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Friendship and Leadership Camps
IRSD have been using week-long camps to promote peace, unity, and friendship amongst children of different ethnicities in Sri Lanka. Through interaction and cooperation, the children learn to be tolerant of cultural diversity, and are encouraged to develop leadership skills for the future.
Description
This initiative started in 2001, and involves 200 children representing different areas of the district, and different ethnicities and religions. They are selected from the children’s clubs associated with IRSD in Anuradhapura, and include Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Gypsy, disabled children and children from orphanages. They spend 5 days together as a community in a public place in Anuradhapura such as a school or a community centre, cooking, eating and sleeping together as well as being engaged in a diverse range of activities.
Aims / Objectives
The initiative intends to improve friendship among children from different ethnic and religious backgrounds who live in the Anuradhapura District, and provide them with leadership qualities necessary for them to be leaders in the future.
Since children are the leaders of tomorrow, this exposure to diversity, and the training in cooperation, tolerance and understanding, is expected to contribute in the future, to the positive conflict transformation in Sri Lanka.
How it is Articulated
The participants are selected from children’s clubs in different areas in the two districts. The senior members of the clubs, who have been active members in the children’s clubs themselves, assist in the organisation of the camp.
The camp itself incorporates activities representative of different ethnicities and religions. These include sports, cultural activities, skill development, lectures on peace and security, positive thinking , and awareness on child abuse and child rights.
The evaluation of the initiative is conducted in the children’s clubs, once they return from the camp. It discusses their experience in the program and encourages suggestions on how to improve the next camp.
Achievements / Learning Points
The activities in the camp encourage participants to mix with each other and work together in mixed-ethnic groups. Furthermore, these activities ensure the inclusion of all cultures and religions. Therefore a space for all the different identities is created in the initiative, and the children learn how to cooperate with each other in their work, and how to solve on their own, minor problems that arise in living and working together. Therefore they get to apply the conflict transformation skills that they learn in practice, during the time they spend together.
Their improvement in considering others’ needs and in mediating and facilitating in conflicts become apparent in the letters their parents send us after these camps. These comment on the progress of the children after they have been to the camp, often mentioning their understanding and contribution to the transformation of family conflicts.
The participants organise the entire program, and at times conduct radio programs at the regional radio station together, announcing their programs or being interviewed by a presenter on their work.
Consequently we have realised that children’s natural talents foster in environments that do not try to constrain them with socially constructed separations.
Geographical Area of Operation
Anurahdapura and Trincomalee.
Funding Resources
Save the Children.
Stories
Translation of a letter sent to the organization after a Friendship and Leadership camp:
The intention of forming a children’s club is introducing them to unity, peace, activities and friendship through it, and facilitating them to work with an understanding on these concepts. The peace children’s club has won the hearts of young children. They like the camps very much. It is an opportunity for all of us, for the Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils to get together and share happiness.
Another thing I saw through this initiative is the commitment and responsibility of the organisational staff. The children are looked after very well with equal care and love for everyone.
Thank you,
Yours,
L. H. Kusumawathie (From Vijayapura, Anuradhapura)