The Commonwealth Youth Forum: a place that can make a difference

By Dhaneshi Yatawara

The Commonwealth Youth Forum was an interesting platform. It was vibrant and colourful with youth from different countries and communities participating. The Commonwealth Youth Council this year is unique as it held its first General Assembly, ratified the convention and selected office bearers to the Council through an election. Members representing minority groups were given an equal place to share their views and suggestions. The atmosphere the youth created among themselves at the Commonwealth Youth Forum, no young person would have felt any difference irrespective of skin colour, language, community or being differently-abled. Uriwarige Sumanasena representing the Veddah community and Ishan Jalill, a versatile Youth Parliamentarian from Sri Lanka had many things to say.

Speaking to the ‘Sunday Observer’ 25- year- old Uriwarige Sumanasena said youth need to be more down to earth and live with the reality of life and live close to nature. “I felt the Youth forum was held in an artificial environment. I felt like that, maybe because I live with nature all the time in my village,” Sumanasena said. Yet he was enthusiastic about the new experience and the new friends he found. “This was the first Youth Forum I attended and it indeed turned a new page in my life,” he said.

Q : How did you get the chance to join the Commonwealth Youth Forum 2013?

A : I participated in a drumming competition organised by the National Youth Services Council and won first place at Provincial

level. I'm a professional drummer and I do a lot of work with our culture and arts. Seeing my talent I was given the opportunity to represent my brethren at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.

Q : How was the experience at the 2013 Youth Forum?

A : This was the first Youth Forum I attended. It was a novel experience for me. Yet Language was a problem. Some youth from Sri Lanka helped me during my conversation with delegates from other countries. At the thematic sessions I spoke in Sinhala about the concerns of youth from my community. I take home a different set of experience to share with the others. The experience was inspiring.

Uriwarige Sumanasena

Q : How long have you been in your profession and how far have you achieved?

A : This is part of my family tradition. I was into drumming since my young days, like when I was 11 or 12 years.

Today it has become my profession. I run two art centres in Dambana and Henanigala where children and even young adults learn the arts and dance- related skills and in particular the culture specific to my heritage. I plan to proceed with this tradition.

Q : This is a rapidly changing world. Your elders may be expecting you to protect and preserve the traditions of the indigenous community. The traditional life and the life outside has a vast difference. How does the youth of your community feel about it? Isn't it challenging?

A : Truly it is a huge challenge. In the current economic trends we also have to have some sort of financial stability. It is not practical to just follow our roots. Youth are struggling to protect our heritage as well as to survive in the present world. It is tricky. If we try to change then we lose our roots. Simply by staying in the jungle we can not survive. Many youth of my community have gone to nearby towns and villages to find employment – whether they like it or not. They youth

are trying to merge the traditional and the modern world. Recently they set up two cricket teams from Dambana and Henanigala as there were young people talented and enthusiastic of the sport. So they are trying their boundaries. We also like to see a development in our living standards. Living totally in the jungles is not a sustainable solution.

Q : What would you suggest?

A : There should be a place, a platform for the youth of my community to make use of their talent. There are so many young people with many talents. If a centre can be set up to exhibit their products it can create a good business venture and provide a better economic stability without damaging the culture.

Today what happens is that their talents and products can only be seen if tourists or businessmen come in search of it to the village. There should be a common place for both these sectors to meet.

Q : You said this is the first Youth Forum you attended. What will you be taking back home to share with other young people of your community?

A : Yes, this is my first experience at a Youth Forum. Yet at the forum everything was so artificial. There was something artificial about the environment where the Youth Forum was held. I felt like that. Maybe because I live with nature in my village. The youth were so much away from nature. Youth must know how to live with their feet on the ground. Living away from nature is not a good thing.