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SLYP represents an active response to some of the key issues that young people face in Sri Lankan. Below are some of the key themes and related action areas we are targeting to bring about social change. Learn more about the issues which SLYP Action Partners are working on:
The underlying theme that runs across all our action plans is working towards 'grassroots reconciliation' . We have to come together as Sri Lankans under a united banner, in a united flight, to achieve a united Sri Lankan nation. We believe that Sri Lankan Nationalism is the first and foremost step to be fostered in order to work towards achieving sustainable peace At grassroots levels, in community terms, the capacity itself has to be generated down at the very beginning of where it arises from and these capacities need to start at school and rural areas. Promoting tolerance and respect for one's neighbour regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, caste or creed might be a starting point for these grassroots community orientated initiatives to take effect. The action area discussions were characterised by intensive debates, which were of a highly constructive nature. The matters discussed included:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We acknowledged that mistrust and lack of communication between the communities inhibits coexistence and reconciliation. We also believe in the importance of supporting a process of increased mutual understanding and reconciliation. We believe that furthering mutual understanding and empathy across former conflict lines is critical. Changing attitudes and stereotypes is crucial as well as overcoming language barriers, segregation and giving an equal status to all religions. We also agree that we need to move towards a more objective style of reporting and change the media culture from the subjective style bent over the political pressures of bias and the commercial bias which has dominated for many years. We have had the distinction and we have had the pleasure of hearing delegates speak in different languages at SLYP and we as Sri Lankans should speak the language of all communities and this also should be encouraged at grassroots level. We plan on running our own projects and programmes to increase trust and understanding between the communities. We also plan to obtain the support of local media; to enhance our peace building efforts through positive media coverage, bringing us one step closer to rebuilding destroyed relationships between Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims. We also intend to lobby the relevant authorities to address past injustices through a process of reconciliation. IMPLEMENTING ACTION Our action plans and ideas are diverse as was captured within the group through exchange of ideas and opinions. Some examples are listed below. • An action partner wishes to address the lack of understanding of other religions and cultures in his school. He intends to address this issue by holding workshops on the need for religious tolerance and understanding and by providing literature, organising cultural activities and arranging visits to places of religious worship. • Action plans focusing on implementing programmes to build better relationships between the Tamil and Muslim communities in Muttur and Jaffna . • Another action partner hopes to develop a 'Schools Cultural Programme' which will invite youth groups from all local schools to perform and showcase the cultural diversity within the region. This action partner believes that instead of celebrating cultural diversity, youth are becoming more and more segregated. She hopes that this programme will encourage youth from different ethnic groups to interact and have a greater appreciation of the benefits of cultural diversity. • An action partner from Vauviniya is developing a research programme that aims to discuss, document and educate youth on non-violent approaches towards solving issues. • Another action partner plans to create 'safe' spaces for different ethnic communities to share differences and cohabitate in Balangoda. He will do this by conducting workshops, leading discussions and organising cultural trips. • Through the support of the Institute of Human Rights , another action partner is planning a programme called 'Peace through Education' which responds to the lack of awareness of human rights and the peace process amongst youth. She will conduct interactive workshops with youth and encourage libraries to provide greater reading materials on these issues at the school level. In this action area 'pollution' is the key issue, which has both direct and indirect and long lasting negative impact on all living beings on this planet regardless of culture, ethnic or age differences. Today the world is much more industrialised and urbanised than that of our forefathers. Lifestyles are said to have developed but pollution has steadily increased. The loss and degradation of forest biodiversity and ecosystems is jeopardising the country's water supplies and leading to potential health hazards. Air pollution and the spread of epidemic diseases will continue unless the government initiates a long-term, sustainable solution to garbage disposal which local communities must embrace. Beira Lake and Kandy Lake water is polluted due to mass urbanisation and the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka is subject to heavy erosion because of the destruction caused to coral reefs. All of the issues addressed by our group are small given the large scale environmental issues that the country faces. However, taken together, they form a strong and solid structure of solutions around the current environmental problems. Each delegate presented their action plans based on a burning environmental issue in their respective areas. The core areas of discussion were based around;
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE The environment action area group at SLYP 2005 has been dynamic and vibrant and a strong bond has formed between all of us bringing out the unity through diversity. After sharing such rich and diverse discussions on environmental issues with each other, we believe that more young people should be encouraged to get involved in the planning stages of environmental campaigns. Therefore the first area that we wish to change is the government's attitude towards youth being involved in such discussions. Our action plans will primarily focus on environmental awareness programmes targeting people in the community who are directly affected by particular environmental issues. We believe that the best strategy for change is to empower people to take action. We also agree that the first step in successfully initiating change is to lobby local government authorities on environmental issues. To do this, we must form partnerships with other environmental groups, conduct research and then educate community members, local councils and businesses about the benefits of our campaigns or projects. We also recognise the importance of building good relationships with the media to ensure coverage of important environmental issues and to give a balanced view of highly politicised environmental issues. Thus by forming alliances with all stakeholders of our communities will we achieve significant environmental improvements. ACTION PLANS Although some action plans have common features, it is important to mention that a unique process of problem solving and discussions on methods for implementation arose during our action area sessions. Some examples are given below.
The range of Human Rights concerns facing people across Sri Lanka is reflected in all the different issues that we as young people are fighting for. Human Rights are not just the focus of our action plans; they are an integral part of our everyday lives. Even though we come from different communities, we share a common understanding and commitment to the basic universality and indivisibility of all human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural. Throughout our action area discussion we identified the following issues and areas of concern:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We recognise that awareness raising and empowering communities are important components of all our action plans. We also understand the rights based approach to development and value its adaptation as quintessential in our work. We also note that SLYP uses and suggests this approach to its action partners in their work for social change. The delegates also made note of the fact that Human Rights have been used by different groups as a political tool to justify their means and ends and to manipulate that of the others. We reject 'picking' and 'choosing' in Human Rights and will pursue a holistic approach to human rights. We are committed to using Human Rights as a progressive tool to eradicate social oppression and further the cause of social justice and equality. We also further underline that Asian communities have valued adherence to duties as an important element in enjoying their rights which we hope to reaffirm through our work in a society where social duty consciousness is on the decline. ACTION PLANS
We young Sri Lankans gather here at the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament Education action area, from all parts of our motherland, from all communities to analyse and arrive at alternatives to solve problems and find answers to overcome and address issues that we face in the sector of education. Access to education is identified by the United Nations as a Human Right, and by some countries as a Fundamental Right. Sri Lanka has had free education for the past fifty years or more but despite this, access to education still remains a concern with issues relating to transforming Sri Lanka's literacy to a 'functional literacy' coming into focus. The country is faced with problems of unemployment, youth unrest, violence, conflicts and poverty which are issues directly connected with issues in education. It is an established fact that school drop outs are on the increase at an alarming rate. Through our discussions we exchanged ideas, bridged cultural gaps and built long lasting relationships. These relationships will connect all of us in the future. Some of the common issues identified in our action area were:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We discussed alternative strategies to address the common issues identified above being conscious of the limited resources that we have access to. We identify education as a tool to eliminate ignorance and provide equal learning opportunities for all and many action plans focus on the need to provide community based education for students who do not have access to quality education due to issues such as poverty, displacement, disabilities or abuse. Many of our action plans also focus on the need for transformation of the country's education systems. Some action partners propose to bring effective knowledge management tools to schools which they hope will one day be the carrier of education and not just a tool. Encouraging youth to voice their opinions, engage in critical thinking and share there ideas on issues will pave the way for a generation of engaged and responsible citizens. We also discussed strategies to decrease the number of school dropouts through the creation of more career guidance centers within schools and communities. Linked to this is the need for schools to place more emphasis on providing good English language and Information Technology classes so they are better equipped to enter university or seek employment. ACTION PLANS Here are some examples of our action plans for change;
Empowering young people entails allowing them the opportunity to make decisions that affect their lives - allowing them to be active agents for development and change. With this understanding we have noted with much regret that youth are seen as a problem in Sri Lanka rather than as a contributors to and partners in the development of the country. A lot of youth focused development programmes have been initiated in the recent past but without the input from youth as to how these programmes should be formulated and implemented. Youth empowerment for us means youth participation in formal and informal decision-making and the participation of young people in society, through access to education, employment and health, as well as to resources. During our Action Area discussions we focused on three key areas; education, psychology and employment. Some of the issues discussed included:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We identify youth empowerment as a process of capacity-building needed to partake in society and through our discussions at SLYP 2005 we have identified the need for youth leaders to initiate efforts to get their youth communities empowered and thus get youth more involved in decision making processes that affect them and their communities. As youth of Sri Lanka , we believe that our focus should be to develop our own language communication skills, be it Tamil or Sinhalese. Although the English language is an important tool we strongly believe that Sri Lankans should focus on developing the communicative skills firstly in their mother tongue, then in a second language. The role of English as a link language was also recognised . However we need to take more pride in our language and Sri Lankan culture in order to reverse the disillusionment among young people. This way we will preserve our cultures and identities and ensure that our voices are heard. Our action plans also focus on physiological consultation and counseling for youth as there is mounting evidence that youth are suffering from stress and are exhaustion after stretching out free education. We firmly believe that space should be provided for self-expression among young Sri Lankans. We also agree that there needs to be an overhaul of the current education system in order to increase the quality of education and move towards a more equitable system that will benefit all Sri Lankans. ACTION PLANS Here are some examples of our action plans.
High unemployment among educated young people and their low skills level is one of the burning issues in Sri Lanka . Currently there are 600,000 youth unemployed in the country and within this figure, there are almost 30,000 people who, are either graduates or with postgraduate qualifications. Unfortunately in our country, employment opportunities and labour conditions for many young people remain precarious and there is much to be done in our efforts to build a sustainable future. Throughout the Action Area discussions we noted the follow key issues in regards to youth unemployment:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE Together we agree that access to appropriate employment opportunities is a critical component of our capacity as young people to create and maintain sustainable livelihoods. Unemployment amongst school leavers and recent graducates is on the increase and many of our plans focus on addressing this problem. We also believe that youth employment policies introduced by new Governments must be heavily scrutinised as it often these policies that will dictate the stability of Government as apposed to the stability of youth employment in Sri Lanka . We also agree that there is a need to eradicate the social stigma that is attached to certain types of employment. This will be a slow process but there is a need to start now through the support of career advisors at schools, role models, the media and through peer education programmes. There also needs to be a shift away from reliance on government jobs for employment. Building self confidence in youth and understanding the dignity of labour needs to start through education at a grassroots level in order to encourage more youth to start self-employment projects. Young people need to be encouraged to choose their own career path and study subjects that interest them and that they are well suited to. Many youth find studying a burden as they are usually forced to study subjects that they are told will guarantee them a job. If they do gain employment many youth do not have any sense of job satisfaction and the cycle of disillusionment and depression continues. We also believe that by choosing their own career path young people entering the workforce add enormous value to the Sri Lankan economy. By having more motivated young entrepreneurs operating in the market, more youth will be inspired to follow in their footsteps, creating new industries that offer employment to youth. ACTION PLANS Some examples of our action plans are listed below.
The need for socioeconomic development is emphasised enough, but what perhaps loses the attention of many is the need for development to be sustainable. The sustainability of a project is often the last thought taken into consideration when planning for development. This causes irreparable loss to the environment which in turn adversely affects the existence of future generations. A sustainable future can only be achieved by changing our lifestyles, values, policies and power structures and as we are the youth of this country we have the responsibility to push for this change. Throughout discussions we identified sustainable development as defined by the Bruntland Report "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" . As such, at SLYP 2005, and as young people holding the future of this country we are particularly concerned about the current state of affairs in relation to 'development related decision making' in Sri Lanka . Issues that were particularly highlighted included: Natural Disasters - delegates from tsunami affected areas are concerned about band-aid approaches to development and discussion focus was on the need for long term plans for these areas. Environment - poor agricultural practices due to the lack of knowledge and respect for the environment is a key factor for the low standard of living in many communities. Recycling - Lack of knowledge, resources and infrastructure allocated to recycling makes it a difficult concept to introduce. STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE It was agreed that young people who actively participate and contribute to their communities are more equipped to find solutions to problems and take leadership in the future. We believe that it is important to enhance the capability of people by educating them on sustainable agricultural practices. This will raise the standard of living, increase agricultural productivity and help develop more job opportunities for youth. It was agreed that in order to raise awareness a strong collective body must be formed to convince people and gain their trust. Partnerships must be developed with the Ministerial Department of Agriculture, local and foreign NGOs and community. Businesses must also play a role in supporting and financing such campaigns. Unbiased environmental impact studies must be conducted before any large scale development project is undertaken. Research must be conducted through a collaborative approach on the impact of agricultural practices, particularly the use of certain chemicals that infiltrate our natural resources and those which can cause diseases or terminal illnesses to humans and animals. ACTION PLANS At SLYP 2005 we have developed a wide range of action plans. Some examples include the following:
Education is a basic child right and it plays a major role in determining the future of a child. However many children drop out of school due poverty or war. Child abuse and breaching child rights in Sri Lanka must be addressed by all members of the community. A firm understanding of child rights by children, their parents, teachers and community leaders is an absolute necessity if child rights are to be protected. We, the delegates for SLYP of the child rights action area coming from Kandy , Trincomalee, Galle , Colombo , Ampara, Puttalam and Moneragala found through our discussions that the pattern of the violation of the rights of children had both commonality and diversity. Some of the key issues that we have identified with regard to child rights in the country include:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE During our discussions we made special note of the plight of the children affected by war. Those who have lost their childhood, live in separation from their parents and who live under extreme poverty without proper access to basic services in Internally Displaced Peoples welfare centers. We are committed to work towards the rehabilitation of these children and we will lobby and advocate for an end to the war and for durable peace and thus request for money that is spent in the purchase of war machinery to be diverted to investment in education. Through the discussions we had, we identified the need for spreading awareness on Child Rights targeting all stratums of the society. We firmly believe that children from all parts of the country should possess an inalienable right to education and that the right to education is crucial to alleviating other violations of the rights of the child. ACTION PLANS Some examples of the action plans we will be implementing are found below.
Through culture we establish our individual and common sense of identity and thus share a common way of interacting and understanding. Cultures which are alive and strong allow the wisdom of past generations to mingle with the present day situations, growing to enrich our lives and inform our actions. There is a common perception that youth are most receptive or, alternatively, susceptible to foreign cultural practices. While the merit of this argument is debatable, it needs to be emphasised that culture can only flourish through youth as they form the future society. All problems and challenges we face were openly discussed and very heavily debated and included problems amongst Sri Lankan youth such as:
During these discussions we recognised three core issues, which we would address in our action plans. These included:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We recognise that the media plays a major role in shaping the issues and opportunities that the youth have, as it holds a rather large influence on the youth. It is also recognised that the support of the media in implementing our action plans is vital and of much importance. We are also concerned about the rising number of smokers and drug abusers. Though there seem to be programmes addressing this situation there is a need for better and more attention. Finally, we recognise the fundamental importance of culture in the establishment of young people's identities and their ability to contribute effectively to the future evolution of our societies. ACTION PLANS Some examples of action plans that have been develop include:
Women in Sri Lanka form a major part of the migrant workers, garment sector workers and tea sector workers - the three key areas contributing the majority of income to the Sri Lankan economy. This important contribution that women make is not recognised and it is these women who suffer the worst forms of discrimination. This hinders the progress of women as fear and insecurity prevail. Therefore we believe these issues need to be dealt with effectively to minimise the negative social and economic impact. Even though our action area consisted of only ten delegates we had a wide representation of all the provinces and ethnicities involved. We were pleased to find that four out of the ten delegates were male delegates and we had highly interesting sessions listening to their views on our action plans and how to implement it practically, as these are the biases and attitudes we might face when we attempt to implement our action plans. We discussed issues such as:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE The underlying issue with regard to our action area was to decide on the contents on what can be or should be included in 'Women's Rights'. We spent the first few sessions discussing these and the debate was considerably drawn between the six female delegates and four male delegates in the group. We ended up agreeing that both males and females are equal partners in the struggle for the liberation of women from social oppression. Overall our action plans concentrate on creating awareness, which we believe to be essential in implementing our plans. These include organising seminars aimed at changing attitudes. We also feel that access to higher education is important for women and will campaign on those lines. Finally, we hope to form links with other women's organisations to strengthen the work that we are doing through our action plans. ACTION PLANS
Though Sri Lanka has made remarkable progress in improving the health of its people through its free public health system, there are still issues with regard to access to health care in certain underprivileged areas. Through our discussions we identified a number of issues such as:
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE We identify that without vigorous prevention action, Sri Lanka runs the risk of a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic. We also examined the impact on people affected by HIV AIDS and discussed solutions to protect them. We believe that first we must start by creating awareness about HIV/AIDS amongst school children. It is important that the information distributed encourages the de-mystification of HIV/AIDs. By working with the media, we will raise awareness about our programmes and organise competitions amongst schools in order to educate and enlighten school children. We also believe that the government needs to either decrease the number of liquor permits it gives or increase tax on alcohol so that bars and clubs will also increase prices making it unaffordable for youth to purchase large amounts of liquor. Finally we believe that there is need for greater community awareness about these issues as collective action for change requires the support of the wider community. ACTION PLANS Here are some examples of action plans we have developed:
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