Local changemaker recognised with ‘Diana Award 2020’
Chiranthi
The young changemaker; Chiranthi Senanayake (25) was recently adjudged the winner of the prestigious, ‘Diana Award 2020’, being the only Sri Lankan award winner for 2020.
“Winning The Diana Award was completely thrilling! I have been passionate about youth empowerment for the past ten years since my first volunteering experience in 2009. To be recognized for it is truly humbling. What was also an absolute honour is to represent Sri Lanka,” said Chiranthi.
The Diana Award is the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9 -25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Awarded in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. Recipients have to be nominated by a representative.
“I received the award in July this year. There was a Virtual Event at which our names were displayed in the Roll of Honour.”
“I was nominated by Mr. Viraj Mendis who is the Former Administrative Head of The Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, where I served as a Projects and Programme Officer in 2015. I am extremely thankful to him for the nomination,” added Chiranthi.
Chiranthi is a youth empowerment advocate who specialised in the niche area of Youth Empowerment Incubation (YEI). She has worked in the national and international youth developmental systems. She is currently the Founder and President of Hype Sri Lanka which is the country’s first youth empowerment incubator and the founding President of the young Legal Professionals Association of Sri Lanka.
In 2016, she was appointed as the United Nations Youth Delegate for Sri Lanka, she has worked as a Youth Focal Point to the National Youth Services Council and the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and has served as the Global Ambassador for Sri Lanka for Youth Opportunities in 2018.
Chiranthi is an Attorney-at-Law having completed her LLB at the University of London, she has a BA specializing in Development Policy and Management Economics from the University of Colombo. She is currently following her Post Graduate studies in International Relations and she is a Chevening Scholarship recipient who is due to start her LLM in International Economic Law, Justice and Development at Birkbeck, University of London.
Chiranthi’s journey as a volunteer began in 2009, when she travelled to Mullaitivu to conduct self-developmental training sessions for former LTTE Female Soldiers, undergoing rehabilitation. “Since then I have actively volunteered in One World Volunteers (volunteer chapter of SLMUN) and V- Force (volunteer chapter of United Nations Sri Lanka). In recognition of such volunteerism, I was appointed as the United Nations Youth Delegate for Sri Lanka in 2016 in which capacity I represented the 4 million youth of Sri Lanka and delivered the Youth Statement at the Third General Assembly of the United Nations,” she says.
When the Mirror Magazine asked Chiranthi about her views about volunteering in the country, she said, “As the gamut of my experience is related to youth volunteerism in the country. I do wholeheartedly believe that Sri Lanka is a hospitable and giving country. We have a population which understands the importance of helping others. So I think that in terms of the inclination to volunteer and serve the community at large, there is nothing more to improve on. The youth population of the country is extremely passionate about investing their time to change the ways of the world that are unsustainable. However, I feel that mainstream volunteering has certain characteristics which are eroding the genuineness of volunteerism as an altruistic act.”
For those passionate volunteers, young changemakers and advocates from Sri Lanka between the ages of 09 and 25 years who would like to nominate someone for The Diana Award 2021 Cycle visit https://diana-award.org.uk. To connect with Chiranthi email on hype.sl@outlook.com to volunteer and support her projects.