Be a part of their platform to create honest discussions
Mihiri. Pic by Ushan Gunasekera
Two friends Mihiri Perera and Rayushka Gurusinghe launch Open Conversations, a talkshow that taps knowledge of experts on various issues and invites audience participation
In an age where scrolling through Whatsapp forwards and Facebook feeds takes up a hefty percentage of our days, the line between fact and fiction has become harder to separate. While social media has given us access to so much information, it has also caused the spread of misinformation and disinformation that can potentially cause real harm and confusion.
This is precisely why Mihiri Perera and Rayushka Gurusinghe started to think about creating a path to make the right information accessible. Together they created Open Conversations, a talkshow that harnesses the knowledge of experts, professionals and those with actual practical experiences dealing with social issues, in partnership with Child Action Lanka.
Having been friends for over 20 years, Project Manager and Director at AR Project Management Services Mihiri and Manager of Operations at Flipit Media Rayushka grew to have similar likes and aspirations. “We have had the privilege to be brought up in an environment where we have been encouraged to speak or stand up for ourselves while also not being afraid to question the norm,” Mihiri says.
This led them to create this platform to facilitate honest discussions on concerns that society faces today. They settled on a talk show format to engage their listeners who will be able to ask questions from the experts.
“We hope to do our part in breaking that stigma and encouraging and inspiring our listeners to talk about these issues with their families, friends, communities and to act to make changes for the better,” they say adding that they hope to reach everyone from teens and young adults to parents — anyone interested in learning about and discussing issues relating to children, young adults and women.
Rayushka
They have a wide range of topics from the importance of sex education, health care, mental health to social issues related to the current pandemic, and more. Each episode will have a panel of experts and guests who are actively involved, have knowledge on this topic and are advocating for change.
Their first episode titled ‘Childhood At Risk?’ focused on child rights and creating a safe future for them with Founding Director of Child Action Lanka Debbie Edirisinghe, Country Manager for Emerge Lanka Foundation Hazel Raijiah-Tetteh, Management Advisor Compliance – Asia Region and former BOD and first Deputy Chairman of NCPA Tony Senewiratne and Director of Emerge Lanka Foundation Jehan Mubarak.
The ethos of Open Conversations can be summarised by three words: Listen, Act, Change. Mihiri and Rayushka welcome everyone to be an active listener in the talkshow, encourage them to act on what is discussed and be the change that we are all seeking for in this world.
The audience will also be given the opportunity to send in any questions during the show. They also hope to use their online presence to get feedback and data from the public through questionnaires and surveys.
Open Conversations has partnered with Child Action Lanka, an organization actively involved in advocating and supporting children and women in Sri Lanka.
“Their practical experience in dealing with social issues is something that we hope to learn from as we move forward,” says Mihiri, who is also a Volunteer Coordinator at Child Action Lanka.
“There are many incredible people that are out on the frontlines advocating, creating awareness and acting on behalf of children and women. We hope that through Open Conversions we can connect potential donors and volunteers to organizations of this nature. ”
Be a part of the conversation by following Open Conversations at @open_conversationssl on Instagram for updates. Due to the current situation, the shows will be livestreamed for anyone to join in and will not be limited to registration only. To get in touch with the team, contact them via Instagram or through email at openconversations.info@gmail.com