What made you to tread the path of activism?
Both of my parents were incredibly strong role –models, who inspired me to look at the world differently and to be empathetic to the people around me. After being widowed, my mother braved the unimaginable to raise me. In a patriarchal society like ours, a woman especially if she is widowed is always put through immense social pressure, but my mother was a norm-breaker in that sense. Also, I joined the Girl Guides Association at the age of seven, hence I grew up surrounded by trailblazing women who made me understand that we all have a bigger mission and purpose in this world.
What effect did the brutal killing of your Police Officer father have on
your life?
My father waged a relentless battle against the thriving drug trade at that time. At the Prison Department he was someone who worked to the rule and was loved by the officers and prisoners alike.
I had just turned two, when he was murdered by the underworld on his way home. Despite his physical absence I grew up with his story and his presence around me.
I think it was his life story and the principles he lived by, that helps me stand up for what I believe in.
What are the organisations you have founded or been a part of?
In April 2014, I co-founded Without Borders along with Sakie Ariyawansha and a team of passionate young change-makers who believed in our vision. Without Borders is a social enterprise, where we set-up innovative spaces (called I-Labs) in low-income communities that deliver a 5-staged curricula that covers English, IT skills, Capacity Building, Human Rights and Creative Change Making, to name a few.
The simple aim is to create a cohort of local agents who will take leadership and transform their own communities. Besides this I am a part of the Stop the Violence campaign of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides.
As a member of the Youth Service, America’s Global Youth Council what did your work entail?
Besides consulting YSA on various projects and resources they develop for young people, last year Without Borders partnered with a number of non-profits and volunteer groups to carry out a Global Youth Service Day Project in
Sri Lanka. We set up a mobile class-room in the Crescat Boulevard and invited shoppers and bystanders to become a teacher for the day.
Through this we created a 150+ database of volunteer teachers that help interested organisations working in the education field source volunteers. This year I am developing a tool-kit on Gender and related issues for young people who are interested in organising service projects or advocacy efforts on
this topic.
As a Gender Equality Adviser what impact did you make on the United Nations Youth Advisory Panel of which you were a member?
UNYAP was a pilot initiative to explore how young people can be directly involved in decision making processes within the UNCT, not as passive recipients but as active participants.
It was a great learning curve not just for the panel but for the UN agencies themselves. I had the opportunity of contributing to various dialogues and planning processes of UNICEF and FAO, while being mentored by the UNFPA.
Are you engaged in humanitarian work while in the US?
A significant portion of my day is spent on Without Borders. The move to Boston gave us access to a range of resources both at Harvard and at MIT that could be applied to the work we do in Sri Lanka. It’s an exciting place to be in.
As a recipient of the inaugural “Queen’s Young Leader Award” in 2014 you were felicitated by the Queen, describe that experience The experience of spending time at the University of Cambridge under some of the world’s greatest trainers and entrepreneurs and then receiving the award from the Queen herself and meeting David Beckham is still a bit too surreal to believe.
But I think above all the 9 month training and mentoring program that was offered to us by the University, really broadened my vision and that of the start-up.
In 2014 you won the “Harvard Global Trailblazer Award” what was this award for?
Last year, the Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative picked the world’s 5 most innovative youth run start-ups and we won the award for Without Borders. The award helped us gain some valuable mentoring from a range of professors at Harvard and from famed social enterprises like Acumen Fund.
What inspirational words do you have for other youngsters who want to tread a similar path to yours?
Always keep your community at the heart of what you do. Be an attentive listener. But when the time comes speak up for what you believe in , even though it might make the others cringe. Choice over charity: It’s not about helping – it’s about equipping these communities with the tools and resources to help themselves.
But I also need to mention this, I’ve seen countless young people from privileged backgrounds start up projects and non-profits with the simple intention of building a top-notch CV to tap into a good college abroad.
A few months down the line only a Facebook page or a Twitter account remain. If you’re in this box – just don’t do it. Not only are you stranding the communities you work with but you create a negative perception among donors and local bodies of other young people who toil day and night for a genuinely pressing cause.
What is the legacy you wish to leave?
I think it’s more about the legacy that Without Borders and our team wants to leave behind. We want to leave behind a sustainable programme that will help train and equip young people to create and drive projects just like we did. A culture of social change that is about empowerment and not charity.
HI Magazine
Text Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Photos Alice Luker
Location Wallawwa
Hair and Make-up Nisha Vidanarachchi
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