Fifty aspiring political leaders making up the first batch of the Centenary Academy graduated last week at the movement’s inaugural graduation ceremony.
The event was held under the patronage of Elections Commission Deputy Commissioner P.A.S. Senarathna. Members of the Advisory Council of the Centenary Movement were also present.
The first cohort of 50 graduates included 33 male and 17 females representing the Colombo, Kalutara, Kalmunai, Kandy, Kurunegala, Batticoloa, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Mannar, Jaffna, Puttalam, Matara, Mullaitivu, Ampara, Moneragala, Kilinochchi and Matale districts. The batch also represented all ethnicities in keeping with the Centenary Movements vision of representation of all citizens.
Following an induction held in March 2021, the first batch went through a comprehensive 52-week training program on areas such as Politics and Governance, Economic Reform, Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Environment and Agriculture among many others. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, sessions were held regularly via Zoom and concluded with a residential session that also allowed the graduates to learn from each other’s experiences and work cohesively.
Following the graduation ceremony, each graduate will be allocated a mentor from their chosen field of expertise who will further guide them.
Simultaneously, the second cohort of 50 more aspiring young leaders were also inducted to the Centenary Academy at the event.