The youth of Sri Lanka has the potential to drive economic development, positive social change, envir onmental sustainability and technological innovation. Sri Lanka is home to more than four million individuals under the age of 30, comprising 23% of the country’s population. Young people are widely viewed as the most significant aspect in achieving a shared goal of a prosperous nation, contributing to the realisation of the nation’s development.   

Better Y is an initiative undertaken by the Youth Development Committee of the National Council of the YMCA’s of Sri Lanka and the Rotaract Club of Colombo to highlight the burning societal issues related to the youth in the contemporary world. The project mainly covers a wide array of issues that preliminary discussions held were topics and societal issues that young people found both pressing and essential. Better Y commenced during the month of October 2020 and is scheduled to be concluded by the end of June, while the series of panel discussions will be streamed on the official Facebook page of YMCA Sri Lanka.  

The millennial generation has always understood that panel discussions are not the solution to the vast ocean of societal injustice, but open dialogue and the sharing of learning is how one inpires a generation of young activists who will advocate for tangible results. On this platform, Better Y aims to open dialogue on a wide array of topics.   
The first phase of this ongoing initiative took place on the 30th of October from 6.30 p.m. onward, executed under the motif, “Women in Business” and it was an insightful forum on gender relations in the work-place aimed at inspiring both men and women to the realisation that gender parity in the work-place, across the corporate spectrum is the ideal way in which Sri Lanka must be ushered into the 21st century. The panelists were preeminent and dexterous names in the corporate sector;  Ms.Kasthuri Chellaraja-Wilson, Ms. Sandra De Zoysa, Dr. Sulochana Segera and Ms. Alanki Kishani Perera. 

"The millennial generation has always understood that panel discussions are not the solution to the vast ocean of societal injustice, but open dialogue and the sharing of learning is how one inpires a generation of young activists who will advocate for tangible results"

The session was moderated by Rtr. Rithmaka Karunadhara and organised with the overwhelming support of Rtrs. Anuja Chirath, Shehani Aluwihare, Senara Abeysundera, Hashini Siriwardena, and Isuri Ratnaweera with the patronage of Mr. Nirmal de Fonseka and Mr. Theonis Charles Brownson. Reaching a wide audience of over 3600 viewers, the programme carried out on social media no doubt captured public attention and framed with finesse and urgency the importance of alienating cavalier attitudes toward gender discrimination in the workplace, but of the importance of deference to inalienable truth that a woman can and should be given equal opportunities in the workplace. 

The lucid dialog was found to be enlightening and invigorating to the keen audience. The programme was powered by Daily mirror/ Lankadeepa as the “Official Digital Media partner”,  Flexus labs as the “Official live stream partner” and Kelly Felder as the “Official luxury lifestyle partner”.