The Russian House in Colombo together with the National Youth Services Council of Sri Lanka successfully hosted an insightful webinar for the youth of the nation in celebration of the International Youth Day on of August 12. The online event took place on the of August 13, 2021 with the participation of over 100 individuals who expressed their interest in connecting with Russian youth.
The discussion began with Madam Anastasia Khokhlova, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation and Director of the Russian House in Colombo giving her assurance on Russia’s support to strengthen youth relations between the two countries.
“There are effective instruments to empower Sri Lankan youth offered by Russia. For instance, there are Russian Government scholarship program and the New Generation program.
We invite Sri Lankan citizens to apply for scholarships at the official website education-in-russia.com, the procedure is completely transparent and allows to get free tuition for Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD and advanced training programs at Russian State universities. Next year enrollments campaign starts in January. And we also invite active members of Sri Lankan society aged 25 to 35 to apply for the New Generation program by filing your details at the Russian House in Colombo to enable us to invite you to visit Russian and take part in international youth forums, conferences and other events with all charges covered by the Russian side”, said Mrs. Khokhlova.
Chairman of the Youth Services Council of Sri Lanka, Damitha Wickramasinghe too pledged his allegiance to support this cause on behalf of his organisation.
Joining the evening’s discussion were representatives from the Russian Association of Young Metallurgists who invited Sri Lankan youth to participate at the “Metal Cup” students contest organised on the international level. The president of the organisation, Alexander Vlasov further explained their intentions of affiliation with Sri Lankan technical universities, providing more opportunities for local youth.
Other notable participants who actively engaged in discussion at the event included Dr. Ravindra Koggalage, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology of the University of Vocational and Technology of Sri Lanka, Miss Chilani Atalugama, participant of the New Generation program held in Russia, Chithral Ambawatte, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering of the Ruhuna University who is also a former president of NAITA and a graduate of Patrice Lumumba University.
Additionally, the webinar was made interactive with the participation of Russian graduates, Sri Lankan students currently being educated in Russia, members of the Youth Services Council of Sri Lanka, representatives of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament, Sri Lankan participants of the New Generation program, students of the various schools of the Russian House in Colombo, students and lecturers of the University of Vocational and Technology of Sri Lanka and many other youth who were keen to build relations with Russia and its youth.
The event was concluded following a successful discussion between the organisations and institutions that were present, all of whom agreed on extending their fullest support to assist each other in empowering the youth of the countries, providing opportunities and sharing knowledge.