Youth Speak forum to get underway
This week, AIESEC in Sri Lanka will bring together 300 young delegates to take part in the first ever Sri Lankan edition of the Youth Speak Forum. If you’re a young person with something to say it’s not too late, applications close tomorrow (March 14) at 11.59pm.
AIESEC is a global platform that encourages young people to develop their leadership potential.
Run by students and graduates of higher education institutes, the group engages the participation of over a million young people from around the world in areas of world issues, leadership and management.
Youth Speak acts as a global youth movement and youth insight survey powered by AIESEC. Engaging stakeholders in education, business and government, these forums facilitate young people to share their ideas and problems in a series of workshops and panel discussions.
180 forums happen around the world every year. This is the first time that such a forum will take place in Sri Lanka, with the organizers noting that they’d like to make it an annual event.
At this forum, the main topic for discussion is Entrepreneurship and Employability. The forum on March 19 will be structured as follows; two keynote speeches, followed by two sessions on the theme and a workshop where young people can share their ideas with speakers.
Selected ideas from this session will be presented to decision making representatives from the government and corporate sector at the end of this workshop. This will be followed by a panel discussion with invited guests.
If you’re aged under 30, you’re eligible to take part in the forum. AIESEC encourages the participation of young people from a cross section of sectors; whether you’re in university, employed, or unemployed you’re encouraged to apply to take part.
The organizers will choose the best candidates from a pool of applicants.
The forum is the result of a partnership between AISESEC International and the United Nations as a commitment to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
A recent AIESEC survey revealed that quality education, one of these goals, is a top concern amongst Sri Lankan youth.
Thus the Youth Speak Forum is focused on “discussing the ways in which we can improve the employability of Sri Lankan undergraduates through quality education, the importance of entrepreneurship education and integrating entrepreneurship to local education” says Samith Yasas Siriwardana , President of AIESEC in Sri Lanka.
The Youth Speak Forum happens on 19 March from 8 am at the Sri Lanka Foundation. You can apply to take part via https://goo.gl/i3GZ7I. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/youthspeakLK/