Last year Girawa founded the Planetary Health Youth Clubs in Brazil beginning with communities in Lins, and Taubaté cities in Brazil. Participating students carried out activities in their local communities such as growing vegetables, visiting local museums and water supply infrastructure, and interviewing local experts and academics. (Read more here and here). The next aim was to create youth clubs in Sri Lanka making the initiative an international collaboration.
The morning of August 10, 2024 marked a great milestone for Girawa as the Youth Club Project held its first international online meeting between members of the Brazil Youth Club and students of the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka.
The meeting was attended by 6 members of Clube Juvenil Brasil and 26 students representing 5 different Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) Centres (Udumulla, Rathgama, Kothmale, Bandarawela and Monaragala) from the Foundation of Goodness, with the support of their teachers and the Girawa team. Young people met and discussed their local culture, customs, hobbies, favourite food, the importance of planting trees, water treatment in their communities and the Girawa educational material used in their Planetary Health activities.
The meeting aimed to integrate Clube Brasil members with students from Sri Lanka, encouraging them to develop Planetary Health activities in their communities and publicize them on their social networks with youthful language so that they can encourage and mobilize other young people in their community, and the world in promoting peace, well-being and activities that contribute to human health and the planet.
First the student discussed their favourite hobbies, where there were many things in common such as reading, gardening and cooking, which was an opportunity for the students to learn about each country’s traditional foods for example Kottu and String Hoppers in Sri Lanka. Students had also been planting trees common to the tropical climate countries such as banana, mango, avocado, guava and papaya. They also discussed how water is supplied and wastewater is treated in their respective countries. Finally they discussed the practical activities they had completed in association with Girawa’s educational materials, and they expressed how much the materials helped them to learn about planetary health topics such as Covid-19, agriculture and the impacts on health.
The next meeting is scheduled for November 2024 between students of the Clube Brasil and five other VHE Centres in Sri Lanka.
Support: “Núcleo Regional Lins da ABPEducom, Foundation of Goodness, “Rotary Club de Lins Norte” and Sabesp Lins company.
The coordination of the Girawa Youth Club Project collaborated with young people from Clube Juvenil Brasil in the production of the interactive video, with the aim of encouraging and mobilizing students from the Foundation of goodness -Sri Lanka to participate in the first online meeting that took place on the morning of August 10, 2024.
We would like to thank Joelita Rocha for coordinating student input from Brazil, Vanessa Siviero for assisting with translations, Muriel Anoma and Edward Edin for coordinating student input from the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka, and the following students to participating in the first successful international meeting.
From Lins, Brazil – Maria Luisa, Letícia and Marina.
From Taubaté, Brazil – Eliza, Otávio and Rafaela.
From Udumulla VHE FOG Centre, Sri Lanka – A.P. Chanugi Omalya, A.P. Kulasara Geedew, W.L. Nethuki Nisethma, G.H. Rusiru Wishmitha and N.H. Kavith Nethsara.
From Rathgama VHE FOG Centre, Sri Lanka – P.D. Uvini Pahandima, K. Gayuni Nishadi, R. Chethana Lakmali, M. Imasha Dasun, W. Senuri Kavindi and K. Tishan Desandu.
From Kothmale VHE FOG Centre, Sri Lanka – Uthara Ovindi, Wassika Durangi, Rashmi Harshika, Parami Sanjana and Sandaru Pathum.
From Bandarawela VHE FOG Centre, Sri Lanka – Hiruni Apsara, Udayavi Saurangana, Udula Dineth, Kavisha Gimhan and Senara Sadamini.
From Monaragala VHE FOG Centre, Sri Lanka – W.Diluni Divyanjali, D.M. Samudi Pehesara, H.P.B. Senuri Radika, R.A. Rumidu Dilsara and H.M. Mayumi Udanika.
