Training for Trusteeship Programme 2011:

Youth provided cross-culture understanding

Nethali STRUYS

The Training for Trusteeship Programme 2011 was conducted for the fourth consecutive year by the Weeramantry International Center for Peace Education and Research (WICPER) last week at the Kegalle Sanasa Education Campus.

Seven South Asian countries and United States of America participated at this programme this year.

Training and skills development, sustainable development, social media networking, climate change policies, reforestation, volunteerism, conflict transformation and peace building were among the topics discussed at the programme.

Addressing the gathering, UNDP Sri Lanka Country Director said 40 percent of the countries that end war go back to war once again in a very short period. The main reason for this is the cycle of hatred. Peace depends on genuine commitment to social integration, he said.

He added that the best way to overcome this cycle is to provide the youth of the country with cross-culture understanding.

The aim of this workshop is to train future leaders and instill a sense of duty towards the community, the environment and future generations. The concept of trusteeship is emphasized to bring home the idea of responsible management of countries, inherited culture and resources for the benefit of the next generation.

The objective of the Training for Trusteeship workshop is to inspire youth to do what they can as individuals and future leaders to change their countries for the better by working across the cultural, religious, disciplinary and institutional divide.

The participants of this workshop received insights as to how they can work together and were encouraged to initiate projects within their capacity to bring about a positive change in society.