Alumni Community Engagement Fund (ACEF)
The Alumni Community Engagement Fund champions small, locally driven actions that spark long-lasting, positive change on a wider scale.
Small changes for big impact
Small changes implemented at the community level can lead to big impact over time.
The fund enables Commonwealth Alumni to design and implement initiatives that raise awareness of how development issues affect local people and deliver community-led solutions.
From facilitating interactive community workshops on climate change in Papua New Guinea and delivering informative talks on eye health care in Cameroon, the fund supports Commonwealth Alumni to volunteer their specialist knowledge, utilise their expert networks and connections, and engage local partners to strengthen local communities.
Each year, the CSC selects one or more themes which the engagement activities must address. Alumni are expected to draw on their knowledge and skills in areas related to one of the themes to develop and deliver their community engagement activity.
‘My ACEF activity was grounded in the findings of the research I conducted during my Master’s study funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. It was the first time I implemented the findings of my research study into practice through the community-awareness workshop. As an organiser, the knowledge and skills I gained through ACEF will continue to shape how I design future multidisciplinary research and communicate my findings in ways that truly resonate with the intended audience.’
2024-25 ACEF organiser
You can read about previous activities delivered by Commonwealth Alumni under themes below.
Across the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries, 60% of the total population are under 30 years of age. Youth have shown their potential to lead on a range of global challenges, from quality education to climate change to gender equality. Read how alumni have engaged youth to build the skills and knowledge to become young leaders in their communities.
People with disabilities (PWDs) face many barriers in seeking equal opportunities to education and employment. These barriers to participation often continue when in the workplace or when accessing important services, with limited policies implemented to support their equal participation. Discover how alumni have collaborated with PWDs to promote their rights at institutions, such as schools and workplaces.
49 Commonwealth member countries are coastal states, however all countries depend on the ocean for trade, transportation, security, and resources. Read how alumni have delivered activities to discuss ocean protection and management inline with the Commonwealth Blue Charter.
Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. Applying this concept, alumni have delivered activities promoting this year’s Commonwealth theme, ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.
Coinciding with the CSC’s Professional Fellowships in Gender and Sexuality, read how alumni raised awareness on the rights, freedoms, dignity, and inclusion of communities who are discriminated against because of gender identity or sexuality.
Indigenous communities and indigenous or traditional ancestral knowledge play a crucial role in understanding and adapting to some of the world’s most critical development challenges. Discover how alumni advocated for indigenous knowledge across some of these challenges.
32 of the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth are small states. Find out how alumni heightened awareness of the challenges and vulnerabilities facing small Commonwealth states.
See how alumni raised awareness around preserving marine ecosystems, increasing the use of renewable energies, and improving air quality to help mitigate and adapt to climate change in their communities.
In keeping with the spirit of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, read how Commonwealth Alumni raised awareness of the role of sport as an important enabler of sustainable development.
Coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, alumni designed and delivered a climate action themed community-focused activity.
As part of the UK government’s ambitious initiatives to get 40 million more girls in primary and secondary school by 2026, find out how alumni advocated for Girls’ Education.
See how alumni helped raise awareness around the theme for World Water Day 2021. Held on 22 March each year, the day raises awareness of the 2 billion people who do not have access to safe water.
World Health Day aims to increase awareness around a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2021, this was ‘preparedness and prevention for public health’. Find out what alumni did in this area.
