The Republic of Singapore is an island nation of 5.5 million people. It is one of 8 countries in Asia that are part of the Commonwealth. As we continue to spotlight Asia and the Pacific, we sat down with Eileen Goh, former volunteer with the Commonwealth Youth Council and former Assistant Program Officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat. We discussed the student movement in Asia and approaches to improving our engagement in the region.

The Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students (JUTS) is the national student representative body for tertiary students in Jamaica. The JUTS has been organized at a national level since 1972, by the government, in its democratisation plan within the education system.

The JUTS is an independent, democratic independent, non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan student organization comprising a confederation of local student representative organizations in colleges and universities across

Jamaica.

We caught up with some of the elected leaders of the JUTS in our CSA Fireside.

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has a long and proud history of supporting students. Since 1929, they’ve tirelessly advocated and represented students in universities and polytechnics across Aotearoa New Zealand.

On this episode, we had one of the hard conversations that is typically avoided. Our guest, Ellen Dixon, President of the NZUSA engaged us on the topic "Decolonization of Education as part of the process of Truth and Reconciliation in the Commonwealth"

International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day declared by the United Nations; it is also called the Day of Girls and the International Day of the Girl. October 11, 2012, was the first Day of the Girl Child. On this International Day of the Girl, let us work together to ensure that girls are connected, supported and empowered so that we are co-leading the journey of digital transformation.

Cedella Mckie is the Co-Chair of the Digital Marketing Committee of the CSA and is representing the CSA at the Womentoring Program. The Swiss National Youth Council (SNYC) has organized a week of workshops to enable 50 young women to claim their space and equip them with the necessary tools and skills to do so.

Joshua Opey, our the CSA Ghana Representative, hosted a discussion on Scholarships, particularly opportunities to study in the United Kingdom. He was joined by Lawrence Dankah, Ato Dadzi-Dennis both Commonwealth Scholars and Stephen Tettegah, Chevening Scholar. They share insightful guidance into the scholarship application process and practical tips on how to make your application stand out.

The Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) is a representative body of students, trainees and learners that has been championing quality, equitable and accessible education in Namibia since its founding in 1984.

Originally formed as a militant group of students opposed to the Bantu Education regime during Namibia's apartheid era, we have positioned ourselves to protect the rights and interests of our members; providing pro-student and pro-youth policy direction and influence to a wide range of stakeholders and amplifying the voices of Namibian youth in the country and beyond.

We sat down with senior executives of NANSO for a conversation about their history, achievements and their views on decolonizing education, soft skills and student safety and security.

In this second episode, the CSA Fireside engaged youth and student leaders from Malaysia 🇲🇾, Bangladesh🇧🇩 and Pakistan🇵🇰 on various topics about the state of student activism in Asia including post-Covid issues; challenges in education in Asia; student life and culture; political/religious affiliation of student representative organization and the low level of participation youth from Commonwealth Asia in the CSA and other related Commonwealth Youth Programs.

The CSA Fireside hosted representatives from Papua New Guinea discussing the State of Education and Student Activism in their country. Delve into this episode and learn about PNG.

This is an introduction of the CSA FIRESIDE podcast to our dear listeners.