Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Check out slteenz!
The people behind it see it as the new Sri Lankan concept. What is it?
It will be an Internet forum where Sri Lankan youth and teenagers can obtain information on topics of their interest, exchange ideas or ask questions of any sort. It’s a place where teens of all ages will come together, exchange news and gossip, where they can voice their questions, problems, worries, or doubts and get help.

Since three months ago SLTeenz.com (www.slteenz.com) served as an information portal for Sri Lankan youth, both in here and abroad. SLTeenz.com is a website which will provide the latest information on a variety of topics including music, entertainment, sports, fitness and health, education, IT, environment, and fashion trends geared to teens. The site will also answer the unspoken questions of the teenagers of today. While the site will provide updated information, it will also be open to the comments, feedback, questions and contributions of Sri Lankan teens.

Initiated by a group of young teenagers, drawing on the strength of their interests, capabilities, capacities and vision, it has been a volunteer effort all along, using personal resources and the encouragement of family and friends. They strongly believe that through this website we can take the message of the importance of the English language, IT, entrepreneurial skills, ambition, hard work and the ‘can do’ attitude to the youth of Sri Lanka; vital elements required for success in the future.

This website will provide a forum for Sri Lankan youth to obtain the latest information on a variety of topics, drawing on the most up-to-date news and events from around the world while giving prominence to local events and national issues that affect the lives of all Sri Lankan teens. It is also brought out as the ‘one stop shop’ for teens to exchange ideas, ask questions, air their opinions, showcase their endeavors, and be heard!

They also want it to become the driving force for fostering ‘national identity’ among Sri Lankan youth. This site ‘belongs’ to all youth in Sri Lanka. Island-wide information on youth activities, interests, concerns and issues will be available and accessible online, all the time.

The use of the world-wide-web for enhancing opportunities in education and career is severely limited in Sri Lanka mostly due to the language difficulties We expect our teen-friendly site to break this barrier, fostering the importance of the English language and encouraging its use island-wide among youth.

They will also be highlighting the specific problems faced by Sri Lankan youth, especially in the rural areas with regards to IT access, up-to-date information on software, hardware, IT educational and career opportunities, to all corners of the island. Through this they hope to support Sri Lanka’s e-development initiatives of bridging the ‘digital divide.’ It will also promote opportunities for career guidance and entrepreneurship.

Given the unique nature of the project, the editors of the website hope SLTeenz.com will gain immense popularity among teens in Sri Lanka as well as Sri Lankan teens living abroad. They hope to get concise statistics as to how many teens visit SLTeenz.com, with regularity. Accordingly, they hope to shift emphasis on particular issues.

At the moment, a pilot phase for SLTeenz.com is being run with the content provided by a team of editors. During this pilot phase, the teams together with selected teens are assessing various aspects of the site, making suggestions and feeding in the improvements. They hope to officially launch by mid-December 2004.

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