When the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network realised that young people who speak Kiswahili could not access a historic international policy document to guide grassroots peace and security efforts, they decided to do something about it. Promise Forsuh, a 23-year-old Commonwealth Correspondent from Cameroon tells us why they took action and how they are making …

Young peace-builders break language barrier Read More »

Language is the principal medium through which we connect with our fellow human beings, writes Debra Grace Lim Jia-En, 16, a Correspondent from Malaysia, who argues that English has grown to be a global link among those of different cultures. Language enables us to communicate with each other; it allows us to exchange our ideas and opinions. …

“English language has become a global link” Read More »

English may be the lingua franca in many spheres, but Alvin Ma, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from  Canada, describes how trying to learn the language and experience local customs made a trip to Brazil a memorable experience. “Meu nome é Alvin. Eu sou canadense. Quando falo em português, penso em francês.” (My name is Alvin. I am …

“Multiculturalism and Maracana: a trip to Brazil” Read More »

As the popularity of English as a second language rises, Shastri Sookdeo, 28, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam, looks at the effect on the incentive for native English speakers to become bilingual. The number of people that have learnt English as a second language has always amazed me. In the East …

“Perspective of a native English speaker” Read More »

Whether or not to learn one’s mother language is a question facing many immigrant youth, writes Hsin-Yi Lo, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Melbourne, Australia. She argues in favour of embracing the opportunity. To learn or not to learn your mother tongue? This question plagues us second generation immigrant youths (SGIY) growing up in Australia. Many …

“Learning mother tongue solves identity crisis” Read More »