Tom, aged 24, UK

After finishing my studies at Durham University, I decided to pursue a career in the public sector working for ‘Her Majesty’s Government’. My work is very varied and so describing a ‘typical’ day is difficult; there are some constants, however, such as the frequent meetings, emails and telephone calls, not to mention the daily struggle to commute into central London on the busy Underground service!

I am fortunate to be able to travel extensively with my job, including visits to a number of Commonwealth countries, and it’s a real privilege to be able to promote and support British interests overseas.

Outside of the office most days include an element of volunteering. As a member of the Board of Trustees of both the British Youth Council and the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council there are often papers to be prepared, financial reports to be read or (more enjoyably) opportunities to attend events as a representative of the charities.

Many young people in the UK have a limited awareness of what the Commonwealth means; while this is understandable, as much of the organisation’s development activity is focused in other parts of the world, I think that this exposes a wasted opportunity.

My first involvement with the Commonwealth came at an Education Ministers Meeting in 2003 and I have been hooked ever since!

Having been brought up in the small island of Jersey, the experience of meeting other young people from every corner of the Commonwealth had a profound effect upon me. I learnt that there is much more that young people have in common, despite all the obvious differences, than there is that sets them apart.

I have always relished the opportunities that the Commonwealth has provided for me to participate in subsequent international meetings and recognise that it has provided me with a window on the world and has shaped the values through which I view it.

My wish for the Commonwealth’s 60th birthday would be that this celebration be used to promote the valuable work of a truly unique, diverse organisation with a strong sense of values.

We need to reconnect young people with the Commonwealth so that in the future many more of them, like me, will have a firm sense of what the Commonwealth means and why, in a troubled world, we need it more than ever.