Six Hundred Sri Lankan Youth Leaders Gather for Future Leaders’ Conference
This August, six hundred youth leaders of all ethnic and religious backgrounds from across Sri Lanka will gather at the Future Leaders Conference (FLC), hosted by the Sri Lanka Unites (SLU) movement.
The Conference, in its third year, is the key annual event of the organisation and will take place Aug. 10-13 at the Trinity College Junior Grounds in Kandy. The theme for this year’s conference is “Future Leaders for Reconciliation and the Development of Sri Lanka.” FLC Season 3 will bring together youth leaders between the ages of 15 to 18 representing 80 schools from 25 districts across Sri Lanka. The cohort will include youth from the Sri Lankan diaspora for the first time as persons living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States will all be in attendance.
All students have been given full scholarships to attend this year’s four day conference during which participants will engage in a range of activities specifically developed to hone leadership skills.
"FLC brings Sri Lanka's future leaders together, gives them opportunities to interact with their counterparts from across the island and nurtures agents of change” said SLU President Prashan De Visser. “It is the first step in the creation of a Sri Lankan society that is ready to work together to prosper as one nation, diverse yet united as one.”
All Conference activities will centre around unpacking the general themes of hope and reconciliation. During the four days, students will hear speeches from notable personalities, listen to personal testimonies and engage in activities such as music, drama, media, art, theatre, and sports, all of which have been designed to instill teambuilding skills and foster lasting friendships.
The Conference will also facilitate small discussion groups between students from varying ethnic backgrounds with the objective of breaking negative stereotypes and cultivating mutual respect. The youth will also have the opportunity to engage in discussions with international guests and observers from the Congo, Kenya, India and South Africa. These guests will share their own experiences of reconciliation from their home countries, while observing the SLU model of reconciliation.
Sri Lanka Unites was established by a small group of young nationals who envisioned all youth, irrespective of ethnic and religious differences, exemplifying reconciliation as a united whole. Established in 2008, the SLU network now consists of a core membership network of over 5000 student leaders in 13 of the country’s 25 districts. This countrywide network is responsible for sustaining the organisation’s follow-up mechanisms which include a 66 week nation building programme that allows these young leaders to proactively make changes within their schools and communities.
The Livestream is available here:
For regular updates on the conference, visit the SLU blog (), Facebook page and Twitter updates (@SriLankaUnites) or email Tim Campbell: timothy_adam_campbell@yahoo.com
