Sri Lanka Unites

‘Future Leaders Conference’

The MAS Institute of Management Technology, Thulhiriya. The destination for 312 young student leaders, 40 teachers and 30 volunteers for 5 days. Many had travelled long distances but despite the obvious exhaustion and hunger the atmosphere was filled with curiosity, apprehension and excitement. For many it was the first time that they were seeing, let alone meeting other children from a different part of the country. History was in the making.

The conference began the next morning and ran along three main themes: The chaos of a divided nation and the results of division, the potential of Sri Lanka and the Leader in You. A number of eminent speakers, group sessions, sporting activities, art projects and creative plays were employed in making the children understand the mistakes of the past and the need for reconciliation. Students exhibited remorse and anguish over the atrocities of the past and Sinhalese students were offered the opportunity to apologize and ask forgiveness from the Tamil students and vice versa for the crimes numerous misdeeds committed by their parent’s generation. Throughout the conference they were made to understand that yes, they were Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslims and Burghers and that yes they did have different cultures, speak different languages, observe different religions but their diversity was something to be celebrated and not something that should be a cause for division.

For the entire conference, the students were divided into 10 teams, to encourage interaction. Each team had a mix of students from every ethnicity from all parts of the country. This provided an ideal opportunity for the students to converse and address issues, opinions and prejudices that they may have previously had. The group sessions also provided the children with an opportunity to make real long lasting friendships. The Sri Lanka Unites organising team noticed how these connections grew over the 5days – first was apprehension and a lack of enthusiasm to interact, but this was completely reversed after the first couple of days. The Sri Lanka Unites FLC has fostered teamwork, but with a reconciliation twist.

During the afternoons and the evenings, the conference took a lighter note. Sports times in the afternoons saw the children really working together as a team despite the language barriers. In the evenings, the FLC played host to top sporting personalities like Sanath Jayasuriya who gave inspirational talks and popular artistes like Ravibandu, Krishan, Ashanthi and Dushyanth to entertain the students.

For a day by day description of the events that took place, please visit the FLC blog written by an independent American volunteer, Timothy Campbell, at srilankaunites.blogspot.com