The Sunday Times Mirror

The Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (SLYP), a project of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) will stage Vortex, on October 14, 2006 at the Ladies’ College Auditorium from 6.30 p.m. onwards.

Promising to be an evening of entertainment and enjoyment, the programme is due to feature several performances by some of the leading schools in Colombo, among which would be Ladies’ College, Hindu Ladies’ College (Saivar Mangaiyar Kazhalagam) St. Cecilia’s choir of St. Joseph’s College and S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia. As well as performances by the action partners involved with the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament. ‘Siribora,’ a widely acclaimed instrumental band will be featured as the guest performer at the event, along with Charin (Jada).

Geared towards promoting ethnic harmony and multi-cultural diversity, the selection of items and presentations would seek to bring together a wide array of talent and skills both in the forms of dance and song, and aim to capture the very essence of youth and the arts.

The Sri Lanka Youth Parliament (SLYP) is a youth-led, youth-run initiative, which mobilizes and supports a network of young people to bring about positive and sustainable change to issues that affect youth and their communities in Sri Lanka. The network was created at the first sitting of SLYP held in August 2005. Two hundred and twenty five young people from all around the country came together at this sitting and formulated action plans for social change, both individual and collective, numbering over 200. These young people make up the first generation of young people involved with the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament. The SLYP Secretariat, supported and managed by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, provides support to these young people in implementing these action plans. The secretariat is also involved with projects with various development partners, both government and civil society, at the national level, to increase youth participation in decision and policy making.

The first sitting was convened by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, a pioneer institute in the study of International Relations in Sri Lanka since the 1970s.

The proceeds of this concert will go towards a fund which is to be established for Action Partners to finance small scale projects and further enhance their programmes of activity which are in operation around the country.

Co-sponsors for the event are Australian College for Business and Technology (ACBT), IDM and Achievers. Media sponsors are YES FM and MTV.