Rollicking celebration

Interactors from the ages of 16 – 19 have an exciting January ahead of them, with Inter-evo 2008. Four days of non-stop fun and games, and memories to last a lifetime will be theirs to share in the mega sports festival which promises to be the biggest celebration of youth culture.

Something along the lines of the Big Match fever, a series of cricket and rugby tournaments, is anticipated to be a great start to Inter-evo. These will take place from January 12, at the Peterson Grounds, Wellawatte (next to Cooray Park). Ablaze, a rollicking campfire, will bring an end to the first leg of Inter-evo. The campfire will blaze at Berjaya Mount Royal Hotel, the venue partner of inter-evo. Scouts from various schools will be present at Ablaze, as well as a few acoustic bands.

"The campfire will be a closure of the outdoor games tournaments, but its main purpose will be to bring everyone together simply to have fun and get to know each other better," says Nadeesha Cabral, the project chairperson of Inter-evo, adding that "the main focus is to take youthful spirit in all its energy and passion, and drive in it."

A dedicated committee consisting of 20 members has worked long and hard to get the concept of Inter-evo off the ground. For them, pooling their efforts and working towards this goal has been challenging but enjoyable. "Simply working together towards something that counts would be the best experience we've had," says Nadeesha, "Inter-evo is a relatively new concept in Interact, and it is the only sports festival which is exclusively for Interactors, where they can, in addition to competing with one another and learning a lot, also have a time because there is something for everyone."

Over the past three to four years, Inter-evo has been all about the sports. This year, it has been taken a step further. The second stage of the festival, known as The Quest, will be an urban challenge which will take place within the Colombo city limits. The committee is extremely enthusiastic about this aspect of Inter-evo, as something of this nature has not been conducted by Interactors before.

The Quest is an urban treasure hunt which the organizers hope will spark a great deal of interest, in that it is similar to the popular TV series – The Amazing Race. Any Interactor interested in striking it rich is invited to join. The urban challenge should also be of interest to any interested bystanders, who on January 13, will be entertained by the sight of groups of teenagers walking the streets of Colombo, solving riddles, deciphering codes, all in their journey towards victory, and treasure.

Inter-evo is an event which has always been of interest, and has had a great deal of enthusiastic participation on the part of the Interactors themselves. In the experience of the organizers, given the nature of this project, it is something that is considered as important. They hope that this year will be the same, with even more interest in the cause of more interaction between the representatives of each school.

Apart from the fun and games, Inter-evo has another purpose; the proceeds of the event will help fund the various charitable projects undertaken by the school interact clubs. If, somehow, sports and urban challenges do not fulfil the purpose of fellowship, the third and final stage of Inter-evo definitely will.

In addition to indoor sports tournaments, the third leg of the event will comprise of a vibrant awards ceremony and a closing ceremony in a rocking party atmosphere."This will be the highlight of the event," says Nadeesha enthusiastically, anticipating the party that has been planned for the Interactors of Colombo and Kandy. To check out further details on their events, log into www.interactdistrict3220.org/evo.

True to form, the Interactors have yet again given of their best in organizing a colourful and fun filled event, which, as always, will end with a bang.