SLU FLC 9 - A Powerful Reflection from Akkaraipattu

The 9^th Future Leaders Conference of Sri Lanka Unites was held in December 2017.   Youth Engagement in Governance, Breaking the cycle of violence, Transitional Justice and Reconciliation were the themes of this conference. 

Over the last 10 years of SLU, the greatest motivation for staff and volunteers of the organization to keep committing our efforts for the cause has been the powerful post-conference feedback. We would like to share an excerpt of a note sent to us from a participant, after the conference.

The following is a reflection from Fawaz Ameer from Akkaraipattu

Before this conference I have heard about SLU but not what they are about. So I had no idea what is going to happen at the Future Leaders’ Conference before I got there. I decided to join SLU after the workshop done by the Kalmunai Reconcilation Center of SLU.

I was very nervous when I got registered at the conference and entered my assigned room. Im bit shy to move around with new people, but I always wanted to be a good friend to everyone and wanted to meet new people.When I entered my room a Sinhala friend welcomed me and gave me some sweet snacks. I was little afraid to receive it because I had a mindset that Sinhala people look at us as enemies. He again told me to take it. So I took some.

After that I went to opening ceremony with my friends,we were divided into teams and I met my new team members.I stood alone behind the team members because I was very shy at that moment. Our team mentors were introduced to us and they taught us a simple cheer- we started to cheer for our new formed team. Still I was little shy to shout in front of strangers, so I kept quiet. After that we played the train game and the rope game so we all got introduced to each other. Only few of them remembered the names of all team mates. Me and some other guys couldn’t remember all the names.  

After that we went to have dinner and went to bed. 

The next day we had our breakfast and went for the morning session. Most of the participants didnt talk to each other but this change when we started playing games.We started to talk with each other. Cheered for them by shouting their names. We wished everyone even when they failed at a game. The best thing of that evening game session was, everyone tried beyond their abilities to get points for the team by winning our matches. I thought to myself “each and every team mate is supporting and believing in me, so I should get them some points. I should not disappoint them". When the mentors asked for our thoughts after the games everyone replied the same. 

We had a team challenge for *SLU TV* where we had to prepare a drama at the end of each day about what we learnt that day. It was like adrenaline to us for those 3 days. It brought the best out of us in a critical situation because we had only a small amount of time after our games to perform about what we learned throughout the day. This was a special experience for me. When we discussed about SLU TV on the first day, I was amazed seeing that people coming with different and amazing ideas. For the first time, we all discussed with each other about what we are going to perform. It made us more closer and that was the day I shared my thoughts and ideas with others. The unbelievable thing is, they appreciated my idea. For the first time in my life, my idea was appreciated by the people who I have never met before. Because sometimes if I get a new idea and tell it to my friends or parents, only few of them will support me and others will make fun of me.

No one ever tried to make my ideas and thoughts better by helping me and no one ever helped me to execute my ideas. But in *FLC* my team mates made my ideas better with the help of all the team members. They came front to execute each and everyone’s ideas and thought. That moment touched my heart. I decided at that moment, hereafter I should appreciate others thoughts in my life and support them. I should come up speak about my thought in the society and friends circle because someone will be there to join with me and give ideas to make my thoughts useful and successful.

Thanks to SLU for giving me a family beyond religion and language. We are not a team now but we are a family. *Pirate Family*

After the conference, I had a chat with my close family about Sri Lankan communities. He argued against other ethnic groups, about the *Re-emergence function* in the north, and the *Sinhala - Muslim clash* , *1983 clash* and much more. He had wrong opinion about these clashes. As a person who participated in the *FLC* I applied what I was taught in there. The thing I applied is *breaking the cycle of hate*. You know what?, it really worked. And I was so happy even I can build some peace and understanding in my family. If a single person can do this, what if we all get together?. So I have decided to work till the end with *SLU* to change my country.

I always wanted to say *IM a SRILANKAN * .

But I was little afraid to say these days because some people say Muslims are outsiders. They don’t belong here.  But I realized not everyone is like that. The family I got in this conference had Sinhala and Hindu friends. But not even one person hated because of our religion or our language. They just looked and took care of us like their own brothers and sisters. And we realized that youth is the only way to change our country. We had a discussion about these things in our rooms in conference days. A big thanks to *SLU*  for giving us this opportunity to move around with the people beyond religion and language and gave us a mindset that *Change is on its way*

The need for Civil Action against the Harassment of Women – The SHOW You Care initiative

In 1931, Sri Lanka was one of the first among all Asian countries to give women equal voting rights, setting a precedent for equal and fair treatment of women. In 1960, Sri Lanka gave the world its first ever female Prime Minister in the person of Sirimavo Bandaranaike. But since then, through the past decades leading to the present, the way we treat the women in our society has not progressed. In fact it has regressed to such a level that in November 2011, a survey conducted by Legal Aid Commission (LAC) concluded that more than 70% of women between the ages of 15 and 45 are harassed in public transport. If such is the level of mistreatment in public, one can only imagine how much worse it could be behind closed doors.

How did we go from being exemplary in our empowering of women into a nation and society where women cannot leave the house after dark, or travel in buses without being groped or feeling violated? The problem here is clear. We are not constitutionally or legally against women. Our constitution allows equal rights and our laws offer fair treatment to women. In fact, we have laws that criminalize harassment of women as an offence punishable by 5 years in prison. So this is not a problem, where we stand back and let the politicians and policy makers handle it. No. This is a problem which can only be resolved by public action and proper law enforcement.

Sri Lanka Unites, as a youth movement for hope and reconciliation has a mandate, which is clearly outlined in its vision statement - "to unite the youth of all ethnic and religious groups across Sri Lanka in a movement that promotes reconciliation, creating a peaceful and prosperous nation for future generations”. In line with this vision, Sri Lanka Unites has organized many events in the past such as Future Leaders’ Conference, and continues to do so.

In mid 2012 a conversation started amongst the core team of SLU about the harassment women face in Sri Lanka. Though initially started as a conversation, within a matter of few weeks it evolved into a campaign against harassment of women in public places. Dubbed as “SHOW You Care” (SHOW=Stop Harassment Of Women), this campaign soon took shape as a large scale awareness effort with over 300 students and volunteers boarding buses from the 25^th to the 29^th of June, speaking against acts of harassment, emphasizing the law that exists against it, pasting stickers that created awareness and distributing awareness cards amongst the women in the bus. As a result nearly 35,000 commuters were reached with the message in 1,228 buses in all main bus routes within Colombo.

The response from the people who witnessed this campaign was positive and encouraging. It was a very unique effort, and many commended it because it is very rarely that you see youth so passionately standing up against harassment. The women in the buses felt empowered by the mere fact that there were at least some who would stand up and speak on their behalf, while the men in the bus felt challenged to do the same. Even many of the bus drivers and conductors who had witnessed acts of harassment and felt powerless to do anything about it, welcomed this effort. In fact, some were even surprised to know that there were in fact, laws against the harassment of women in public, and felt empowered by that knowledge.

And now, plans are being drawn at Sri Lanka Unites to make the campaign into a full-fletched island-wide initiative to rid Sri Lanka of the evil of harassment completely.  But can a movement like Sri Lanka Unites, which is after all a civil movement, really put an end to harassment? Can it even dare to dream of doing it, for after all it is a pretty big issue? These are some questions that arise in response to the rather bold initiative of Sri Lanka Unites. And it is only right that such questions arise, for Sri Lanka Unites, despite its island-wide network of nearly 100 schools, cannot really put an end to harassment all on its own. This is why SHOW You Care is an initiative, just a beginning to something greater.  People coming together and joining forces against this issue is the only way change is possible. Sri Lanka Unites simply plays the role of middleman in uniting the powerful potential of people to make change, and resonating that change throughout the island.

In line with this vision, Sri Lanka Unites also hosted an event dubbed “SHOWDOWN” on the 20^th of October, 2012 in order to bring together those interested in bringing this issue to an end, to pledge to continue its efforts in eliminating harassment from Sri Lanka and to reaffirm this commitment by passing on the baton to the Sri Lanka Unites chapters of Kandy to carry out a similar campaign. This was the beginning of an island-wide effort in ending harassment, with special focus on harassment in public spaces.

On the 30^th of November, 2012 the Legal Aid Commission Chairman S. S. Wijeratne made the revelation that Sri Lanka tops the South Asian region on women being sexual harassed in public transport. This revelation only emphasizes the need for an organic effort like SHOW You Care. This year the SHOW You Care team plans on carrying out 3 more bus campaigns, and to also partner with other organic efforts in combating the menace of harassment. Another plan of the team is to compile some feasible policy suggestions and lobby for proper implementation of the already prevailing laws against the harassment of women.

The harassment of women is an issue that cries for attention, and many just turn a blind eye to it. Some even go so far as to defend the harasser, claiming that it is the fault of the woman for provoking the deed. But with properly focused civil action and proper implementation of the law, mindsets can be changed and this issue can be brought to bay and completely purged from society. It is the moral duty and civil responsibility of everyone to protect the rights of others; by doing so you reaffirm your own rights too. So let’s unite in putting an end to harassment, and let’s make Sri Lanka a safe place for women - for OUR women.

Road Trip 2012- Lessons in Leadership

The smiling faces of the girls of Methodist College, Trincomalee greet us on our arrival for our first ever workshop at their school. They are a school that hasn't been a part of our network before this, and we don't know what to expect as we introduce them to the concept of Sri Lanka Unites and wonder how they will react to it.

However, as it turns out, any worries we might have had are immediately dissolved. The girls of Methodist College Trincolmalee are so enthusiastic and it is truly amazing ti see how eagerly they take up the activities we give them, determined to learn in whatever way they can. They seem thoroughly  moved (as well as entertained) when fellow members of the Dream Team from different parts of Sri Lanka speak to them in their mother tongue.
Their genuine enthusiasm inspires us all, and when they promise us that they will definitely join the Sri Lanka Unites network as a school, and support us in our journey towards reconciliation, we know their promise is sincere. 

With the end of the Trincomalee workshop, we set out on our journey to Jaffna, which brings back fond memories for most of us on the Dream Team. During the bus ride, we work in groups that we were assigned in the morning, and discuss the next lesson on our syllabus- Mandela's seven principles of leadership. As people begin sharing their reflections on these principles, people begin to realise principles of leadership that they weren't aware of before.  Akila from Matara says that when he learned of Mandela's principle of  leading through whatever obstacle, he began to see how he could apply it to his own life, and is confident that he will be able to recall it in the future. As much as the day's thought provoking activities leave us inspired and empowered, by the end of the day we feel quite exhausted. And yet, as we take to our beds in preparation for Day 7, we feel nothing but excitement and anticipation for the road ahead..

Appreciation from Ms. Elizabeth Moir

We were thrilled when Prashan de Vissier first came to introduce our senior school students to Sri Lanka Unites.

He spoke passionately about how the youth of this country needed to get together as friends across all social, religious, ethnic and economic divides, in order to prepare themselves to be effective leaders of this fabulous country in the years ahead. All our young people in schools across the island have lived most of their lives in a country at war with itself and many have looked outside for opportunities if they have been able to. Now times have changed dramatically and young Sri Lankans across the country in every district, and from often diverse social and cultural backgrounds, and speaking different languages, are able, through the umbrella of Sri Lanka Unites, to get to know each other while learning together how to become the young leaders of tomorrow.

We have had students attending the conferences in Kandy in 2011and in Jaffna in 2012, and from my perspective, as Head of School, I have been absolutely overjoyed at how much these students have gained from these experiences. Kandy was very special, however even more so Jaffna since it was uncharted territory for so many. The leadership skills our students developed in those five days were beyond anything they could have picked up in a classroom here. They began to respect and appreciate more what they have, whilst also developing a genuine desire to share their privilege. All have become more interested in what they can do for their friends and families and for the school and the community, rather than in what we can do for them. They are more confident and more compassionate and they have sorted out their priorities. Our students are eager that their friends too should have the same opportunities. They also have new friends now from all over the island and are in touch with them, sometimes on a daily basis.

My experience is then that Sri Lanka Unites helps our young people not only to become the future leaders of this country but also to become highly effective prefects, and this is of enormous benefit to all the member schools.

Elizabeth Moir MA Hons Oxon

Head of Elizabeth Moir School

SRI LANKA UNITES "OPEN HOUSE" - Every 3rd Saturday of the Month (3-5 pm)

Dear Friends, 

For the past few years we have used social media as a tool to,

1.     Update and report of our efforts among youth across the island
2.     Recruit volunteers and support for the cause (Local and Diaspora)

However, there has been an increase in the desire to engage in conversation and dialogue with words of encouragement, suggestions, questions and at times even debate. We welcome such engagement and see it as an opportunity to further communicate our vision, mission and core values. At the same time we see this as an opportunity to refine the movement. However, the limitations of Facebook, Twitter and other available forms of social media to engage in constructive dialogue are obvious.

Furthermore, being a volunteer movement we do not have the time to sacrifice on such a form of engagement consistently, especially when we can use the same time and energy to make a tangible impact on the ground.

Hence we are eager to introduce SLU Open House every third Saturday from 3- 5 pm at the Head Office in Colombo. If you have any questions, suggestions and constructive criticism on approach, vision, outcomes, result etc. we welcome you to join us. Please e-mail us at publicrealations@srilankaunites.org to inform us if you intend to come for SLU Open House, so that we can make necessary arrangements.

If you do not live in Colombo but still like to engage with us in conversation, please e-mail us of your interest. We will connect with you via Skype for the conversation.

If you would like your comments and engagement to be public we will have our conversation video recorded and uploaded on our YouTube channel "srilankaunitesmedia". 

We at Sri Lanka Unites are passionate about the cause for youth led conflict transformation. We believe in making a lasting and sustainable impact by investing in the next generation. However, even though engaging in dialogue with those outside the movement may not be the priority of the movement, we are see value in such engagement and are willing to create a space and an opportunity for this.

We are eager to host these open house events and welcome anyone who would like to contribute. From a student in our movement to a veteran social activist, a journalist to academic researchers to men and women of great experience to adamant arm chair critics, we promise that you will be welcomed with the same level of enthusiasm and trademark Sri Lankan hospitality. E-mail us NOW!

Summary

-Engaging in conversation on social media forums are not sufficient to bring about effective social change.

- As a volunteer movement we are pressed for time with the many projects we run and the many SLU chapters and members we communicate with (Our priority) 

- Engagement and dialogue with those outside the movement is not our priority but we see value in it

-Hence every third Saturday 3.00 – 5.00pm. Open house at SLU Head Office.

- E-mail us at publicrelations@srilankaunites.org  and sign up for this month's open house. Skype appointment (for those outside Colombo) can be fixed for this month by emailing us.

In the name of peace, reconciliation, progress and action.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!  - Gandhi 

IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION YOU MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Become part of the solution! Start at SLU Open House!

Article from the National Post - Apr 18, 2012

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Jonathan Kay: From Sri Lankan youth, a model for reconciliation

Jonathan Kay  Apr 18, 2012 – 7:34 PM ET | Last Updated: Apr 20, 2012 8:21 AM ET

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Like Israel and Rwanda, Sri Lanka serves, for many world-watchers, as a byword for ethno-religious conflict. For almost three decades, the country’s largely Buddhist Sinhalese majority engaged in an on-and-off civil war against a guerrilla insurgency waged by elements from within the country’s largely Hindu Tamil minority.
And yet, despite this bitter legacy of conflict, some surprisingly robust efforts at reconciliation have emerged. One of the most promising comes in the form of Sri Lanka Unites, a group that brings young adults from both sides together for conferences and shared activities. This August, the group will hold a leadership conference in the city of Jaffna, in the heart of the war-torn north. It is expected to draw 500 top student leaders, including 50 from the diaspora (of whom 15 will be from Canada). It is believed to be the first national event of any kind to be held in Jaffna since the end of the civil war.
Of course, this is hardly the first well-intentioned effort at inter-ethnic bridge-building that the world has witnessed. In Israel, for instance, one constantly hears of Jewish-Arab theatre groups, choirs and such. Despite the best of the intentions, they often founder as soon as the political atmosphere turns violent.
But Sri Lanka Unites has been around for several years now, and has been growing steadily. Indeed, its success offers lessons for similar initiatives in other parts of the world.
Earlier this month, two of the group’s founders sat down with me in Toronto, and told their story.
Kirubakaran Christin Rajah is a Tamil man, born in 1982 in Sri Lanka’s northwestern Mannar district. From an early age, he witnessed the horror of war, and lived among the fevered stirrings of Tamil Tiger insurgency. At one point, his family was forced to flee to India, and then displaced-persons camps across the Sri Lankan north. When he was a teenager, his father sent him to the capital of Colombo, hoping he could escape the hate and violence that permeated Sri Lanka’s northern war zones.
It was in the Colombo area that Christin (as he is called) met Prashan De Visser, a Burgher/Sinhalese neighbour. Prashan was an unlikely friend for a Tamil newcomer: The father of someone Prasha was close to had been killed, along with 14 others, in the 1997 Colombo World Trade Centre bombing. “I decided that all northern Tamils are terrorists,” Prashan told me. “I remembered images of the bombing in the first Gulf War. And I remember thinking ‘Why don’t we just do the same thing to northern Sri Lanka — bomb everyone?’ “
Yet the two boys found they had a lot in common. For one thing, they both passionately loved cricket and music. They also had a third, deeper, commonality: religion. Both are Christians, and their attendance at a common church helped their friendship blossom.
Until that point, Prashan recalls, he thought of the conflict with the north as a game: “I used to watch the news and see the casualty figures. It was like keeping score — how many Tigers did we kill versus how many of our soldiers got killed.” His relationship with his new friend from the north changed that: For the first time, he began to see Tamils as human beings.
In time, Prashan went with Christin to visit Christin’s northern hometown of Vauvniya, where he befriended other Tamils — including one teenager who turned out, to Prashan’s shock, to be an LTTE [Tamil Tiger] soldier. “I thought to myself: ‘When I was watching the news, this was the kind of guy I was rooting for the army to kill.’ They were just numbers to me. Now, this number was a human being standing in front of me.”
Out of that trip came the idea of Sri Lanka Unites, whose meetings mix cricket matches with dialogue sessions, in which Tamils and Sinhalese ask each other for forgiveness. “Over 70% of Sri Lankan youth don’t have friends outside their [ethnic] group,” Prashan told me. Sri Lanka United is helping to change that.
The example shows that reconciliation can take root even between the bitterest enemies — but only when there is some germ of commonality to act as a nucleus. In the case of these two peace activists, it was cricket, music, Christianity, and the English language.
But there needs to be several more ingredients as well: goodwill, humility, and the willingness to re-examine old hatreds. Kirubakaran Christin Rajah and Prashan De Visser both possess these qualities. And the organization they have created is a model not only for other Sri Lankans, but the rest of the world besides.
National Post
jkay@nationalpost.com
— Jonathan Kay is Managing Editor for Comment at the National Post, and a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Prashan De Visser and Kirubakaran Christin Rajah came to Canada this month as part of a tour sponsored by Sri Lankans Without Borders, a not-for-profit network based in Toronto.

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Jonathan Kay

jkay@nationalpost.com

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