The Commonwealth initiated its commitments to the professionalisation of youth work through its support for the implementation of the Commonwealth Diploma in Youth Development Work in the 1970s. This commitment was subsequently endorsed by member states including at the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Meeting (CYMM) where youth ministers agreed “to promote youth work as a profession through education and training for sectors where youth engagement is important.” (CYMM Communique, 2017).

The Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Work Associations (CAYWA) was set up to act as the collective voice of youth workers in the Commonwealth, bringing together youth workers through the establishment of national associations towards the professionalisation of youth work. Facilitated by a steering committee formed during the Commonwealth Conference on Youth Work in South Africa in March 2016, the alliance was formally launched at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Uganda in 2017.

In a joint communique, ministers and senior government representatives commended the role and work of CAYWA in;

• powering the profession of youth work across the commonwealth;

• creating an inclusive and inspiring platform to celebrate and strengthen the collective impact of youth work and youth workers in the Commonwealth;

• exploring both youth work theory and practice that supports the education and development of young people globally;

• creating sustainable and relevant networks to help grow youth work through collective knowledge and experiences alongside young people for a better world. 

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CAYWA is an alliance of national youth worker associations with the mission to help raise the standard and status of youth work by connecting, strengthening and championing the professionalisation of youth work across the Commonwealth and beyond.