions ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this year (controversially all of them men), the region’s young climate champions are honourable mentions in
Youth driving climate ambition
By Ernest Gibson For the first time since the pandemic took hold in March 2020, more than 350 young people from all regions of the world convened in a single space. The Youth4Climate event, hosted in Milano, Italy was
Connected by the ocean and history
The University of the South Pacific has a proud history of student activism. ATOM (Against Testing on Moruroa) formed in Fiji in 1970, and many of its founding members were USP students and academics. In 1975, ATOM
Fiji @ 50: A view from the future
In my family, October 10 marks the day that my grandparents started their life together. Some 61 years ago, on a little island seemingly in the middle of nowhere, a young man and woman made promises to love and support