Young people at the 1st Commonwealth Consultative Dialogue, which aims at preparing them for leadership positions, say they will use the information gained to tackle issues affecting the youth, their approach to creativity and their understanding of current issues.

Globally, only 2.6% of young people are in Parliament. And young people in attendance from 56 Commonwealth countries are looking at ways to increase that amount by actively preparing and taking up leadership positions.

Samuel Omole from Nigeria emphasised the urgency of youth leadership, stating, "We as youth, we wake up with wisdom every day. We read about new development initiatives and put them into practice. But if we want to change immediately, not that we have to postpone it to some other time, that's where we are, the leaders of today. Then we put everything that we have digested into practice immediately."

South African delegate Semakaleng Dhlamini highlighted the need for skill development, saying, "Most young people do not have the skills to lead. I am here to take what I can and share with young people to make sure they are the leaders for today."

Namibian delegate Ndapandula Lukas stressed ethical leadership and accountability, noting the importance of using information gained at the dialogue to impact society from their various positions. "End-user information that we have gained at this dialogue to implement ethical leadership, ensuring that accountability is set in place, ensuring that we impact our society even from the stance or the position that we are fortunate to have to do so in our different schools, whatever it is, ethically." 

Lesotho’s Reatlehile Makateng spoke about reducing political interference in youth councils while advocating for active youth participation in politics, adding, "We advocate for the inclusion of young people in their governance and for them to participate in politics themselves. This is why we'll be proposing and making sure that when we go for national elections, members of parliament, the senate, everyone, and young people are represented there."

The dialogue is being held under the theme "Reimagining Youth Leadership in the Commonwealth: Strengthening Systems for Sustainable Impact".