What were the major issues that were expressed in the group? Please provide a summary of all the key points that were shared at the forum.
Challenges to Youth Participation in Sri Lanka
- Cultural (respect for authority, elders do not encourage youth to give opinion, elders see youth as irresponsible)
- Gender inequity (need to increase female participation)
- Language barriers (Sinhala / Tamil, many do not speak English)
- Ethnic problem (Many youth only know war as their reality)
- Poverty (many cannot think beyond getting a job, cannot focus/study if hungry)
- Different challenges based on where you live (rural/urban, plantation, garment)
- Political manipulation of youth (many become clones of political parties)
- Lack of opportunities and resources
- Voice of youth is not valued
- Education System (very competitive, 2% in University)
- High suicide rates (many youth especially in urban areas feel isolated)
- Attitude/Motivation (lost faith that they can shape their future, self-imposed)
- Little time for recreation (high levels of responsibility)
- Bureaucracy (difficult to simply book meeting rooms)
- Political state of the country (instability, insecurity, conflict)
- Favoritism (to a small group of select people who participate on behalf of youth)
|
