Planning workshop of Youth Led Task Force:

Commonwealth Youth Forum in Nov.

The Commonwealth Youth Forum will be held from November 10-14 at the International Convention Centre, Hambantota parallel to the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

A Youth Led Task Force (YLTF) has been established recently to plan and organize the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) which comprises of five youth leaders from Sri Lanka (Kusala Kumara Fernando, Tharika Dileepani, Nooranie Muthaliph, Aruthra Rajasingham, Sihan Dhammika) and five youth leaders from other Commonwealth Member States (Ellie Seckold - Australia, Jean Paul Brice Affana - Cameroon, Shireene McMillan - Grenada, John Loughton - United Kingdom, Esther Eshiet – Nigeria). This YLTF is co-chaired by Ellie Seckold and Kusala Kumara Fernando.

The first planning workshop of the Task Force was commenced on June 9 at the National Youth Service Council with the participation of all the members.

They were welcomed and briefed on the Commonwealth Youth Forum and progress so far made on same by Additional Secretary (Youth Development) Nilanthi Sugathadasa on behalf of the Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry.

The planning workshop is being facilitated by Deputy Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, Helen Jones, Programme Officer of the Youth Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat Layne Robinson and Head of the CYF Secretariat, Sri Lanka Rashitha Delpola.

The team met with the Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma at his office yesterday and the minister handed over the letters of appointment to the youth leaders as members of the Youth Led Task Force.

During their stay in Sri Lanka, the youth leaders will be meeting with the Senior Officials of the External Affairs Ministry and the CHOGM Task Force Secretariat.

They will also be visiting the International Convention Centre, Hambantota, where the Commonwealth Youth Forum will be held in November.