The document summarizes a proposal for a conference and online platform in Sri Lanka to connect youth with innovative ideas to mentors, organizations, and funders who can help develop and implement their social projects. A group of students have initiated this concept to address issues like gender discrimination, poverty, and lack of innovation by harnessing youth creativity. The proposed conference would introduce stakeholders to the online platform idea, which would match ideas with resources at various stages from ideation to implementation. A case study exemplifies how a girl with an idea could connect to support through the platform to develop and implement her project. The platform aims to differentiate from NGOs by focusing on select areas and being cost-efficient.

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Précis
Event …
A groundbreakingconference wherecurrentleaders andyouth of Sri Lanka will be introducedtoanovel
conceptinnon-profitsocial development.More details inpage 6
Cause …
To create a webbasednetwork (explained ingreater detail under ‘Intent’ inpage 5) where youthwithinnovative and
progressive ideas forsocio-economicchange anddevelopmentcouldconnectwith financiers,mentors,
organisationsandgroupstodevelop,incubateandimplement.
Initiator …
Birendra Siriwardhana 17, Student +94 750 123 456 dbipss@gmail.com
Committee …
Tihara Gunawardena 19, Student +94 772 991 720 Tihara1996@live.com
Divya Deivanayagam 16, Student +94 773 035 487 divyadeivanayagam@gmai.com
Maneshka Karunananda 17, Student +94 777 519 311 maneshka@live.com
Nimaya Harris 16, Student +94 773 705 677 nimayaharris@yahoo.co.uk
Sihara Jayasekara 16, Student +94 775 518 883 Sihara98@gmail.com
Advisors
Mrs. Meneka Galgamuwa +94 777 669 977 menekag@gmail.com
Lahiru Paranamana +94 771 570 963 paranaman@gmail.com
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
― FranklinD.Roosevelt

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Story ...
In Sri Lanka, social and economic impediments such as discrimination, gender based abuse, apathy, aid
dependency and inability to ‘think big’ have limited the country’s potential for prosperity. We have stagnated
and in certain cases regressed in terms of research and development, international competitiveness etc., and
have, as a result, fallen behind global progress support this statement with a quote from an authority.. This is
simply because the requisite environment for creativity, progressivism, innovation and improvement has not
been made available. The only way Sri Lanka may progressis if OUR generation breaks the mould and challenges
concepts and ideas to create opportunity where Sri Lanka’s latent potential will be realised … and there is no
starting point better than social innovation. Also focus on the availability of latent talent among particularly our
rural youth,and targetatthe bottomend of the pyramid forreal social impact.
Back story ...
Through our work on gender based violence (GBV) and gender abuse, we’ve come to understand that this and a
myriad other social problems are symptoms of much larger issues such as poverty and economic instability that
stem from stagnation. Therefore, we felt that it was essential that our organisation expands its scope and
diversifies in order to tackle underdevelopment. However, since we possessed neither the scale of operations
nor the resources to effectively achieve this, we decided instead to become a catalyst, harnessing the creativity
and numbersof youthinstead. Showothercritical areasaswell – e.g.the sustainability pentagon (referon web)
What we’ve done …
 RMDA – Concert for Change (November2013)
Fund/awareness raising concert'Real Men Don't Abuse - RMDA' presented at the Bishop's College
auditoriumtoa full house.
RMDA - Concert for Change

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 Kandy- Seminar/Workshop (February 2014)
Interactive seminar/workshop, (attended by around 300 school children & youth and about 50 adults) at the
Trinity College Hall under the aegis of, and in collaboration with The WHO. We were honoured with the
presence of distinguished panellists Dr. Firdosi Mehta (Country Head of WHO), Prof. Emeritus Savithri
Gunasekara(Professorof Law) and Justice Shirani Thilakawardena(Justice of the Supreme Court).
 Mullaitivu- WorkshopandSportsDay (August2014)
Interactive workshop and sports day in Mullaitivu, Jaffna - in collaboration with the AGA Puthukuddiruppu, the
Zonal Education Authority, and the Dept. of Probation and Childcare Services - an event similar to, but bigger in
scope,thanthe one heldinFebruaryinKandy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk98XiN5VaU
Day 1: Workshop conducted by the YAP team with the objective of establishing a cell group within the
community,itstaskwouldbe toadvocate genderequalityviaawareness,education andempowerment.
Day 2: Sportsand activitydayto put intopractice all or much of whatwas discussedonDay1
AudienceJustice Shirani Thilakawardena Act4 Forum Theatre
Act4 Forum Theatre Essay writingAudience

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 Morawaka- WorkshopandSkillsProgram (April 2015)
Morawaka, Matara District – To spread awareness about the pervasive issues of gender based violence,
alcoholismandthe importance of education.
A skills program was also conducted to teach specific skills to female participants in order to complement their
current sources of income. We also arranged for a Micro Finance Banker to educate the women participants
regarding the concept of micro-financing in order that they understand its significant contribution to economic
empowermentof women.
Our 2 dayprogramme schedule:
Day 1:
An interactive workshop by ‘Act 4’ Forum theatre which was based upon gender based violence,
alcoholism,suicide,microfinance andthe importance of skillsdevelopment.
Day 2:
Workshops on patchwork and sewing, bead craft and microfinance were conducted for the girls and women
whoattended.
Youngerparticipantsenjoyedadayof avurudugamesand face painting.
Workshop on micro-finance
Bead craft
Patchwork and sewing

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Intent ...
Our conceptisbasedon a website (underconstruction) thatwill,inorder:
1. Connectyouth whohave innovative ideastootherlike-mindedyouth,sothattheymay builda team.
2. Once the team develops the idea to some degree of maturity, the website will connect them to
academics andexpertsformentorship inpreparingthe projectreport.
3. The website would also connect these individuals or teams with international organisations (i.e. the UN,
Rotary andAISEC) for non-financial resources suchasinformation,dataandnetworking opportunities.
4. Thereafter, the website will connect the project leader/s with corporates, financial institutions and
‘venture philanthropists’ forfunding.
5. Detailed information on each project thus implemented shall be made available on the website as
inspirationalandreferenceresourcesfor new youthinnovators.
6. We are presently looking into the possibility of approaching social innovation branches of international
universities (i.e. Clinton Global Initiative University https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-
initiative/meetings/cgi-university/about/about-cgiu, New York University Stern Business School
http://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/full-time-mba/career/career-paths/social-enterprise) which would
connect university studentsfrom other countries with youth in Sri Lanka to develop ideas and projects in
collaboration. This may also provide our youth the opportunity to be recognised by such universities
whichinturn could opendoorsfor themintertiaryeducation,employment,partnershipetc.
Also describe how you will research/get to know their gains/pains, build channels for effective actions; what will
be yourkey action areas,key resourcesyou could harness(technology,people,and capital)
Case exemplar
A girl from Batticaloa has an idea to develop a household method to purify hard water. She does not
have the resources, manpower or the funding to implement it with the limited access she has to people
and institutions. She signs up on the YAP website in her preferred language. The sign up process will help
identify her areas of interest in order to connect her to other youth interested in similar fields. She
creates her project on the website which then notifies interested youth, mentors and financiers. Like
minded youth that volunteer on the project will form the team that will flesh out and develop the idea,
while one or more mentors will advise them. Organisations on the website that are in partnership with
YAP to support this concept will provide them with information, educational material and non-financial
resources. Mentors would also refer such projects that they deem exceptional/commercially viable to
financiers. Nevertheless, financiers will receive notifications about projects requiring funding and will
thence be able to fund either stages or the entire project by their own discretion. The project will then
be implemented with the assistance of public and private sector institutions, NGOs international
organisations (UN, Rotary International, YPO etc.) and embassies. Information from the project would be
catalogued and archived for reference in future projects in the water/sanitation area. Over time, this girl
may do more projects and gain experience, recognition and a network through her work which could
create opportunities for her to launch a career and have a greater impacton the country’s development.

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Showhowyouractivities will be differentiated fromthatof NGOs,how you will focuson selected areasof action,
and howyou will be costefficient in action.
Event ...
Organise a conference tointroduce the conceptsetoutin ‘Intent’above.
(Event name)
Venue: TBA
Date:
Time:
Desired Objectives
I. To raise awarenessamongstthe youthof Sri Lanka of the synergiescreatedbythe couplingof creativity
and progressive thinkingwithcorporate,educationalandgovernmental infrastructure inorderto
ideate,implementandproliferate outof the box social initiatives.
II. To engage leadersinsupportingthe developmentof aplatformthatwouldenable the realizationof the
above
Sponsor's Incentive ...
Globally, most corporates and many small businesses have understood the importance of youth led change and
have beenmuchinvolvedin supportingit.
This event as well as the ground breaking projects that follow provides a custom platform for you to add your
might to significantly harness the potential of youth towards socio-economic development, and in so doing,
elevate,inreal andmeasurableterms, yourcompany’s participationinuplifting oursociety asawhole.

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“Give a man a fish, and you have fed him once. Teach him how to fish and you have fed him for a
lifetime.”
Ancient proverb