Tharaka from Cinnamon Lakeside at the Commonwealth Youth Forum
View(s):Tharaka Appuhamy of the Learning & Development team at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo once again proved the calibre of the hotel’s workforce by being the only Sri Lankan to represent the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) at the recently held Commonwealth Youth Forum in Sri Lanka.
“Tharaka has a long standing history of commitment to humanitarian work and has been an active volunteer at the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society since 2004. His exemplary contribution to the upliftment of the local community gained him recognition from the IFRC, based in Geneva. Thus, he was given the prestigious opportunity of being one of only two representatives of the IFRC at the Commonwealth Youth Forum held from 10th- 14th November in Hambantota,” the hotel said.
Tharaka was an active member of the group of youth gathered from all the countries of the Commonwealth who lead the discussion and compilation of a ‘Development Agenda’ which was subsequently presented to all the Heads of State of the Commonwealth Nations. The topics of discussion ranged from Reconciliation and Social Cohesion to Generating Quality Youth Employment and Gender Equality for which policy debates and motions resulted in the finalization of topic based reports.
Speaking of his experiences, Tharaka says, “Young professionals should open their eyes to the opportunities for humanitarian work and strive to make volunteering a lifestyle”.