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Commonwealth day

Young Bites. Dated: 5/24/2018 11:36:29 AM

Commonwealth Day is annually held on 24 May as it commemorates the Commonwealth of Nations, which is a union of some countries that used to be part of the British Empire. The date was chosen because it did not have any previous historical connotations. Commonwealth Day is an annual opportunity to celebrate the links between Commonwealth communities across the world. The theme is ‘Towards a Common Future’, which emphasizes how the Commonwealth can address global challenges and work to create a better future for all citizens through sub-themes of sustainability, safety, prosperity and fairness. The service encompasses traditional hymns and readings, with performances from artists around the Commonwealth and thought-provoking speeches from community leaders.The aim of the day is to “celebrate the vast diversity, strong unity, and uplifting values that define the Commonwealth.” Schools also participate in the celebrations with special assemblies, ceremonies, and other events.
The theme was ‘Opportunity Through Enterprise’. Through a mixture of world music, dance and personal testimonies, Commonwealth Day celebrated economic innovation throughout the Commonwealth and a shared commitment towards youth, social and sustainable enterprise.The theme for the 2014 Commonwealth Day celebrations was ‘Team Commonwealth’, expressing the spirit of friendship and motivation towards the shared goals and values that exist between Commonwealth members.Faith and civic gatherings, debates, school assemblies, flag raising ceremonies, street parties and fashion shows are just some of the events they will use to celebrate the vast diversity, strong unity and uplifting values that define the Commonwealth.This year Commonwealth Day precedes the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, when the leaders of 53 independent member countries will meet to address key global challenges and agree how to work together for the welfare and common good of its citizens. The two events are joined by the same theme ‘Towards a Common Future’. Building upon the 2017 theme of ‘A Peace-Building Commonwealth’, this year’s theme explores how the Commonwealth can address global challenges and work to create a better future for all citizens through sub-themes of sustainability, safety, prosperity and fairness, in line with the theme of the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London. The Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, took part in a ceremony at London’s Memorial Gates this morning to honour the five million men and women from Commonwealth nations who served with the armed forces during the first and second world wars.This is an amazingly important memorial because these gates stand to celebrate what men and women did throughout the Commonwealth: coming together to give their lives so that the rest of us could be free and I think we should never forget that.” Around 150 dignitaries braved the grey skies above London to join the Secretary-General to place wreaths at the memorial, among them High Commissioners as well as current and former members of the Commonwealth armed forces. He was helped to lay a wreath in memory of his fallen comrades. The Secretary-General laid a purple and gold floral wreath in the colours of the Secretariat on behalf of the Commonwealth.“This Memorial brings home with striking solemnity the ties of kinship and affinity that bind us together as a global family. Cooperation between the member states of the Commonwealth, and among Commonwealth citizens at many levels and in countless practical ways, continues to open up new and wider opportunities in which all can share. Together in the Commonwealth we work to build a future that is fairer, more prosperous, more sustainable and more secure.”Commonwealth Day is not a widely marked day in many parts of Canada. The many activities schools have initiated include mini-Commonwealth Games, simulated Heads of Government Meetings (where students play the roles of different leaders), project studies of the geography, ecology, products or societies of other Commonwealth countries, and celebrations of the cultural and artistic diversity of the Commonwealth through exhibitions, readings, dance and drama. Quizzes to test student knowledge of Commonwealth affairs are popular, as are collections of stamps and product labels. In 1958, it was renamed Commonwealth Day to reflect the changes in the relationship between Great Britain and her former colonies. Commonwealth Day is also officially observed in a large number of countries that were formally part of the British Empire. These include many of the countries in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. However, there are few notable celebrations to mark the day. Commonwealth Day celebrations was ‘Team commonwealth’, expressing the spirit of friendship and motivation towards the shared goals and values that exist between Commonwealth members.Over the years the queen has dealt with the sense of the Commonwealth as a family, human rights, the position of young people and of women, diversity, and working together for the eradication of poverty. The themes of the Queen’s message and the Commonwealth Day poster are usually related.The Commonwealth association said: “‘Towards a Common Future’ renews our Commonwealth vision and commitment to building on the individual and collective strengths of all member countries to respond to global challenges, and deliver a more prosperous, secure, sustainable and fair future for all of our citizens, particularly our young people.Today Commonwealth Day is a reminder of the bonds between Britain and its closest allies.The Queen said: “We all have reason to give thanks for the numerous ways in which our lives are enriched when we learn from others.“Through exchanging ideas, and seeing life from other perspectives, we grow in understanding and work more collaboratively towards a common future.“There is a very special value in the insights we gain through the Commonwealth connection; shared inheritances help us overcome difference so that diversity is a cause for celebration rather than division.”Commonwealth Day is also a date for civic and inter-faith gatherings, which will be headed by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attending a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey. The Commonwealth Service will feature live readings and music, including a special performance from former One Direction member Liam Payne.The Commonwealth Day message is addressed to the people of the Commonwealth, not to governments, and each year the Queen takes as her theme an issue of importance to the Commonwealth on which she thinks the people can have an impact.Over the years the queen has dealt with the sense of the Commonwealth as a family, human rights, the position of young people and of women, diversity, and working together for the eradication of poverty.