A note from the new Director

Danny Sriskandarajah

Dr Danny Sriskandarajah took up post as Director of the RCS on 12 January 2009. Prior to joining the RCS, Danny worked at the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr), the UK's largest independent policy think-tank, where he was Deputy Director and Head of the Institute's Migration, Equalities and Citizenship team.

A true Commonwealth citizen, Danny was born in Sri Lanka, moved with his family to New Zealand, then lived for several years in Papua New Guinea, before eventually settling in Australia. Ten years ago, he moved to the UK where he married a woman from Trinidad & Tobago. Danny has also conducted research in and written about a further five Commonwealth countries - Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Malaysia, and Mauritius - and has visited another twelve.

Click HERE to read Danny's note to all Branch members and HERE to find out a little more about him.

Nkabom

An update from Nkabom Co-ordinator, Claire Anholt

"The spirit of Nkabom 2008 - the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme - is very much still alive. Geographical distance is no barrier for the 30 young people who came from several RCS branches and every corner of the globe to explore the theme 'Conflict and Beyond' in Cyprus last September.

Embracing the full potential of new media to have online discussions via Sykpe and work collectively on documents in Google Groups, the Nkabom team are forming an international network for young peacebuilders and reaching out to others who have experiences of war to share and discuss. The group are already in touch with young people in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, through letter-writing and social networking sites such as Facebook. The Nkabom group, supported by the RCS and the Commonwealth Youth Programme, will launch formerly soon with a slick logo, website and mission statement. Watch this space!"

 

Trailblazing events

Big names, key issues, sell-out audiences...

A number of exciting events have been held at the RCS in recent months. The Christmas Carol Service filled the Royal Parish Church of London, St. Martins-in-the-Fields, to overflowing with more than 1,000 people and the celebrity readers and performers were met with great enthusiasm. The service was followed by a sell-out Caribbean themed Christmas party at the Commonwealth Club.

Recent high-profile speakers have included William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dr Ken Yeang, the world's leading eco-architect, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Dr Ian Paisley and Lord Goldsmith QC. Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner F.W. de Klerk will speak in May.

With two new exciting series of events being launched this year, the Public Affairs events programme is beginning to build a high media profile for the RCS and to attract wide audiences to our central London home.

RCS Barbados Branch

Over the past couple of years, RCS Barbados branch has gone from strength to strength.

Branch Chairman, Mr Miles Weekes, was elected to office in 2007, although he has been an active member of the branch since 1993. Here, Miles talks to us about the steps he has taken to revitalise the branch and the future he envisages for the international network of the RCS.

Click to read an interview with RCS Branch Chairman, Miles Weekes, to see his biography and to see the organisational structure of the branch.

Branch News Round-up

1. New branches and links are being formed in Belgium and Italy, in Abuja, Nigeria and in Yorkshire, UK.
2. New Brunswick Branch is working with the local university on an innovative programme that aims to develop community leaders.
3. Cameroon Branch recently helped to organise an Inter-Agency Forum with the British Council and others.
4. Cambridge Branch have been visiting two local schools to give evening focus groups on Commonwealth issues.
5. The Roundtable of Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic organised a workshop on Economic Partnership between the EU and Cariforum EPA.
6. Bristol Branch have been renovating their premises and have given a bursary to a Commonwealth student to study at Bristol University.