Finding. Funding.Promoting.
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PEACEBUILDER: Dishani Jayaweera PROJECT: ‘Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation’ (CPBR) COUNTRY: Sri Lanka RUNNING COSTS: £10,000 pa
“Sri Lanka is our country. We have to be here to protect the seeds of respect, dignity and justice otherwise there may be nobody left to plant those seeds.”
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Sri Lanka’s future hangs in the balance. After years of conflict there is a possibility of lasting peace. One woman is now laying the foundations for the future. Her name is Dishani Jayaweera. And you can help her.
In 2003, lawyer Dishani Jayaweera and her university teacher partner Jayantha Seneviratne set up The ‘Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation’. CPBR believes that the future of Sri Lanka should be built around protecting the lives of its people. They work with people from the three main faith groups, Sinhala Buddhist, Muslim and Tamil, to bring people together and build understanding,.
“I live in a country which is affected by nearly thirty years of war. I’ve witnessed the use of unbridled violence to resolve conflicts and suppress those fighting for change. My country is Sri Lanka, which I love and cherish more than my life. It has been very dangerous to be associated with efforts to create peace. Many colleagues received death threats and left the country”
For nearly three decades, this island paradise has been scarred by a bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions. A ceasefire signed in 2002 was undermined by regular clashes between government troops and Tamil rebels, and in January 2008 it expired. As violence escalated, the UN called Sri Lanka “ a bloodbath” and the international community appealed for a ceasefire. In May 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka announced a decisive military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers). The war claimed thousands of civilian deaths in the final two months alone, and the threat of further violence hangs over the future of the country.
How CPBR works
CPBR has set up the Young Visionary project. They have bought together and trained 40 young people from the three main religious/ethnic groups. Following their training the Young Visionaries return to their communities and set up peer groups, to bring together more young people and develop their understanding of each other and the issues facing the country. The Young Visionaries run workshops and use drama, sports and art to communicate ideas of peace and non violent solutions to conflict.
CPBR is also working with the Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka, to develop understanding and promote co-existence.
Achievements
- 40 Young Visionaries have been trained
- CPBR supported Tamil and Sinhala Buddhist students to work closely together to take part in a major cultural festival, despite considerable pressure not to
- Following the Tsunami CPBR set up Friends in Need – a project to bring together people from different communities in income generating projects.
How you can help
The Young Visionaries project urgently needs funding. It costs less than £100 to set a young visionary community project. Your donation will help the Young Visionaries reach more people.
May 2010 Young Visionaries celebrate new beginnings
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“This was the first time in my life I have seen all three communities celebrate and share an event together” Saheer – Kattankudy
This huge New Year festival happened just last week in the remote village of Keledivuluwela and for the first time 70 young people from Tamil and Muslim backgrounds travelled to share the festivities with the Sinhalese locals from the nearby villages.
Young people in Sri Lanka have grown up in a bloody civil war and their communities have been divided by a lifetime of violence. Although the government announced a military victory in May 2009, divisions of ethnicity, religion and language remain and it is vital these are addressed so they do not sow the seeds for militancy in the generation to come.
“ Young visionaries mean creating good people for society, developing good youths and explaining how we can solve conflicts by finding better, positive approaches”
S nanthini – Thirukovil
The Young Visionary project is a national youth network working to promote peace and reject violence. At the end of 2009 forty young people from Tamil, Sinhalese Buddhist and Muslim backgrounds had been trained as Young Visionaries – and in the first few months of this year they have been joined by a further 195 young people. Throughout February and March the Young Visionaries (YVs) attended workshops across the country to explore the root causes of the conflict that has threatened their communities for so long, and develop projects to address those conflicts.
“ I did not know myself before this workshop; I had no hope. But now I understand that together we can help our community and our society”
Asith Kekirawa – Anuradhapura
The New Year festival was organised by the YV group in Anuradhapura and was a celebration of the diversity in Sri Lanka. It was a beautiful sunny day and religious leaders from each of the three communities came to bless the festivities, whilst the young people and the villagers shared many traditional games and music. After 25 years of brutal civil war that has left an estimated 70,000 people dead, this simple festival is a huge achievement and just shows the potential of the young visionaries to promote social change and build a future not divided by the past.
“I talked to the people from the village, and they listened to me, and shared their feelings and experiences, without ever considering my ethnicity or religion”
Rodney – Batticaloa
Jan 2010 a look back on 2009 – Sri Lanka
2009 has been an historic year in Sri Lanka with the military victory over the last of the rebels in May. As the country embarks on a fragile peace for the first time in 3 decades, peacebuilder Dishani Jayaweera and her organisation CPBR have been working with young people to overcome the considerable barriers between communities.
The ‘Young Visionary’ project works with young people from Tamil, Sinhalese Buddhist and Muslim communities who have grown up in a world shaped by suicide bombers and security checks. The project trains them to be leaders and advocates for peace in their communities. In the past 12 months the organisation has selected 40 Young Visionaries from different parts of the country and bought them together through a series of workshops. In 2009 the Young Visionaries have explored the causes of conflict, and learnt from each other the effects of the war on other communities. They have been trained in project management and in Non Violent Direct Action so that they are prepared to challenge injustice.
These 40 young people have set up peer groups in their own communities, and using the skills they learnt from the workshops they are organising cultural events and youth groups that will celebrate their diversity not their difference. The peer groups have expanded the Young Visionary project 5 fold and they will continue to grow. They marked the end of the year through collective activity, both practical – working together to provide flood relief in the Eastern province, and in protest – an artistic campaign in Colombo to celebrate diversity.
January promises to be a busy month for the Young Visionaries as they plan their activities for the upcoming year and we look forward to watching them strive for their vision of a non violent future for Sri Lanka.
Sep 2009 Dishani’s message of peace
We asked Dishani for a message of peace to mark UN International Day of Peace.
“When I was 14 years old, during the 1983 riots, I witnessed Sinhalese Buddhist youth engaged in violent actions against Tamils, including murder. Later as I became older and wiser, I realised it was not their choice. Their elders who led them used them as pawns to get political advantage. When I was 21 I witnessed bodies burning on the roadside, some were my friends from university. Some youth killed their own teachers in the name of freedom and liberation. This was during the 1989 JVP insurgences, when Sinhalese youth took arms against the state. From the earliest day I can remember I have witnessed young people holding weapons; when they should have been holding pens, roses or a bat and a ball. From the age of 14, I have witnessed freedom fighters dying in the name of liberty. Their eyes were so bright, honest and hopeful. From the day I could connect with and understand politics, I have witnessed the potential of youth to accept and deal with brutal truth, with honesty. BUT we didn’t have any place or the space to capitalise on this, for a positive Social Change through Non-violence. My dream is to create that space to capitalise on honesty, creativity, fresh energy and courage to deal with the brutal truth.”
Send a message of peace to Dishani >>>
Aug 2009 Young Visionaries working towards peace in Sri Lanka
This brutality is not just against the minority Tamils or Muslims, but Singhalese are also finding themselves victims to police brutality. As the civil war recedes, the effects of 20 years of conflict on all parts of society is exposed and it is now crucial that this period is given full support to foster relations and overcome the divisions that have existed between communities for so long.
40 Young Visionaries have completed their initial training and are ready to go back into their communities and pass on what they have learnt – to promote the country’s unity as well as its diversity and begin to work towards peace and social justice.
To give the Young Visionaries the tools to do this successfully Dishani and the CPDR team have been running workshops focusing on project management as well as conflict transformation – ensuring that Young Visionaries will be able to define and meet their goals. The projects the Young Visionaries have devised will be different for each region, determined by the diversity of the communities, and yet each of them will strive to increase understanding between the communities by developing and strengthening their peer group. The Young Visionaries will be using a combination of techniques including community workshops and sports and drama workshops, and they will reach out not just to young people, but through them, to the whole community. Before this can happen, Dishani and the YVs will work hard to expand the peer groups, to gain support from within the communities to make the projects work – building up the numbers to strengthen the peace movement.
For Dishani it is essential that all communities realise their part in promoting and building peace and social justice, for if each community is to lay the blame at the feet of others, peace in Sri Lanka will be impossible to achieve. Whilst others pass the blame for Sri Lanka’s problems, Dishani asks ‘When are you ready to talk about what we, as the common people, can do? Our duty is to make everyone stand up for peace.’ The young visionary project puts people and communities central to peacebuilding for as Dishani says, ‘If you don’t believe we can change this, why are we here?’
Jun 2009 Young Visionaries introduce themselves
We are a multi ethnic, group of youngsters, striving for positive social change leading to a more inclusive, respectful, and just society where everyone is accepted and respected for their own identities, without fear of discrimination. We strongly believe if we harness the energies of the young generation, they have the power to influence this social change. We have recognized the need and the potential in the youth to fulfill this task. However, they lack enough opportunities, support and encouragement within the social system.
Understanding the context, being motivated by our own will and capacities, and the facilitative support of the Center for Peace Building and Reconciliation (CPBR), we founded ‘Young Visionaries’; an initiative of a young movement to create space, and support young, talented individuals to join hands for a better future. At present ‘Young Visionaries’ have a presence in the United Kingdom and plan to be a global group in the near future, so all Sri Lankan youth living abroad can unite, sharing a similar goal.
We believe that ‘unity through diversity’ is a better solution towards the development of humanity. ‘Young Visionaries’ provide a safe, inclusive and respectful space where everyone can work together, improving their skills and sharing values, while keeping their own identities. It would not be a melting pot but a salad bowl wherein the diversity is savored and celebrated. Therefore we believe in blending with all ethnicities, religions as well as gender.
We believe that the youth should be empowered and encouraged to make them confident in the process of changing the system. We intend to focus on providing facilitative guidance which will help to mould future leaders with ability to carry out action with vision to make a change.
We strongly believe that using creative means such as ‘Art’ (performing arts, visual arts and literature) as tools, we can effectively address, question and challenge the system, to convince the society that the system needs to be changed. We intend to demonstrate the alternatives leading to change, aiming to This is our first step in our long journey towards that change. So let us march along.
“Vision without action is just a dream
Action without vision is just passing time
Action with vision will change the world!”
- Nelson Mandela-
May 2009 Everything is not over, Sri Lanka
Otherwise we are fine and we are hopeful to give our full support to create a political solution that supports minorities. We can play a positive role in mobolising local people to support a good political solution for minorities.
Thank You,
ACM Mahir
Young Visionaries Trainer”
May 2009 A Glimmer of Hope from Sri Lanka
As the death toll continues to rise and the United Nations talks of a “ bloodbath” in Sri Lanka, it’s hard to believe that local peacebuilders are continuing their work amid the carnage. Peace Direct’s partners in Sri Lanka speak of their frustration at government propaganda and media censorship but also of their determination to try to keep the seeds of peace alive such as the Young Visionaries project where initial cynicism has been overcome. For the first time, religious clergy and the Young Visionaries have met to discuss the escalating conflict.
Peace Direct’s correspondent in Sri Lanka reports ,
“To begin the Young Visionaries had little enthusiasm for peace. Since the workshop, they’ve been very enthusiastic and have set-up ‘peer groups’ in each of their communities. Each ‘peer group’ is made up of around 10 other people from the village. Together they discuss what the Young Visionaries have learnt from their training and share knowledge. Much of what they do is to analyse the conflicts and identify a cause of conflict that they feel is important to their community. Together they set about designing an initiative to address that cause. The next phase of the project is to support these local initiatives and to strentgthen the peer group exercise into something more organised.
Running parallel is the Centre for Peacebuilding & Reconciliation’s (CPBR) project with the religious clergy and for the first time, CPBR brought together the clergy and the Young Visionaries to discuss the conflict. Although there was a difference in language and some of the young people blamed the older generation, there was also broad agreement on many areas. The Tamil Young Visionaries were amazed to be in the same room as Buddhist monks and kept touching and holding the monks’ robes, saying they thought the monks were all the same (i.e extremist protagonists of violence) and they never imagined meeting a monk in this way.”
Apr 2009 Building Bridges
Here is an example of how these peer groups work:
“Batticaloa district is prone to intense violent conflict, and many communities live in fear. Two YV core groups have set up peer groups here.
1) Hindu/Christian Group from Batti town
2) Muslim Group in Kattankudy
The first regional meeting for the two peer groups was organized at a small hall in the middle of Kattankudy, a Muslim dominated town. The Hindu & Christian group came with their peers and contributed to the success of the meeting. At the end of the meeting, when people had a chance to share their feelings, one core member from the Hindu/Christian group said that when they knew that the meeting was to be held in Kattankudy, they were afraid. But now that fear had been reduced and by coming here and meeting the Muslim group they have had a chance to identify and change the prejudice they had for Kattankudy and its people.
Dishani,
Sri Lanka”
Apr 2009 Growing Crisis
The latest news from Sri Lanka is a sobering reminder of what a conflict means and a reminder of the huge personal risks taken by Dishani and her fellow peace builders.
Humanitarian Update
March 24th: Most recent reports state that more than 3,000 people crossed into government controlled areas in the Putukkudiyiruppa area over the weekend. On March 21 alone 1,100 civilians fled, many of them children, on March 22 another 890 escaped in the same area Since March 15, more than 7,000 civilians have crossed over into government areas, bringing the number being housed at transit camps and welfare centres in Mannar, Jaffna and Vavuniya to just under 50,000 since December of last year A UN document on civilian casualties in the Vanni which was leaked in the press last week highlights the number of civilian casualties between January 20 and March 7 as 9,924 – 2,683 deaths and 7,241 injuries. This claims that the number of people killed every day has doubled in one month. The document claims that between January and February 2009 the combat area was reduced from 100km2 to 45 km2, including the ‘no fire’ zone of 14 km2. As the combat area reduces, the number of people killed and injured rises. The UN has used satellite imagery to calculate the population and density of civilians in the combat zones – based on shelter structures and head counts inside the ‘no fire’ zone – the conservative estimate is that there are at least 100,000 people within the NFZ. The UN estimates that 150,000 to 200,000 people remain trapped in the combat zone (including the NFZ), however the government puts this figure at closer to 70,000. 1,000 metric tonnes of food aid has been shipped this month; however estimates suggest that 3,000MT of food is needed for the 200,000 people. A CARE member of staff was killed in the Vanni last week. Two UN staff members and dependents, including a 16-year old girl were forcibly recruited by the LTTE; the LTTE has given no response to requests for their release. Reports suggest that forced recruitment has stepped up in the last few weeks. China blocked discussions in the UN Security Council on the situation in Sri Lanka arguing that it is ‘merely an internal matter’ and not a threat to international peace and security.
Mar 2009 Profiles of two Young Visionaries
“I live in a strong Sinhala Buddhist area; I used to support the Sinhala nationalist party and wanted to join the army to protect the ‘motherland’. I believed that Sri Lanka was a Sinhala Buddhist country and that Tamils, Muslims and Christians wanted to steal our land. I hated all minorities and had so many stereotypes. The Young Visionaries has opened my eyes to think that Tamil people are humans too. Kind, respectful, loving people. Through the Young Visionaries I am discovering my own potential, my weaknesses and my prejudices.
My passion is politics. I want to gather more young Buddhist Monks who are ready to challenge their beliefs, break old barriers and connect with others. If Sinhala Buddhists win the war and are the majority we will have a huge responsibility to bring justice and share this power with everyone. I believe I can contribute to a generation that will make this happen.”
Jovita Arunalatham is a Tamil woman at University in Colomba, Sri Lanka’s capital.
“Joining ‘Young Visionaries’ has helped me answer many questions I have about the role I can play in my community. I’m ashamed to say I only grew genuinely concerned about social injustice when as a Tamil student I joined a predominately Sinhalese University, I became aware of the second citizen status of the Tamils.
The Youth in our country has the ability to transform the attitudes of those who will one day have power. The Young Visionaries hope to answer this call. We are building a network of like-minded young people, who are growing in strength and number to create change throughout Sri Lanka.
My favourite quote that encapsulates the spirit of the Visionaries is from anthropologist Margaret Mead;
“The young, free to act on their initiative, can lead their elders in the direction of the unknown.. the young must ask the questions that we would never think to ask.”
The Young Visionaries want to make a generation that can live together better and won’t repeat the mistakes of its parents.”
Feb 2009 Young Visionaries Project Details
We have decided to work with 3 groups; from Colombo, Ampara (East) and Anuradhapura (North Central) with 5 -6 Young Visionaries per group. The three groups will undergo three sets of four day training workshops on the following themes:
1) Conflict Transformation and Peace building
2) Project designing and implementing
3) Facilitating
Project duration : 1 year
Follow-up activities after the training is complete:
- Each young visionary will train a minimum of 2 peers (multipliers)
- Each team will design and implement community peace-building project/s depending on budget available, to address underlining needs within their localities. More prominence will be given to these projects as these will enable them to put the theoretical knowledge into practice.
- 2 sets of exchanges: The fellow groups will visit both Ampara and Anuradhapura groups when they are implementing projects.
Best regards,
Chami
CPBR
Sri Lanka”
Jan 2009 NGOs Fear Government Crackdown
“I was lucky enough to work in Sri Lanka during a period of relative peace from 2003 to 2006, leaving just before the escalation of the conflict which has culminated with the situation we see today. Back then was a time for hope and I remember the regular sight of coach loads of Buddhist pilgrims travelling through the LTTE controlled areas to visit religious sites in Jaffna. There was a genuine feeling within the Tamil and Sinhala communities that a peaceful solution could be found but I was to return two years later to find a very different situation. Tensions ran high and leaders on both sides fuelled the tension. NGOs and foreign aid workers were treated with suspicion, visas were restricted and delayed for no reason and I was unable to visit Kilinochi – a place where I had previously spent three years travelling freely.
On the one hand, the government celebrates its military successes and the weakening of its enemy, yet on the other, it erodes the freedom of civil society and the space within which to work and express free opinion. Speaking to some of the contacts I still have there, the sense is that the creation of ‘The Select Committee of Parliament’ to investigate NGOs is to limit this space further and create a sense of fear amongst those who are trying to protect basic human rights and bring peace and integrity back to Sri Lanka. One friend said to me that ‘three years ago people were ready for change but now the country has gone back 50 years’. That is certainly how I felt when I was last there and the situation has only worsened since then. The recent murder of a leading journalist, Lasantha Wickrematunga, within a high security zone; the ransacking of a TV station; and the new registry guidelines for NGOs, all indicate a continuing spiral of oppression. News that the government in Sri Lanka is tightening the screws on NGOs to “ regularise and monitor the disbursement of funds” has been met with dismay by peace building organisations who see it as a “ fishing expedition “ to identify NGO’s that are challenging the state ideology.
Whilst many in the Sinhala community support the war, there are others in the south who are determined to let the northern and eastern Tamils know that there are Sinhala-Buddhists that disagree with what is happening. Peace builders in Sri Lanka are steadfast in their commitment and as one said, “This is our country. We are believing a religion which is promoting non-violence and compassion. At least we have to be here to protect the seeds of respect, dignity and justice, otherwise, when the time comes, nobody will be here to plant those seeds and maybe seeds will be not here. Maybe we can’t do anymore in this vicious moment…at least we are doing what we can do within limited space.”
Tom Gillhespy, Head of International Programmes.
Aug 2008 Young Visionaries Launch
We take great pleasure in informing you that a group of young individuals together with Centre for Peace-building and Reconciliation (CPBR) have decided to launch an initiative called “Young Visionaries”.
Our reflections and learning in the peace and conflict transformation initiatives with affiliated youth groups have inspired us to develop an innovative approach to get the true commitment of the youth, which is beyond the customary NGO project routine. As a result CPBR has joined hands with a group of young visionaries to initiate a discourse with other like minded young individuals and youth groups/organizations to identify a distinctive strategy which can bring social justice and change.
We intend to initiate this process through a drama and music workshop creating safe space for the youth to identify their vision, mission and strategy, towards creating a more inclusive society which is comfortable for all. This will take place on the 17th August Sunday 2008 at Badrawathy Maha Vidyala ( Maha Mathya Vidyala) , Colombo 05 at 09.00am – 04.00 pm.
On the day of the launch, the organizing committee intends to identify the core group and the sub committees for the next six months. We recommend that you confirm your participation on or before 14th Thursday 2008.
We hope you will share this information with youth groups, individuals who’d be interested in finding their own space/ voice within the social/conflict transformation processes in Sri Lanka.
Thanking you
Dishani Jayaweera
Director Programmes
CPBR”
