The Peace Incubator Award Ceremony, organized by International Youth Alliance for Peace, successfully concluded on March 8, 2021 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Convention Hall, adhering to strict health guidelines.
Peace Incubators was an initiative of International Youth Alliance for Peace supported by USAID- SCORE to empower youth with knowledge and skills that spearhead youth-led initiatives geared towards creating communal harmony among their communities. Peace Incubator is an inclusive space to share and empower young people with knowledge and tools for social cohesion.
The program entailed to train youth facilitators on ground based advocacy efforts using modern video broadcasting platforms and technologies, establishing a network of youth in Jaffna and Kandy districts to deliver impactful initiatives on social cohesion and a structured competition to showcase their advocacy efforts to the community and beyond.
The event started with the screening 12 short films created by the Peace Incubator teams from Jaffna and Kandy. The competition was judged by King Ratnam, a renowned Sri Lankan actor and the director of Komaali Kings, a Sri Lankan Tamil film.
Delivering his announcement, he emphasized the need of Sri Lankan women to step up to the role of film directing and called for the youth present in the occasion to take up the role.
Thirukumar Premakumar, Founder and Executive Director, International Youth Alliance for Peace, described the Sri Lankan youth as innovative, creative, and hardworking and believes that it is time for young people to demand their space in the political, economic and social world.
Dr. Dayani Panagoda, Director Technical, Sri Lanka Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Activity Team, in her address emphasized on the importance of equal treatment for women and getting them involved in activities. She also spoke about the need to increase the women participation in the workplace and the role of women as peace makers.
The event included a panel of 6 of the Peace Incubator team from both districts to share their learning and experience and their next steps forward. It ended with awards for the first 3 best stories which give a message for Social Cohesion and certificates of appreciation for all the participation of the Peace Incubator Program.
