June 2021 | ENGAGING youth in governance is essential to ensure the process is inclusive. Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities (FSLGA), an active member of UCLG ASPAC in the South Asia sub-region, encouraged youth in Sri Lanka to get involved in the governance system.
FSLGA, with the support of the International Republican Institute (IRI), held a series of discussions with young councillors below 35 years of age, to assess their perception on the political landscape in Sri Lanka, the challenges they envisaged with possible approaches to overcome them. These discussions were held at district levels. This was open to all candidates across political parties and found to be a good networking and interactive session. Special emphasis made to draw participants from remote areas where not many opportunities were provided for interactions. The uniqueness of this series of discussions was that everyone was sitting on a mat called “Political Pedura” (political mat) and given equal opportunity to talk freely respecting the “Chatham House Rule.”
The positive outcome was fostering solidarity among youth through such interactive sessions, so that they would be able to talk freely and find joint solutions besides the political party they represent, as the issues found to be common among youth. FSLGA was able to facilitate these discussions, providing them with knowledge, clarity, and direction. It is encouraging to note the appreciation of such initiatives among youth, as the discussions were followed up by forming WhatsApp groups and continued with follow up activities and interactions. Some points identified by youth in these discussions will be embedded into the future programmes of FSLGA, especially in the area where improving knowledge and skills is required.
