The main purpose of the Commonwealth Youth Programme is to assist in harnessing the resources constituted by the youth in the several member states of the Commonwealth. In most cases the active participation of the youth is crucial to the kind and scope of development desired. However, throughout the developing countries of the Commonwealth there is a high incidence of unemployment and under-employment - especially among the youth, many of whom, already suffering the debilitating effects of genuine poverty, are further enervated by the hopelessness engendered by the unemployment situation around them.