Emerging out of decades of great adversity, and a culture of suspicion and divisiveness, the end of the war finally marks a window of opportunity for us to rebuild as one nation. Yet, we are still faced with a common threat - an inability to find a sustainable peace. We are standing on the cusp of a new era, where an all too familiar polarised society could be replaced with one that is determined to correct the wrongs of our forefathers; a society that comes together in the spirit of reconciliation.

As such, the defining question of today is, “how will the youth engage in reshaping the next decades and give leadership to positive changes that must take place?”.

Sri Lanka Unites aims to do just that.
Our vision is, quite simply “To be a symbol for, and an example of, the powerful potential of united Sri Lankans to work towards sustainable development, peace and prosperity”. Our mission is "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”.

As young citizens of Sri Lanka, we now have a unique opportunity, and a strong responsibility, to turn a new page and write a new story. We must firmly resolve to promoting reconciliation among our fellow Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka Unites (SLU) is a non-profit, non-partisan, multi-religious and multi-ethnic organisation made up of a dynamic group of young Sri Lankans from various academic and professional backgrounds, representing all ethnicities and religions of the country. We consist of a 15 member Executive Committee, led by the President, Vice President and Treasurer who form the core cabinet. The committee and other members are all youth aged 18-29.

Our mentors and advisors form an eminent Board of Trustees drawn from various fields - from senior diplomats, to private sector leaders and development and peace-building advocates. The Board is headed by Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, Former UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs and Sri Lanka’s former candidate for the post of UN Secretary General.

The Sri Lanka Unites network now consists of over 1,700 student leaders in 13 districts. Through our focussed efforts to not be a Colombo-centric organisation and be more regionally relevant, we are currently absorbing some of the most promising regional leaders, identified during and after the FLC, in to our core committee.

We also have a network of young international supporters across the globe, involved in creating awareness and fundraising on behalf of SLU.

Click here to read some of our key objectives.

The Future Leaders Conference (FLC) 2009, an initiative taken by Sri Lanka Unites, was aimed at making reconciliation tangible to youth aged 15 -18 from across the country. During this momentous occasion, a collage of young people from different ethnicities and religions spent five days working together in close partnership.

By watching the students closely, one could see that over the duration of the Conference the students began to understand that the real threat was not the ‘other’, instead, it was the negative stereotypes and prejudices they brought with them that posed the biggest obstacle to achieving lasting peace.

We assure you that what these students accomplished was nothing short of transcendent as it was not just this singular event; instead, it was the commitment that each student demonstrated in taking reconciliation back to their schools, communities and homes.

Even though all of these students know people who have endured a number of great difficulties on account of the civil war, undoubtedly experiencing great trials themselves, they managed to stand up and seek forgiveness for the violence of the past. The response was overwhelming, with students from different ethnicities, backgrounds, geographical locations, and religions finally beginning to find common ground - they were united in their pledge make better choices and seek better solutions.

Click here for a more detailed account of the Future Leaders Conference 2009

Visit our blog which gives a day by day account of FLC 2009: www.srilankaunites.blogspot.com.

(a) IDP Relief Efforts

While SLU applauds the efforts taken by the Government and the NGOs to ensure that the IDPs have a decent standard of living, we understand that the overwhelming numbers result in gaps when purporting to meet the necessary requirements, particularly in relation to hygiene. SLU, working closely with Sarvodaya (Mannar Branch), has identified this as its priority area. As such, we have designed a ‘hygiene pack’ aimed at meeting some of these basic requirements.

Given the enthusiasm and show of support from many of the students who were present at our inaugural initiative, the FLC 2009, SLU has decided to engage with our network of students in our IDP relief efforts. This unique initiative will mobilise these young leaders from across the country to play an active role in alleviating the plight of their fellow countrymen in the North, fostering their feelings of national reconciliation and community responsibility.

(b) Scholarships to Underprivileged Children

We firmly believe that securing equal opportunities for disadvantaged children is an important step in conflict transformation. To that effect, SLU in collaboration with the Foundation for Goodness recently completed a scholarship programme, whereby three hundred scholarships and sporting equipment were distributed to students in a school in a resettlement village in Arripu, Mannar.

Articles : Here are some of the articles we have published in relation with our work and cause; The Journey Begins... | Our blog

News and Events : The launch of the documentary ‘Road to Reconciliation’ will take place on Friday 19th March at 7.00pm at the Skills Development Centre, Colombo 7 (Royal College Union Entrance). Invitees include key persons from the public and private sectors, donor and diplomatic community and other interested well-wishers.

Media : Collection of SLU videos.

The Network : The Sri Lanka Unites currently consists of over 1,700 student leaders, operating from 45 schools in 13 districts. The wide reaching ‘SLU Network’ makes the organisation nationally relevant, positioning itself in a manner that allows it to absorb some of the most prominent regional leaders identified during and after the FLC. The SLU Clubs that make up our network are designed to initiate connectivity amongst individuals that have been divided by ethnicity, geography and religion. Click on the map below to follow the progress of our nationwide SLU Clubs (coming soon).

Get involved : Sri Lanka Unites is continuously looking for motivated, skilled, friendly, like-minded young people to join us in varying capacities on an ongoing basis. Call us on 0778009705 or 0777732686 if you would like to volunteer with us part-time. We are also opening up a few selective internship positions beginning in June 2010. E-mail anushwij@gmail.com if you are interested. Our blog | Twitter.

Contact us :Phone: Prashan - +94778009705 | E-mail: prashan@srilankaunites.org| Address: Sri Lanka Unites, 22/2 Station Road, Dehiwala