Youth are being empowered to participate in the electoral process and ensuring their representation at all levels of government under NPC’s Active Citizens for Elections and Democracy (AECD) project, which is supported by the European Union.
Ten advocacy meetings for youth were planned. Follow up meetings were held with youth and district partner representatives via zoom, bringing together youth from various districts including Galle, Matara, Kalutara, Colombo, Nuwara Eliya and Batticaloa. The focus was on guiding the youth to develop strategies advocating for a youth quota and greater political participation.
The discussions covered topics such as developing campaign strategies, engaging with political parties in their local government areas, collaborating with journalists and social media influencers to promote advocacy efforts, preparing statements for campaigns and using social media platforms. The youth were encouraged to connect with community networks such as women rural development societies, rural development societies, local sports clubs and other community based organizations to support their advocacy.
The sessions were facilitated by NPC Project Manager P. Benignus and Senior Project Officer Sampath Randunna who led the discussions and ensured that the meetings were productive.
Research sharing sessions were held in the Gampaha, Kegalle and Jaffna districts, which focused on factors influencing voter preferences in elections, providing insights into voter behaviour and offering data to support future advocacy efforts. The sessions were facilitated by Dr. Mahesh Senanayake and Ms. Chrishni Silva, senior lecturers and researchers at the University of Colombo. Each session was attended by 35 participants including civil society members, religious leaders, youth leaders and women leaders.
The discussions explored the implications of voter behaviour on electoral processes and provided a platform for participants to discuss the findings and their relevance for future campaigns. Participants expressed appreciation for the analysis and recommendations shared.