The Executive Committee of the Isle of Man branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has selected two young people from the Isle of Man to attend this year’s CPA Headquarters Secretariat’s Observance of Commonwealth Day in London on Monday March 10th 2014.
Sara-Jayne Dodge, 20, from Douglas and Charlie Shimmins, 18, from Glen Vine, will join around 1000 other young people attending the Commonwealth Day celebrations, the theme for which is ’Team Commonwealth’.
The day’s proceedings will include discussions on the Commonwealth and the CPA attended by visiting and UK parliamentarians, followed by attendance at the Observance Day service in Westminster Abbey at which Her Majesty The Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth, will be present, together with all Commonwealth High Commissioners in London. The day will conclude with a reception, also in the presence of Her Majesty, hosted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma at Marlborough House, headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
As part of the selection process applicants were asked to set out in 100 words what they believed they would gain from the experience and how the Isle of Man would benefit from their attendance.
In her submission Miss Dodge, a former Ballakermeen High School student now reading Law at Chester University, wrote: ‘Many claim the Commonwealth, its structure, standing, duties and future, are in crisis. I propose to explore whether it is instead in flux.’
On being selected she said: ‘I would like to thank the Isle of Man branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I feel extremely honoured to have been chosen to represent the Isle of Man at such an important event. It is sure to be an amazing, memorable day and I cannot wait to attend.’
Mr Shimmins, also a Ballakermeen High School former student, has secured two work placements this summer, one with the European Parliament in Brussels, the other with the Scottish Parliament, and is reading International Politics and Conflict Studies at Queen's University Belfast. In his application he wrote: ‘As a student of international politics hoping to apply to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after graduation, attending this event would be extremely beneficial to my studies and future aspirations.’
Looking ahead to Observance Day he said: ‘The Commonwealth is a very important aspect of the Isle of Man's relationship with the rest of the world and I am honoured and thrilled to have been chosen to represent it at this event.’
CPA Isle of Man branch chairman Juan Watterson MHK said: ‘Team Commonwealth is a theme celebrating friendship, partnership and collaboration that will surely resonate with Observance Day’s audience of young people and also serve to set the tone for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
‘The CPA is committed to making the Commonwealth’s aims, values and global role more visible, especially to young people. Commonwealth Observance Day reaffirms the relevancy of the Commonwealth in the 21st century and how this institution can be a real force for stability in a changing world. Importantly these celebrations, set against the background of the diversity of the Commonwealth “family”, provide valuable opportunities to network, learn from each other and let the voice of the Commonwealth be heard. I am sure this compelling mix will prove a memorable experience for Sara and Charlie.’
Photo - Sara-Jayne Dodge
