In the journey of finding hidden talents of Sri Lankan youth and their contribution to the nation, Women in Management (WIM), in partnership with the Sri Lanka National Youth Services Council (NYSC), organised the New Generation Awards for the second consecutive year to be held on 28 August 2021 at Galadari Hotel. The media launch for the New Generation Awards was held yesterday (27) under the theme “Arise”. Since 2010, WIM has worked tirelessly to empower Sri Lankan career women and women entrepreneurs by connecting as well as bonding them by providing leadership along with guidance in nurturing their knowledge and skills by inspiring them to achieve their goals so that they could act as conduits to the transformation of the role of women in career and business into a dynamic force. Partnering with the NYSC, which is a multi-talented, disciplined, and dynamic youth population that helps the development of our country, was the right move for WIM.
The panel of judges for this year’s New Generation Awards will be chaired by NYSC Chairman Damitha Wickramasinghe together with a diversified team including Triad Advertising Ltd. and Derana TV Managing Director (MD) Varuni Amunugama Fernando; Hemas Holdings PLC Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Director Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson; CIMA Sri Lanka Country Manager Zahara Ansary; University of Kelaniya (UoK) Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies Department of Marketing Management senior lecturer Prof. (Dr.) Ravi Dissanayake; Center for Economic Research and Industrial Policy Analysis (CERIPA) Director and Colombo University Community Extension Center (CUCEC) Acting Director (Prof.) Dr. Suranga Silva; and marketer, innovator, and entrepreneur Yasas Hewage.
To give the audience some insight into the programme that is underway, the WIM New Generation Chapter Spokesman informed Brunch that the judging of the nominees is ongoing. This time, the judges invited all the shortlisted nominees for physical and online interviews so that nominees are able to explain their stories, expectations, and visions so the judges were able to better understand the attitudes of the nominees. Adding to this train of thought, Chelleraja Wilson stated that during judging, they noticed that youth are more focused on social impact than individual success. “This is a positive value which our generation ignored; yet, the new generation has given priority to the wellbeing of humanity and nature,” she commented.
Speaking at the event, New Generation Awards Founder Dr. Sulochana Segera commented: “Today many complain and promote negative attitudes, which in return has caused actions of a few youths leading them to a platform neglecting values. On the other hand, the majority of youth who have values, positive attitudes, and skills wrestle to discover a platform to brand themselves as Sri Lankan youths. Largely intelligent and creative Sri Lankan youths can easily be drawn into productive action by educating them about how meaningful and important their contribution is to the motherland.”
Currently, the youths hold up almost a quarter of Sri Lanka’s population: 4.64 million, or 23.2% to be exact. Harnessing the power of youth in Sri Lanka in a sustainable development process is bound to provide an inconceivable outcome in the long run. Dr. Segera added that the development of youths in Sri Lanka will contribute an amazingly high yield to the economic growth of the country. “By allowing these young adults to discover and develop skills, making them responsible and self-reliant, with proper mentoring, will not only make a flourishing future for them but also lead to long-lasting and sustainable growth for the country.”
“Youth empowerment through the private sector’s contribution in Sri Lanka is of paramount importance, as they are capable of providing immeasurably more opportunities to youths than the Government,” she added.
NYSC Chairman Wickaramasinghe, commenting at the launch, added that this is not a daunting task if the leadership is given by a committed, dedicated, and adequately clued-in team of experienced professionals. In his opinion, youth empowerment consists of interdependent dimensions such as that of the psychological, economical, organisational, and social aspects. “An appropriate and prudent programme will provide the required motivation and awareness to the youths. As a result, NYSC collaborated with WIM New Generation Awards for the second consecutive year,” he added.
Highlighting the reason for providing Sri Lankan youngsters with the necessary information and resources in order to analyse issues that affect their lives, Prof. (Dr.) Dissanayake said that this will assist them to become strong in decision-making. He strongly emphasised that the youths should be given the tools to engage by supporting them to brainstorm, which leads to finding answers. “Encouragement should be provided to these young men and women by guiding them to use their passions and creativity, to bring attention to find purpose in life. During the interviews we met some incredible, talented, and humble youths who have clear visions and are ready to contribute to the motherland.”
Sharing her sentiments on the topic, Amunugama Fernando added: “For a young person to succeed, it is vital to instil a method as well as a purpose. Without a plan in place, achieving a task is near impossible and there must be a purpose beyond that task, to make any achievement meaningful.” She also made it known that Sri Lanka is a country teeming with youth literacy, with a staggering rate of 98.7%, which should be looked at by relevant authorities in the administration to devise techniques to utilise this valuable factor to enhance gross productivity.
Concluding the event, Prof. (Dr.) Silva stated: “The Sri Lankan system of education does not provide guidance to youths at the proper time to select their careers at this crucial phase.” Therefore, he observed that the youngsters who are at a peak mental and physical point in life are either unaware or only just realising what is to be expected in their future. The type of platform like the New Generation Awards will open opportunities for youths to explore private, public, and social opportunities.
