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Ambassador Blake's Remarks for Launch of the Youth Skills Manual
The CEO of the Youth Empowerment Network, Mr.Lamahewa, the Executive Director of the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies Dr.Tennakoon, distinguished guests, students, and staff of the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies, thank you for joining me this afternoon as we celebrate the launching of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament Skills Manual for Young Social Change Activists.
The former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan once remarked about the power and importance of young people in societies of change that I would like to share with you because it captures the spirit of today's proceedings. He said: "No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline." I could not agree more.
The youth of Sri Lanka have exceptional potential to serve as positive agents for social change given the high quality of primary and secondary education in this country. But countries also need institutions to marshal and channel that potential.
The Sri Lanka Youth Parliament, which has created and mobilized a network of young Sri Lankans to bring about positive and sustainable change to Sri Lankan communities is a commendable example of such an institution.
Inaugurated in 2005 by then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Youth Parliament provided young leaders of Sri Lanka an opportunity to meet in a challenging and stimulating environment, to interact with one another, and to put forward their own solutions for the issues facing their communities.
With the support of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) and funding from USAID's Sri Lanka Transition Initiatives program, the SLYP was able to take the first step of a large journey towards youth-led change in Sri Lanka.
USAID also agreed to fund a series of follow-on activities focused on skills training, networking, and lesson learned.
One important outcome was the development of the "Skills Manual for Young Social Change Activists" that we are launching here today.
The Skills Manual is an impressive collection of lessons learned that will serve as a guide for other Sri Lankan youth to engage in positive social change throughout Sri Lanka.
The future of Sri Lanka is in its youth and I am pleased that Sri Lankan initiatives such as this will encourage youth as future leaders, to develop and grow their leadership skills.
The importance of people who catalyze social change cannot be overstated, particularly for a nation embroiled in a civil conflict.
The youth of Sri Lanka have grown up amidst civil conflict that in one way or another has taken its toll on them all. They are truly the hope for change in Sri Lanka.
Through programs such as the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament that provides skills and opportunities for youth to playa leadership role in identifying and addressing the needs of their own communities, the BCIS and its funding partners are taking important steps towards ensuring a brighter future for the next generation of Sri Lankans.
The Sri Lanka Youth Parliament's "Skills Manual for Young Social Change Activists" that we are launching today is a testament to your success of the SLYP and as well as your commitment to ensuring that the youth of Sri Lanka know a better tomorrow.
Let me close my remarks with more wise words from the former leader of the UN: "Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family."
To all our young friends, I hope you will take this knowledge and power and help forge a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka that will help secure a bright future for all of your countrymen.
Thank you.