The
Future Leaders Conference is a platform that bridges the gap between this need
and the real leaders of the future. Bringing together student leaders from
around the island, Future Leaders Conference has, in the past three years has
made a significant impact in the lives of the participants as well as in their
schools and districts. This year for the fourth consecutive year Future Leaders
Conference will continue in its journey towards achieving a truly reconciled
Sri Lanka through impacting and changing the grassroots.
At last,
year’s Future Leaders Conference
Sri
Lanka Unites, the youth movement that is responsible for the Future Leaders
Conference, is founded on the truth that the end of the war was not the end of
the conflict. Until the root, problems that led to the conflict are resolved
and until the various ethnicities of Sri Lanka co-exist, not just as cohabiters
of the same nation but also as one society interacting with one another, one
cannot say the conflict is truly over. The Future Leaders Conference serves as
the first step towards true reconciliation. Student leaders of different
ethnicities interact with those of other ethnicities for the first time. During
the interactions, stereotypical views are shattered as they relate with each other
and realize the commonalities they share. Friendships are fostered that reach
beyond ethnic and religious barriers, which have proven to be long-lasting,
impacting not just their lives but also their families and societies. Post-war
Sri Lanka is plagued with a reconciliation impasse, with one side refusing to
accept the need for reconciliation and another refusing to accept a
reconciliation that cannot resolve the core justice issues. Sri Lanka Unites
through FLC creates a forum for the young minds to come together and through
interaction learn the need for reconciliation, understand the issues that stand
in the way of reconciliation and more importantly proactively work on resolving
these issues, paving the way for a united Sri Lanka devoid of ethnic boundaries.
During
this year's conference in Jaffna we are eager to leave a positive impact for
the community. Our decision to take the conference all the way to Jaffna was
influenced by two main reasons.
1. Symbolic nature of having a
youth reconciliation conference in the former war zone. Led by a new generation
of youth who choose peace and reconciliation over war and hatred.
2. To bring the nation’s
attention to the north and the needs of that community . In doing so making a
difference and uplift the standard of life in Northern Sri Lanka.
How we plan to do this
through this year's conference.
1.
We are partnering with Brandix to build 40 toilets for Jaffna College.
Currently they have 26 toilets for a school of over 2000 boys and girls. These
additional toilets will not only serve us well for the conference but will help
fill a much needed facility for the school. It will also increase it's chances
to be a conference hosting venue in the future.
2.
None of the hostels at Jaffna College ( The boys or the girls ) do not have
sleeping mattresses. Hostellers sleep on wooden planks and mats. We would like
to get up to 500 mattresses for the conference and then donate them to Jaffna
College and other less equipped hostels in the Northern province. We are also
considering donating some mattresses to needy hospitals of the northern
province.
3.
Jaffna's heat and humid conditions make a fan a near necessity. Hence at the
conference we hope to use up to 200 table fans. These fans will also be donated
to the schools and hospitals in the region after the conference.
4.
In order to have a national conference of this magnitude we need to help raise
the standards of housing and existing toilets. We will be renovation all the
existing toilets , showers and sleeping areas of the school.
(
All of the above takes place before the conference )
5.
We are looking to have a partnership with Habitat for Humanity and build a
house for a poor family that lives near Jaffna College. The goal will be to
have the house nearly completed by the conference date. During the conference,
students who will be separated in to 20 teams will get one opportunity as a
team to contribute to complete the house. This will be a two hour team building
activity with their mentors and the masons on site.
6.
The Jaffna technical college is located next door to the conference site. We
will be hosting our teachers at this venue. However, the housing quarters are
run down and we are looking to rebuild the hostel facility. Only 5 students use
the hostel facility when in fact it can hold up to 70 students. We are running
a fundraising campaign to help raise funds to sponsor 50 students from
Mullitivu and Kilinochchi who pass A/L's but don't qualify to state university
to enrol at the technical college for 2013. This fundraising campaign takes
place parallel to the conference.
How you can get involved?
The
process to rebuild the school for the conference will take many days of
renovation and labour assistance. Many of our student volunteers will spend the
two weeks before the conference living at Jaffna College and preparing the
venue.
We
would be happy if anyone can assist from a labour or supply point of view to
complete these activities. This document only includes a fraction of the
requirements and how others are helping us to achieve this goal. Other
requirements include transport and drinking water for example.
Most
of all, it costs Rs 10,000 per student to attend the conference, which is about
50 GBP. This donation will change the life of a student and give them access to
further education and development that will not only change them but also
empower them to change their school and the community around them.
