President to inaugurate Youth Parliament

The first session of the Youth Parliament will be inaugurated under President Mahinda Rajapaksa's patronage on December 12. It will be held at the Maharagama National Youth Centre. The aim of the Youth Parliament is to train the younger generation to take over future political leadership.

Acceptance of nominations ended on November 10 noon. A total of 325 representatives are elected to the youth Parliament through a secret ballot from each divisional secretariat area.

For a youth to be elected, he should first be a member of the Youth Services Council and should be aged between 18 and 39.

Three more are appointed by the Youth Affairs Ministry Secretary.

Acceptance of nominations started on the first of last month. The Members of registered Youth Services Councils have the ability to vote.

The Sri Lanka Youth Parliament is a youth led, youth run initiative, whose aim is to mobilize and create a network of young people to bring about positive and sustainable change to issue that affect youth and their communities in Sri Lanka. It provides skills and opportunities for youth to play a leadership role in identifying and addressing the needs of their own communities.