Empowering Youth For Sustainability.

The British Council Kandy in partnership with Keells Super & Neptune recycling celebrated World Environment Day 2012 on 7 June with an interactive presentation and workshop for Kandy’s future ‘green’ generation. The day began with a session on environmental education to understand the evolution of earth, environmental problems and climate change -why it’s happening, the impact we are causing and ways of reducing these problems with proposed actions. The event attracted 50 participants from eight different schools around Kandy. It was facilitated by Sikander Sabeer, who is an employee at Neptune recycling and a British Council Global Changemaker. Neptune recyclers are pioneer recycling agents who provide recycling solutions for cooperates and industries. And they work very closely with school students.

The lecture covered the recycling of waste materials, the need to reduce the use of plastic bags, garbage disposal, pollution, deforestation and the role of youth in creating a greener world. A presentation from Keels Super was screened to educate the participants about the corporations’ commitment to the principles of sustainable development and about its role as a socially and ethically responsible organisation, focusing on the Keels’ plastic recycling project.

The participants worked in teams to come up with ideas to combat environmental problems, while using their creativity with the use of materials which otherwise could be treated as waste.  Each group, comprising of participants from different schools, was given the opportunity to present their ideas both in English and Sinhala. This further improved their presentation and public speaking skills. The participants were also given the opportunity to link up with a representative of the Emerging Young Leaders’ Association (EYLA).

All participants were presented with a badge and a bio-degradable red bag from Keells Super.

The day ended with laughter, a lot of happy faces and inspired thoughts. One of the motivated young participants said ‘‘actually it was a fabulous event which gave us a tremendous experience with loads of knowledge’. Hopefully these young environmental torchbearers will gain from the inspiration gained through their participation and will contribute towards making the world a better place for their generation and beyond.