Shores of amity

Sri Lankan youth set sail for SWY25 today :

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

There is something about being young. Energy. Ideas. Visions. Action. Most youth have unbounded energy and they sometimes feel that, given the right tools and connections, they can change the world!

The Ship for World Youth (SWY) programme initiated by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, is one such event which has been hoisted when the wind is fair. SWY links Japanese youth with those from other parts of the world as they set sail on the Fuji Maru otherwise known as the Ship for World Youth.

Setting sail for the 25th time, the Fuji Maru will have around 250 youth on board its vessel. Fun as it may sound their voyage on board is not merely a pleasure cruise as a host of activities are lined up to keep them engaged. Bonding over discussions and networking with each other to promote mutual understanding and cultivating friendships, the youth will take on common issues from a global perspective. They will be able to take part in various activities which involve multi cultural and multi national exchange opportunities.

Youth from countries like Bahrain, Chile, Costa Rica, the Fiji Islands, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka will be part of the SWY25 programme along with host nation, Japan.

Origins

The SWY programme has its origins rooting back from 1988. A cultural melting pot which brings individuals from diverse backgrounds together, SWY is an annual event which is aimed at fostering the spirit and practice of international cooperation and promoting friendship between youth from different parts of the world.

Ten Sri Lankan youth who have shown individuality and leadership qualities will fly to Japan to represent Sri Lanka. Lead by Didula Rajapaksha, the SWY25 Sri Lankan delegation comprises Assistant National Leaders Abdul Malik Azeez and Wasana Perera, Sudantha Bandara, Sinduja Siva Subramaniam, Keishara Perera, Nipuni Wimalapala, Supun Rajitha Hettiarachchi, Dinusha Dissanayake and Amila Kumarage. They will attend a number of activities in Japan with other youth as well as engage in pre departure training sessions before stepping on board the Fuji Maru on February 4.

A series of activities such as participant youth seminars, club activities, voluntary activities, course discussions, port of call events and group meetings are lined up on board the ship where they will live together throughout the venture. One of the highlights of the activities schedule will be a national presentation from each country. The delegation party in which scrumptious delicacies from each nation will be introduced to delegates from other countries in which delegation members are also expected to sport their national costumes is another colourful activity included in the line up.

Vision

The National Youth Services Council (NYSC) aided by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development is coordinating with the Japanese government in organizing the SWY25 programme. Last year 140 youth from Japan and 132 youth from different parts of the world came together to ride the tide of friendship and engage in the mission with a vision. Considered the epitome of international society with wide variety of cultures and ideas, the Fuji Maru is the platform in which the youth have been getting together to form alliances and make a visible international contribution from the perspective of human resource development. The ship entered Sri Lankan shores last year, 16 years after it last visited the island in 1996.

Leadership

Speaking about the upcoming programme the SWY25 National Leader Didula Rajapaksha said that SWY is one of the most prominent youth exchange programmes in the world today.

"I was a team member last year. There was tough competition for the national leader position in 2013. You need to select the leader from ex-participants and members of the Alumina Association. Around 16 applicants were short listed for the post. We were called for interviews in which our capabilities were judged. Nine members were selected out of this lot and finally, after a series of interviews, they decided on me!" the past pupil of D S Senanayake College, Colombo, enthused.

Rajapaksha is an Attorney- at -Law. He is also reading for a Masters in Law. He has completed a Diploma in Criminology and has worked as a news producer at ITN and as an assistant manager at TNRC Distributors. He is a Wes dancer and had even won the second runner up title at the Inter School Dance and Ballet Competition in 2001. He was the Captain of the Law College Rugby team in 2011.

Selection

The nine other youth too had been included to the delegation after a series of interviews. The selection criteria had been given by the Japanese government and all the applications were forwarded for elections under the Sri Lankan Japanese Embassy and NYSC. Around 15 youth were selected by the Japanese Embassy while the NYSC chose 18 out of their lot.

The final delegation was decided after a final interview where the selection committee made sure that their choices are a good representation of the multi ethnic and multi cultural elements of Sri Lanka.

Assistant National Leader Abdul Malik Azeez has shown leadership qualities in many sectors ranging from Patrol Leader, Troop Leader, and Instructor to Assistant Scout Leader. A past Royalist and President Scout, Azeez is a second year student at the Sri Lanka Law College.

Wasana Perera is a second year student of the University of Kelaniya from the Faculty of Humanities. Her passion lies in learning different languages. An old girl of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, Perera is an active member of the world's largest undergraduate student organization, AIESEC. She backs Rajapaksha as an Assistant National Leader at the event.

Multi talented

A graduate of the Colombo University Sudantha Bandara has specialized in Political Science and is a lawyer by profession. His ambition is to become the Chief Justice in the future.

Sinduja Siva Subramaniam hails from the Eastern province. She is a past pupil of Uduwil Girls College, Jaffna, and is studying dancing at the Belwood Aesthetic Centre, Kandy. Subramaniam has completed the ‘Aranketham' which is the highest accord in the Bharatha dance style.

Badulla born Keishara Perera is a multi talented youth who is a second year student at Sri Lanka Law College. A skilled rugby player and a noteworthy public speaker Perera is a member of the Toastmasters, an organization dedicated to facilitate and enhance public speaking skills.

Colombo University graduate and Daily News journalist Nipuni Wimalapala embodies an interest towards public speaking and has followed the Toastmasters speech programme. She writes news and feature articles on though-provoking topics like youth, women, environment, gender issues and differently able persons.

Supun Rajitha Hettiarachchi is well known for his academic and extra curricular achievements. A former deputy head prefect of Ananda College, Colombo, Hettiarachchi works as a presenter and producer at Singha FM and as a presenter at Carlton Sports Network.

Diversity

Dinusha Dissanayake is equally talented at art and dancing as well as in sports. She was the captain of her school netball team and a member of the junior prefect guild. Amila Kumarage is from Ratnapura and had held prominent positions in societies and clubs at D S Senanayake College, Colombo. He was selected for the Sri Lanka Law College by obtaining the highest mark in the country. An entrepreneur, Kumarage is the founder chairman of two companies engaging in International Business.

“The team members represent different working areas or academic disciplines such as law, sports, dancing, music, journalism, Japanese language and announcing. All of them are backed with a degree or equivalent academic qualifications plus a specific inborn talent,” Rajapaksha elaborated.

He also noted that he and the members of his team wish to express their gratitude to the NYSC for their support. They expressed their thanks to NYSC Chairman/Director Lalith Piyum Perera. “We as a team should represent the country in many ways including its culture, traditions, values, development, political stability and tourism.

A lot of talented youth from different parts of the country have come forward and they will make a change with their involvement in the country's development agenda. It is a great achievement and we are lucky to be a part of it,” Rajapaksha said.