The Commonwealth Writers – Building a Stronger Society Through Creative Writing

Society is evolving and changing almost every passing day. We are experiencing one of the most extraordinary times in modern history. An invisible enemy has engulfed much of the world, changing virtually every aspect of normality in our day-to-day lives. Vast areas across the most prosperous country on earth have been shredded by social unrest.

We would be hard-pressed to uncover a place on the planet where there isn’t some level of turmoil. It is a time when many feel a sense of anguish and apprehension about the future. Expressing personal uniqueness and contradictory points of view are encouraged by some and frowned upon by others.

Creative expression may be at a crossroads. The Commonwealth Writers Organization aspires to connect diverse emotional experiences and personal stories through writing. Let’s take a look at the history behind the Commonwealth Foundation, the initiative responsible for establishing an ambition to help promote cultural unity through written stories.

Commonwealth Foundation History

In March 1966, a charitable trust registration was filed to establish the Commonwealth Foundation. The initial movement was to encourage the voice of professional and public figures who were not part of official government.

Foundation leadership promoted the values and opinions that insisted professional associations could bring value to cultural discussions. The Commonwealth Foundation has continued to evolve during its 54 years.

However, melding society and government is still at the heart of its mission. The Foundation materialized from a unified humanitarian objective of eight governments. Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and the United Kingdom formed a modern commonwealth in 1949.

The underlying charge was to work together to promote peace, liberty and happiness as free and equal members. During the 1970s, the Commonwealth Foundation expanded its focus. While adhering to the three primary objectives, as a non-governmental organization the Foundation expanded its directives.

Members reconstituted the Foundation under the guidelines of an intergovernmental organization (ISO). While this didn’t officially happen until 1982, the Foundation maintained a continuous evolution towards civic and cultural ambitions throughout the decade leading up to this redirection.

The 1982 reconstitution and wider focus pushed the Foundation into a more international approach. During the 1980s, there was a push to create development centers for professionals throughout the member nations.

Many of these professional development centers are still effectively productive. The ability to write and secure grants helped the Foundation create a more global objective. The Commonwealth Foundation remained centered around the key eight nations.

Nevertheless, the target of operations began to grow into an international presence. The Foundation was key in provide research documentation to help develop stronger relationships between governments and professional organizations.

In the 1990s, members presented such a vision for development to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Durban, South Africa. This vision was a declaration of a shift in the manner in which civil society objectives melded with government regulations.

At the 21st meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Port of Spain, there was another push to reform Commonwealth associations. The Eminent Persons Group was established, laying the groundwork for a collective focus on how important Civil Social Societies, such as the Commonwealth Foundation, were.

Leaders voiced ways that they felt the Commonwealth Foundation could help foster these initiatives. This began an even greater presence from the Foundation towards promoting the voice of the people.

The Commonwealth Foundation had yet another reformative event in November 2012. This marked a third phase in the Foundation’s evolution. A calculated series of strategies were formulated to help strengthen and mobilize society’s support for Commonwealth principles.

The revised mandates from the Foundation created a Memorandum of Understanding to target and achieve these goals. Part of this initiative was to create a model for written expression. Part of the 2012 re-launch was the formation of the Commonwealth Writers.

The Commonwealth Writers Initiative

The Commonwealth Writers was established to promote the Foundation’s assertion that there is a transformational evolution gained through creative expression. They strive to unite local and international organizations and governments.

They target cultural diversity and focus on important issues from all levels of society. There is a conviction from the creators of the Commonwealth Writers that, if given the opportunity, people can openly share their beliefs and opinions more openly through writing.

The Commonwealth Writers envisions a way to connect and galvanize all types of writers around the world. It is a platform to bring personal stories to a universally diverse audience.

They award monetary prizes to outstanding literary works, such as unpublished short stories. Beyond the Commonwealth Short Story Contests, there are various projects to help promote the key ideologies of the Commonwealth Foundation.

They provide online translation tools to help bridge the gap between languages. The Commonwealth Writers offers a platform to help promote budding filmmakers and screenwriters. There is a project to help develop anthologies for a vast array of writings from around the world.

The Commonwealth Foundation has over 50-years of dedicated attention to the importance of the voice of the people. Through the Commonwealth Writers initiative, the Foundation has opened a window of opportunity for writers. It is a welcome opportunity for people of the Commonwealth and other parts of the world to connect. During a time when turmoil seems to acceptable, it is a breath of reason and understanding.