101 | P a g e premises, we support reduction of the adverse per capita environmental impact of our university by paying special attention to waste management, directly making it to the SDG Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and Communities. Through our mission, not only we ourselves are contributing to sustainable waste management, but we are encouraging hundreds of students to do so, pointing them to the possibility of being part of the solution instead of the pollution. Moreover, by increasing financial resources and utilizing them to conserve and sustainably use our surroundings for the benefit of mother nature we are directly contributing to the SDG Goal 15 - Life on land as well. We have used the financial resources we made with utmost enthusiasm in our endeavor to come up with a sustainable solution to get rid of the plastic of the ecosystem we are dealing with every day. The project also contributed in strengthening the bonds between the two Rotaract clubs, because what else makes unity more blissful rather than uniting for the betterment. We got the opportunity to refresh our fellowship in the essence of service. The Greenholics journey concluded, bringing up a wonderful and most appropriate opening to a solution to the plastic pollution, highlighting the power in using a necessity as a solution, because now the students don’t have to throw away their used pens mindlessly, they have their bins. And thinking of the numbers, well the number of used pens in a day, in one of the best and most competitive science faculties of the country is not any less than unbelievable, just like the other details in the prestigious faculty. We wrapped up, empowering our communities with active service to “be part of the solution, not the pollution”. But moreover, bringing new food for thought to the table, that a small venture in love for the environment, might end up not so small. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Dewmini Jayalath Duration – 7 th of April to 28th of May Secondary Avenues – Environment, Wildlife and Animal Welfare
102 | P a g e Sayuru Pawura Phase 1 - Dive Against Debris Project ‘Dive against debris’ organized by Rotaract Clubs of the University of Colombo was initiated to guide young ocean enthusiasts about the importance of ocean conservation by promoting active participation in marine conservation efforts. Sri Lanka, famously known as ‘the pearl of the Indian Ocean’ that owns the world’s finest beaches and marine ecosystems, is now among the world’s largest five polluters of sea for the past many years. If urgent steps are not taken, we will lose our pristine beaches and underwater biodiversity which will also cost the livelihood of many which was the reason we considered implementing the project was urgent. The project was held in the form of a beach clean-up and snorkeling session, with the participation of Rotaractors from the Rotaract Clubs of the University of Colombo. The beach clean-up and snorkeling training session was held as planned on 4th of February with around 50 participants and two experts from Young Zoologists’ Association namely Mr. Shantha Jayaweera, Former President of YZA, Honorable Senior Instructor of the Aquatic Life Group of YZA and Mr. Sajith Subhshana, Former UNV Specialist at United Nations. The Beach clean-up lasted for around 5 hours starting from around 8am. The collected garbage was segregated and safely handed over to recyclers at Ambalangoda. The clean-up was followed
103 | P a g e by a fellowship session and photoshoot which allowed the Rotaractors to bond and develop new friendships. The next phase Riviera, was a riverbank cleanup project undertaken by the Rotaract Clubs of University of Colombo. Anton was the main sponsor who provided necessary instructions and the materials. As the location for this worthy action, we selected Bopath Ella Falls. Bopath Ella falls situated in the village of Agalwatte in Kuruwita of Ratnapura district, Sabaragamuwa province is a popular sightseeing destination but it was identified that the surroundings of the falls are heavily polluted due to improper disposal of debris by visitors. We as socially responsible clubs planned to act on the issue by cleaning the banks of Bopath Ella falls while implementing a waste disposal system as this disposing of garbage has been a main problem in the country. It will also help to increase the level of sustainability and will be a great benefit for the environment as well. The overall project was able to cover the SDGs; Goal 6 - Clean water and sanitation, Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities, Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and production, Goal 14 - Life below water along with the rotary focus areas of water and sanitation, and economic and community development. All in all, we were able to make a huge impact on the community and take a small step towards the protection and conservation of mother nature. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Dewmini Jayalath, Rtr. Oshadi Tennakoon Duration – 12th of January to 5th of April 2022 Secondary Avenues – Environment, Wildlife and Animal Welfare
104 | P a g e Yaluwa Project Yaluwa is one of the most heartfelt projects done every year by the Rotaract in Rotary International District 3220 – Sri Lanka and Maldives, in line with the World Down Syndrome Day which falls on March 21st. This is the rebranded World Down Syndrome Day celebrations which has been held for the past 10 years. This year more than 10 clubs in the district got together to organize Yaluwa 2021-22. Along with the Rotaract District Steering Committee, after months of planning the clubs were finally able to execute the project in two phases. The first phase was conducted as a post series on well-known persons having Down’s Syndrome, where their own ideology on the Syndrome as well their lives and what they have achieved was shared, as an inspiration to all of us while educating the general public. The public relations activities happened through 'යාலுva - World Down Syndrome Day Celebrations - Sri Lanka' Facebook page, handled by the Rotaract International District 3220 exclusively for project Yaluwa. In addition, the university media units were approached for the media partnerships, and we were able to get FOS Media, Pera Beats, UVA Rayon, Wayo Scope and Colombo Beacon on
105 | P a g e board as the official media partners of the project Yaluwa. The posts were shared by the official facebook pages of these media partners as well through which we were able to reach out to a greater audience. The second phase was held physically at the Wathupitiwala Hospital with a group of kids with Down Syndrome to celebrate the World Down Syndrome Day. After considering the current situation in the country and the health condition of all the participants, the organizing committee decided to have the Yaluwa project along with the usual weekly clinic held for down syndrome kids at the Wathupitiwala Base Hospital. The day started off with obtaining blessings from the thero and after finishing off the normal clinical proceedings, the project was started. First in agenda was a presentation done by the staff at the Wathupitiwala Base Hospital Down Syndrome unit on identifying down syndrome kids and proper treatment for these kids. The doctors also highlighted different down syndrome patients who have excelled in their lives and are living a normal life now. This awareness session was really helpful as it gave knowledge to everybody about these down syndrome conditions. After the awareness session, few entertainment items were performed by the kids. Afterwards the book prepared by the Faculty of Medicine of University of Colombo, on creating awareness on Down Syndrome Kids was presented to the participants of the event. Next in line was the arts and crafts activities organized for the kids. Kids were given items such as paper, markers and stickers, and were asked to make a card of their choice for their parents. Through this segment the creative skills of these kids were showcased. Once these activities were done, gifts and other tokens of appreciation were given to the dignitaries and thereafter the event was ended successfully. As another outcome of the project a medical record book for Down’s syndrome kids was prepared with the guidance of Dr. Dhilini. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Oshadi Tennakoon Duration – 4 th of August 2021 to 29th of March 2022 Secondary Avenues – Marginalized Communities, Education and Literacy, AntiDiscrimination and Co-Existence, COVID-19 Prevention
106 | P a g e 4.7 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ➢ Coast to Coast ➢ Ralithi
107 | P a g e Coast to Coast “Distance doesn’t matter, if roots of your relationship are strong enough.” In a time when a pandemic had taken over the world, everyone was forced to go from a lifestyle that enjoyed the luxury of not being constantly feared by the physical ‘touch’ to a completely virtual, socially distanced one. Project ‘Coast to Coast’ was organized for the second consecutive time, by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, with the hope of traveling back in time to bring back the subtle yet most heartfelt things we could do as humans to bring upon a smile on another's face. Coast to Coast was conceived with the primary objective of fostering fellowship among Rotaractors beyond oceans. It's a pen-pal program for members of participating clubs, who were paired up with members of RACFOSUOC, and given an opportunity to exchange letters via email, with the project organizing committee providing the platform. The project was conducted under the International Service avenue, through which we were able to reach out to and involve overseas Rotaract clubs, which allowed participants a more diverse cultural experience.
108 | P a g e The project was able to cover the rotary focus area of Peace and Conflict Prevention; as we achieved our goal of connecting with International Rotaract Clubs to promote understanding on how we spend our day to day lives in our respective societies. Moreover, the project was able to achieve the SDG Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities, as we focused on sharing cultural knowledge among participants while encouraging them to celebrate festivals unique to each participating country/city, thereby, safeguarding of the cultural heritage of all nations despite all differences. For Coast to Coast, the International Services Avenue of RACFOSUOC partnered up with 04 International Rotaract Clubs, which are; ▪ The Rotaract Club of The University of the Bahamas, The Bahamas ▪ The Rotaract Club of Bonn, Germany ▪ The Rotaract Club of Delhi Akash, Delhi, India ▪ The Rotaract Club of Ganshyamdas Saraf College, Mumbai, India The project commenced on the 07th of October, 2021 spanning for nearly 07 months. A total of 26 local Rotaractors both from RACFOSUOC and other local Rotaract Clubs along with 42 foreign Rotaractors participated in this project. Our participants were able to celebrate one of the most awaited festivals of the time, Christmas with their respective pen-pals this year. Thus, creating fellowship while enhancing international cultural exchange, uplifting the mental health of individuals undergoing hardships, the overall project ‘Coast to Coast’ concluded on the 13th of May, 2022 on a remarkably high note, undoubtedly connecting Rotaractors of different coasts at a time when human connection has never been more important.
109 | P a g e Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Nishakya Liyanarachchi, Rtr. Cabilan Ganeshamoorthy Duration – 10th of October, 2021 to 21st of May 2022 Secondary Avenues – Marginalized Communities, Education and Literacy, AntiDiscrimination and Co-Existence, Peace and Reconciliation
110 | P a g e Ralithi “You have the power to turn this tearful world into a cheerful one. The question is will you?” Education is one of the key factors that govern the world nowadays. It is the very tower of strength a nation is centered on and nurtured on. Currently, where the world is slowly recuperating from the Covid-19’s aftermath, primary education has also undergone a major toll unlike before. Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo is all about making changes for a better world. Project ‘Ralithi’ was organized for the second consecutive time, by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo in hopes of contributing to the upgrading of the youngsters’ prime education all over the world. Basically, this project consists of an audiobook donation along with a used story book donation to under-privileged communities overseas. These audiobooks are based on the children’s storybooks which were published by our very own Rotaractors in last year’s Project ‘Ralithi’. These audiobooks are preferably made for kids between 6-11 years and also for communities with visionary disabilities, where the stories give out a little insight to the Sri Lankan culture and how its various enriched personas entangled with childhood. The project was conducted under the International Services Avenue of the club, through which we were able to reach out to various foreign institutions and organizations which aid under-priviledeged and marginalized communities. But they are the future generation that could make ‘ripples’ of changes in the system. Thus nonetheless, it is strongly believed that the change should come from the current youth, where
111 | P a g e they can establish an exemplary base to the children. Hence the initiation for Project ‘Ralithi’ was formed last year. Though we are keeping up with the tradition, our attempt at making audiobooks, that also only with the contribution of the Rotaractors of the club is yet another innovative pitch of our International Services Avenue. The project was able to cover the rotary focus area of Basic Education & Literacy; as we achieved our goal of connecting with children in underprivileged and deserving International communities to promote the importance of literacy in this rapidly globalizing world, where a considerable portion of the adult population is still ignorant, apparently. Moreover, the project was able to achieve the SDG Goal 04 - Quality Education, as we focused on improving and levelig up of education and among marginalized communities, while encouraging to promote a ‘Reading and a Listening Culture’ among the youth. The project aims to contribute towards the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of all Sri Lanka while promoting it across the globe. For Ralithi The International Services Avenue of RACFOSUOC reached out to several overseas and local Non-Profit organizations as well. The project commenced on the 01st of May, 2022 spanning for nearly 01 month. Production of the audiobooks was the first stage of the project. Here, the following stories were made into audiobooks. ▪ Life by the sea, by hand by Rtr. Dasith Tilakarathne ▪ Little Bindu’s Brilliance by Rtr. Theekshana Manujaya ▪ Say ‘Ayubovan’ to Taprobana by Rtr. Rashmi Leema The audiobooks were sent to the Civil Outlook Nepal Organization, Nepal on the 31st of May, 2022 and they will be distributed to underprivileged, minorities and students and general public of rural areas in districts Morang and Jumla in Nepal.
112 | P a g e For the used book drive English story books and English novels preferable for teens of ages 11-15 were collected on the 30th of May, 2022 at the Science Faculty premises of University of Colombo. Thus, creating fellowship while giving a hand to improve the literacy and the reading habit of children , spreading prosperous and rich Sri Lankan culture and also uplifting the mental health of individuals undergoing hardships, the project ‘Ralithi’ was concluded on the 31st of May, 2022 on a remarkably high note, undoubtedly connecting communities across Asia and of different coasts at a time where the humanity is much more important and valued. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Nishakya Liyanarachchi, Rtr. Cabilan Ganeshamoorthy Duration – 1 st of May to 31st of May 2022 Secondary Avenues – Marginalized Communities, Education and Literacy, AntiDiscrimination and Co-Existence, Peace and Reconciliation
113 | P a g e 4.8 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ➢ Creative Fusion ➢ Innovision ➢ Future Challenge ➢ Eloquence ➢ Data Storm ➢ WiseAdvice ➢ Lifeline
114 | P a g e Creative Fusion “Creative Fusion - Intelligence made Visible” Learning to build up the public image and public relations through networking is one main focus of Rotaractors all around the world. But today under the current circumstances, physical networking is thoroughly disapproved, thereby limiting the options available, forcing everyone to network and build up a public image mostly through online media platforms. “Creative Fusion” was hence a timely initiative organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo which consisted of a series of workshops focusing on developing PR and content creation skills of our own club members. The primary objectives of the project were to educate and make aware all club members about the teams in the PR avenue, recruit new members for these teams, promote the production of quality content and to maintain uniformity of the PR content delivered by our club.
115 | P a g e Five workshops were conducted on video editing, public image and its importance, graphic designing, blogging and content writing and finally on media coverage and digital presence by the relevant directors appointed for each avenue. The PR workshop was focused on building up a brand and a public image, to which Rtr. Sithira Abeywardhena, the former Vice president in-charge of the PR avenue of our club, was also invited as a guest speaker. The blogging and the content writing workshop prioritized on developing skills with regard to caption writing and blogging by conveying ideas in an appealing way. The workshops on video editing and graphic designing were mainly based on Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, respectively. The final workshop on digital presence was conducted in regards to media coverage and provided a guide to develop the basic skills of photography and live streaming, concluding with a session for photo editing using Adobe Lightroom. Apart from the very impactful workshops, previous PR material produced by the club were also shared as examples among the new members in order to provide a sense of the expected content from the teams. Before concluding each workshop, all participants were given a chance to clarify any doubts in regard to the conducted workshop, followed by assigning a theme to be followed when making submissions for the competitions through which team members for the IT, PR, Digital Presence and the Editorial teams of the club were selected producing remarkable PR content which captivated the eyes and hearts of our audience. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Susara Ouchithya, Rttr. Sadushi Pathirana Duration –1 st of June to 17th of July, 2021
116 | P a g e Innovision “Innovation is innovation only when it's sustainable.” Today the world is run by fundamental sustainability, therefore out-of-box thinking has become a crucial necessity. Envisioning ideations boost up and aid in bringing out individuals’ true potentials. Utilizing this potential and upgrading innovative thinking patterns, facilitates the sustainable innovation culture among the next generation. “Innovision” was one such initiative organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, with G17 University Ambassadors Consortium and Benzyme Ventures as partners.The goal of “Innovision” was to get an expert insight on innovative startups towards a sustainable life while upgrading your novel ideas. The name of the project itself brought out the essence of the project which was “Innovations through creative visions”. The project was done by the professional development avenue focusing on the SDG Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Innovision took place as two webinars via zoom and were live streamed on official event page on Facebook of the club and as well as of the partners,
117 | P a g e covering the areas of “Boosting Innovative Startups Towards Sustainable Development Goals”, and were able to reach 900+ participants along with 1.9K reach on Facebook live stream. The first webinar was on the topic “ Beyond the Limitations of Homosapiens - Igniting the Sparks of Innovative Thinking Patterns”, with the participation of an award winning performance coach, Software Engineer, Founder of Braincipher and the renowned owner of the youtube channel “Ramuwa”, Mr. Randika Wijesinghe. The recorded webinar was also shared on the “Ramuwa” Youtube channel. The second webinar was held with the participation of COO of SLINTEC, Co-founder of Thuru and Venture Frontier Lanka, Mr. Heminda Jayaweera and CEO of Vibhawa Solutions, Cofounder of Thuru and Zerotrash, Mr. Hasanka Padukka and moderated by the Mr. Fadil Iqbal, Science Communication Enthusiast at IQ Labs, on the topic “Innovations for Sustainable Development and Opportunities for Youth”. The webinar ended with the choosing of two sustainable and innovative startups of a group of young entrepreneurs to the general public. All in all, Innovision was concluded on a high note, as many ingenious tactics to level up the novel ideas of all innovative thinkers for a sustainable life and the importance of sustainable thinking to build a safer world for the future generations were shared by the professionals proving that “Innovation is innovation only when it’s sustainable”. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Susara Ouchithya, Rttr. Sadushi Pathirana Duration –1 st of July to 17th of July, 2021
118 | P a g e Future Challenge “The incentive that you give to your youth is going to be the make-or-break future of the country” ‘Future Challenge’ is the club’s signature Professional Development program conducted annually with the primary intention of amalgamating the local academic arena with the corporate world. It is also the faculty’s Official Career Fair which dates back to 2004. The core of the program lies in the Career Fair and is complemented by ‘Werkstatt’, a one-day workshop held prior to the event for the candidates which is followed by a series of mock interviews held in order to assist the candidates in having more successful interviews during the career fair. The main event comprises interview sessions where the corporate sector gets the rare opportunity to interview a diverse group of over 400 of Sri Lanka’s finest Science undergraduates and graduates to open up their career paths. Ensuring the sustainability of this project, one of the remarkable initiatives taken for the first time in 18th years’ history was the launch of the official website of Future Challenge. As an addition to the previous, a segment of ‘Mock interview sessions’, were also introduced to help ease the preparations for the actual employment interviews of the candidates. These sessions were conducted by one of the leading companies in Sri Lanka. The project was therefore conducted with the aim of facilitating four main Sustainable Development Goals, namely ‘Quality Education’; by ensuring substantial increase in the
119 | P a g e number of youth who have relevant skills and knowledge for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship, ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’; by ensuring to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men and substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training, ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’; by ensuring enhancement of scientific research in industrial sectors in Sri Lanka, and finally ‘Partnerships to achieve the goals’ by encouraging partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, the initiative aligned well with the Rotary Focus Areas of ‘Basic Education and Literacy’ and ‘Economic and Community Development’. At a time when the world was halted from moving forward and forced to take a step back, the Professional Development team was able to take hold of the situation and by adapting to the new-normal, 'Future Challenge 2021-22’ - a semi-virtual career fair was conducted for the 17th consecutive year, in collaboration with the Career Guidance Unit of University of Colombo, by driving towards a whole new direction. It was conducted in 03 phases. ‘Werkstatt’, the first phase of Future Challenge, was a webinar series comprising two sessions centered around two main focus areas, providing insights on the key concepts of CV writing, interview etiquette and related skills which seemed instrumental to our participants in pursuing their dream careers. The primary objective of this series of sessions was to mold the fresh graduates in preparation for their first exposure to the career market. Werkstatt-2021 was a huge success in broadening the knowledge of the participants and boosting confidence when facing interviews. Further, enormously positive feedback was received from the recordbreaking overall participation of 200+ participants via the circulated feedback form. The second phase of Mock Interviews were introduced in order to give the candidates a rehearsal for an interview with the hope of providing an insight on the relevant soft skills and etiquettes that were necessary for their upcoming interviews to be faced on the career day.
120 | P a g e Further, each candidate was individually given one on one feedback on their performance at the interview by the well reputed company “Unilever Sri lanka”. It proved to be a huge success based on the feedback form responses gained from the candidates who participated and the exceptional performance shown by them at the actual interviews on the career days. The third phase of Future Challenge was conducted in both semi-virtual and fully virtual circumstances, at the faculty premises with an overall participation of over 200 undergraduates and graduates. In the face of COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis, team Future Challenge was able to partner up with 17 leading companies in Sri Lanka namely, MAS Holdings, Ninewells Hospital (Pvt) Ltd, Azend Technologies, Dialog Axiata PLC, Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC, Codegen International (Pvt) Ltd, Morison PLC, Virtusa Pvt. Ltd, OceanPick (Pvt) Ltd, Seylan Bank PLC, Stax Inc, Amana Bank PLC, Brandix Lanka Limited, London Stock Exchange Group, Unilever Sri Lanka and AIA Sri Lanka. And the most highlighted contribution at the event was made by Boswin Lanka (Pvt) LTD; the Official Hygiene Partner of the event, with the provision of K95 masks and face shields. The career fair thereby successfully concluded as we witnessed over 500 successful interviews being conducted. All in all, with the hard work of the Rotaractors of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, a resilient bunch of visionaries in the Rotaract movement, thus, conquered yet another obstacle and came out strong as remarkable youth leaders authenticating that ‘The incentive that you give to your youth is going to be the makeor-break future of the country’. ➢ Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Susara Ouchithya, Rtr. Sadushi Pathirana ➢ Duration – 8 th of October 2021 to 13th of January 2022 ➢ Secondary Avenues – Education and Literacy, Finance
121 | P a g e Eloquence “Effective communication is the revealing expression of a human personality” Public speaking is an art, and like every other art it has to be learnt, both in practice and theory. Realizing the importance of communication and public speaking, “Eloquence” was an initiative organized by the Professional Development Avenue of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo in collaboration with the “Speaker In You” Academy aiming university undergraduates and general public, to provide the necessary guidance to develop these skills that are often used in an essential aspect of our everyday lives, as social beings. Our primary objective was developing professionalism, tenacity and instilling effective communication skills within the targeted audience. The very informative session was conducted by a duo of experienced toastmasters with the Distinguished Toastmaster status; Dr. Prabath Karunanayake, Director HR, China Harbour Engineering Company, Founder of 'Leaders of Tomorrow' and 'Speaker in You' and Mr. Moditha Sendanayake, Lecturer, GIHE Campus, Advisor and Coordinator at “Speaker in You”, reaching an overall participation of 100+ undergraduates. Our speakers raised awareness regarding a program offered by the ‘Speaker In You’ Academy in order to guide the participants through the pathway of developing the skills needed to enhance one’s professionalism through effective communication. ‘Eloquence’ was concluded successfully as the tactics of gaining the confidence to confront a public audience and convey one’s ideas fruitfully and powerfully, making an impact on the listener, was shared, educating our audience on how to be better on both verbal and nonverbal communication to portray an impressive personality. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Oshadi Tennakoon, Rtr. Yasas Jayaweera Duration – 5 th of December to 28th of December, 2021
122 | P a g e Data Storm “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.” In today’s world, advanced analytic tools come in handy in situations like pattern analysis, finding interrelationships between massive amounts of data, uncovering deeper insights, and most importantly, making forecasts and recommendations. It is apparent that sophisticated analytics will have a greater impact on society in the future. Nonetheless, we discovered that many people in society, particularly students, have poor comprehension of this and that even those who do have a good understanding have few opportunities to practice and enhance their skills. As a result, the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of the University of Moratuwa, created the 'Data Storm' platform for the benefit of young advanced analytics enthusiasts. ‘Data Storm’ was launched in the eyar 2020, and was held for the third year running under the Professional Development framework, with the goal of allowing young analytical minds to demonstrate their skills in the field of data analytics, as well as allowing industry experts to observe and assess the participants' potential. The Introductory Webinar Series, Masterclass 1.0, Storming Round, Masterclass 2.0, Semi-Finals, and Final Round were the six stages of this competition. The project which
123 | P a g e lasted roughly two and half months, starting off with am introductory webinar series via Zoom and Facebook Live, where the first webinar was on the topic of 'What is Data Science and Career Opportunities', presented by Mr.Chalitha Perera, Former Data Scientist, Lead R & D Engineer at ArithmixAI, on February 7th, 2022. On the 8th and 9th of March, second and third webinars were held by Dr. Amal Shehan Perera, Senior Lecturer at the University of Moratuwa and Dr. Indika Gamage, resource person in Data Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence on 'Algorithm Selection and Machine Learning Practices', respectively. Many teams from state and private universities rushed to register for the event, including the University of Jaffna, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Kothalawala Defence University, IIT and SLIIT, among others, resulting in 101 teams (303 individuals) of registrations. 'Masterclass 1.0' was organized only for the enrolled teams, to provide a basic understanding of data science and to assist the participants in performing better in the data analytics case, and was held via Zoom on March 23rd, representing Mr.Praveen Ekanayake, representing OCTAVE - John Keells Group. On the 25th of March, the Storming Round began, on the Kaggle platform, where the teams had to compete each other. On the 28th of March, after the conclusion of the Storming Round, 20 reports from registered teams were directed to the review process. Dr.Upeksha Ganegoda (Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Information Technology), Dr. Ranga Rodrigo (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science, University of Moratuwa) , Dr.Chamira U.S. Edussooriya (Senior Lecturer, University of Moratuwa) and Dr.Sameera Viswakula (Senior Lecturer, Department of Statistics, University of Colombo) evaluate the viewing procedure and gave their feedback within a week. Mr. Kiruparan Balachandran (Senior Data Scientist, OCTAVE - John Keells Group) and Mr.Anuk Dissanayake (Data Science and Engineering Associate, OCTAVE - John Keells Group) guided the semi-finalists by giving them a good grip on every detail that is important for the final round as resource persons for the session 'Masterclass 2.0', which was held on the 4th of April via the Zoom platform.
124 | P a g e The format of Data Storm was changed this year, adding a semi-finals phase to the competition, intending to boost the competitiveness. From the storming round, 15 teams advanced to the semi-final case track of Data Storm 3.0, where OCTAVE - John Keells Group developed an industry-level case study with a real-world issue for the participants to solve, and on 5th of April, gave them a 12-hour deadline to complete the assignment by coming up with a unique and practical solution as well as a thorough report. The codes provided by the finalists were evaluated by a panel from OCTAVE - John Keells Group, qualifying five teams for Data Storm 3.0 Grand Finale, where the finalists were given the opportunity to be mentored. The Grand Finale was held on April 9th, 2022 at 9 a.m. on the premises of DHPL, Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 7, and two teams competed virtually while the remaining teams competed in a pitching round at the venue. The evaluation panel for this round consisted of Vindhya Mahavithana(Analytics Delivery Manager at OCTAVE - John Keells Holdings), Kiruparan Balachandran (Senior Data Scientist at OCTAVE - John Keells Holdings), Sarmilan Sivanesasuntharam(Senior Data Scientist at OCTAVE - John Keells Holdings), Vithushan Vijayananthan Data Science and Engineering Associate at OCTAVE - John Keells Holdings) , Dr. Ranga Rodrigo (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science, University of Moratuwa) and Dr. Amal Shehan Perera (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science Engineering, University of Moratuwa). The Data Dreamers were declared champions of Data Storm 3.0, during the award ceremony and, Team Pan and Binary Trio came in second and third, respectively, after putting up a good battle. Data Storm 3.0 was a huge success, sending the message to the world that Data Scienceenabled innovation and technology can be a game-changer in creating win-win circumstances for everyone in terms of economic growth, financial stability, and state development. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Susara Ouchithya, Rttr. Sadushi Pathirana Duration – 2 nd of February to 11th of April, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Education and Literacy
125 | P a g e WiseAdvice “Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding” Brian Greene There are many professional opportunities in the field of science but many people have not been able to make the most of those opportunities due to limited knowledge. Realizing this, we, the Rotaract club of Faculty of Science University of Colombo, came up with Project WiseAdvice 2.0 as a solution to this problem and hoped to attract the younger generation to the field of science. In order to achieve this, we collaborated with several schools' Interact clubs, including Visakha Vidyalaya, Gothami Balika Vidyalaya, Viharamahadevi Balika Vidyalaya, Mahanama Vidyalaya, St.Peter's College and Ananda College. It was thus aimed at facilitating three main Sustainable Development Goals namely ‘Goal 4 - Quality Education’, ‘Goal 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth’ along with Rotary causes of ‘Basic Education and Literacy’ and ‘Economic and Community Development’, as we promoted the aspects of education, youth employment in terms of the opportunities in the field of science through the podcast series as well as the panel discussion. Under the WiseAdvice 2.0 Podcast series, two sessions involving experts in the field of science were conducted and those recorded videos were uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the Rotaract Club of the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo. Podcast Episode 01 : Science & Higher Education The 1st session was conducted by Mr.Fadil Iqbal, a Science communicator, a PHD candidate at department of Physics IUPUI. During this session the benefits of pursuing science for higher studies were discussed and the recorded video was uploaded to the official You-tube channel on the 21st of May.
126 | P a g e Podcast Episode 02: Science & the Corporate World The 2nd session was conducted by Mr. Rahul Kalubowila, the Co-founder of N-Force Maritime Services, Consultant at MCKINSEY & Company, on how a background in science can support a career path in the corporate sector and a recorded video was once again uploaded to our official YouTube channel on the 23rd of May. The Panel discussion was the second and the most significant phase of WiseAdvice 2.0. Renowned science experts from the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo joined hands with us to share their knowledge and experience with youngsters who aspire to advance in the field of Science. ▪ Professor Rohini de Silva - Department of Chemistry, University of Colombo. ▪ Professor Monika Madhavi - Department of Physics, University of Colombo ▪ Dr. H. Iroja Upekha Caldera - Department of Plant Sciences, University of Colombo ▪ Professor Sampath S. Seneviratne - Department of zoology, University of Colombo The panel discussion was very successful with the participation of nearly 100 enthusiastic youngsters and we hope that this program will help in the future betterment of all the participants and any future viewers who wish to pursue a career in science. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Sadushi Pathirana, Rtr. Susara Ouchithya Duration – 26th of April to 28th of May, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Education and Literacy
127 | P a g e Lifeline “Accidents do happen; make first aid your best mate” First aid is a life-saving technique which people prefer to save lives with minimal equipment. And it is of utmost importance that every individual has a sound knowledge on first aid along with an awareness on simple techniques in managing an emergency situation related to the health. Realizing the importance of First aid, the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science University of Colombo along with Rotaract Club of General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University and Interact Club of St. Peter's College initiated the project “Lifeline” with the objective of giving a basic knowledge to the community on First Aid tips that would help with our day to day life. The project was conducted on an online platform and the session was conducted by Dr. Dharshitha Jothipala, senior registrar in community medicine health promotion bureau, Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition. The basic steps to be followed during a sudden injury or emergency situation were elaborated and demonstrated clearly in addition to emphasizing on the importance of knowing such techniques and procedures. Thus, project “Lifeline” was concluded successfully with a positive feedback from the audience, as they appreciated and valued the facts that would surely help save one’s life during an accident or sudden risk condition. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Pramudi Rajamanthri Duration – 30th of May to 6th of June, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Education and Literacy
128 | P a g e 4.9 PUBLIC IMAGE ➢ FriendzAlert ➢ Inspo 7 ➢ WeSign ➢ ESCAPE ➢ Helasa ➢ Wanderlust ➢ Feliz Heartz ➢ Sath Sith ➢ With YOUth ➢ Heritage Mail
129 | P a g e Friendzalert “The greatest gift of life is friendship” -Hubert Humphrey- Friendship is the root of every relationship that adds value to our lives. In hopes of celebrating all kinds of friendships, the United Nations established the International Friendship Day on the 30th of July. However, since people are forced into self-isolation, quarantine and social distancing with the pandemic, they are more prone to depression and loneliness. But, despite the distance, friendships, have made us happier amidst all grief and pain. Thereby, project FriendzAlert was initiated by the PR avenue of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo in order to celebrate the true values of friendship throughout a week starting from the 30th of July. The project was initiated with the sharing of an Instagram challenge to share pictures and videos of the best memories with friends along with the hashtag “FriendzAlert”, tagging our official Instagram page. This caused a huge PR boost by gaining 60+ followers to our official Instagram page, while many Rotaractors and the general public joined in the challenge.
130 | P a g e As the finale, a remarkable evening was hosted on the 6th of August, as the celebrity duo Ashene Kapukotuwa and Nifal Ibrahim, from the band Infinity graced the occasion with their presence to talk about their lifelong friendship which grabbed the attention of many Rotaractors as well as the general public. We were delighted to entertain over 90 live viewers throughout the session and the shared video secured 500+ viewers. The project concluded with a recap video which was posted on social media. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Hiruni de Silva, Rtr. Sajani Perera Duration – 20th of July to 6th of August, 2021
131 | P a g e Inspo 7 “A reminder to the blinded souls to rethink on things worth working for.” Being Rotaractors we all enjoy serving the community through Rotaract, but being aware about what Rotaract really is about, makes this a platform to learn and grow. Thus, the project was organized by the editorial team of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo with the intention of improving public awareness about the 7 focus areas. This was especially targeted at the new members giving them a head start on what they should focus on and creating a thorough understanding of how Rotaract impacts the society. The project was conducted as a collaboration of short articles and poems focusing on the seven focus areas namely; Supporting Environment, Peace Building and Conflict Prevention, Basic Education and Literacy, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Community Economic Development and Maternal and Child Health.
132 | P a g e The project content and flow were planned along with the IT team. The project commenced with an introductory post on our social media platforms featuring the 7 focus areas. The series contained 21 articles from the editors’ team and from RACFOSUOC members (3 articles per focus area). 7 weeks were allocated such that each week was dedicated towards one particular focus area. A series of 7 posts with quotes created by our very own editorial team members were also incorporated for each focus area which was published every Sunday for seven consecutive weeks. Following the quote post, articles were then published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. With the massive support from Editorial team, IT directors and all members, INSPO 7 marked closure on the 29th of October conveying worthwhile messages to the readers. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Saygi Asogan, Rtr. Thiruni Withana Duration – 1 st of August to 29th of October 2021
133 | P a g e WeSign “It's the message behind the hands that make them beautiful” Communication is a crucial necessity in the modern world. Amidst a global pandemic with social distancing and quarantining, communication has become our only mode of building connections and maintaining relationships. Among all, those who are differently abled, especially in aspects of communication would have faced circumstances far worse if not for the existence of sign language. American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most commonly used languages that uses signs and finger spelling. It is the primary language of many who are deaf or are hard of hearing and is identified as a vital element of the deaf community. In recognizing the importance of sign language, the United Nations declared 23rd of September as the International day of Sign Language. In hope of celebrating the International day of Sign Languages and highlighting this year’s theme of “We Sign for Human Rights'', the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo organized Project WeSign in order to raise awareness about sign language along with the basic human rights of people who are hearingimpaired. Project WeSign was a unique initiative by the PR team of the club to increase the reach of our club by putting together a series of touching videos with the motive of empowering the differently abled community and promoting equality among them by bringing out the beautiful message hidden behind the rhythm of their hands in communication. The project WeSign also focused on an aspect of the SDG 4 - Quality education by raising awareness on the need to facilitate equal education as well as vocational opportunities for the differently abled community. The project commenced with a Sign language awareness video featuring several Rotaractors from the club moving their hands to the rhythm of this beautiful language. This video gave out a catchy but heartfelt message on why sign language is important and how it impacts the
134 | P a g e hearing-impaired community. The video was made as a compilation of small video clips where in each, a word from the message was demonstrated by each Rotaractor using sign language ( American Sign Language). The second phase was focused on an interview with the differently abled entrepreneur Miss Thushani Rodrigo, the founder of the fashion brand TODOS. During the Interview, Miss Rodrigo addressed the misconceptions of the society about the deaf community and the audience was walked through her journey to success despite the challenges she faced being born differently abled. The video was focused on empowering not only the deaf community, but further an extra mile was reached via women empowerment and setting an example to all of society. The videos were focused on standing up against discrimination of marginalized communities in order to support coexistence by joining hands to radiate the significance of Sign Language known to be a portal to a colorful universe. The project was concluded with immense success as it reached out to an audience beyond the Rotaract community, securing 7000+ views for each video on both Facebook and Instagram totaling a 15K reach for the overall project. The comments and feedback received from the audience appreciating the valuable efforts of our club members were beyond expectations proving the huge sensation Project WeSign had caused. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Hasali Dinara, Rtr. Bhagya Wijerathne Duration – 9 th of September to 25th of September, 2021 Secondary Avenue – Marginalized Communities, Anti-Discrimination and Coexistence
135 | P a g e ESCAPE “Escape towards a blissful mind” Mental Health and well-being are crucial in building up a balanced personality. With the pandemic situation at the time, all attention was directed to the physical well-being of individuals thus, the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo took the initial step with project “ESCAPE” for the mental well-being of a community beyond Rotaract, during the Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, which was the first week of October. With the primary objective of making the platform for everyone to get away from the day-to-day problems that deter them from being who they truly are, the project was planned to carry out in two phases. Phase one; a game night to help the community to relieve themselves from the mental stress and monotony of life and phase two; an unconventional yet sensational panel discussion to create awareness and provide the community an opportunity to get their problems clarified from the professionals. ESCAPE was organized with the intention of introducing the need of escaping the stress to bring out a stronger and better version of ourselves. With this in mind, the name “ESCAPE” came to light. Conveying to the crowd the destination of the escapade, “Towards a Blissful Mind” was chosen as our project tagline. Generally, the true essence of Mental Health Awareness is hidden among numerous misconceptions and stereotypes. Especially in the Sri Lankan context, people are not always encouraged to open themselves up, to communicate with the relevant parties to seek help. Having realized this, the PR efforts were kick-started with the message of Sena, the social media personality which provided a vital timely message to the society and made the crowds curious about the project.
136 | P a g e ESCAPE’s first phase was in the city we know, the city we own according to how we highlighted it out. The escapade began with the treasure hunt, ‘MIND HEIST’. The organizing committee was also able to reach out to Redbull Sri Lanka, Pastel Co and The Regent as sponsors for the gifts to the winners of the game night, further adding to the goal of achieving a blissful mind. 24 teams of 3 members were taken in through the registrations and they were given the opportunity to mingle with the joy of getting away from life’s monotony for a while. The evening was full of enthusiasm and ended with the very best and encouraging comments from everywhere. “You can’t stop the waves, but you can always learn to surf.” The second phase focused providing professional guidance to the issues along with some humour added to make it more impactful. In order to identify the issues that needs to be addressed by the professionals, the team started off with an anonymous survey questionnaire with several questions about mental health-related issues. This was shared arund with the phrase “Speak up! Don’t bottle up.”, which encouraged people to express themselves and to seek help. 60+ responses received through this helped the team in moulding the plan for the panel discussion.
137 | P a g e Instead of making it a typical webinar, a panel discussion was conducted by two of the best influential figures in the field; Dr.Prabath Karunanayake; Director HR (China Harbour Engineering Company), Founder of ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ and ‘Speakers in You’ and Dr.Shanelle De Almeida; Clinical Consultant Psychologist, Founder of ‘The Mental Health Manager’ Mental Health Blog. The evening became more exciting with the guest appearance of two renowned comedians; Anderson Haran and Vishii. For this phase of the project, the team was able to build partnerships with M. M. Engineering, VnV Fashion, Panapitiya Walauwa, ChoKolaate and Colombo Beacon. Overall participation of 100+ was received on zoom while 1000+ reach was gained through the live video of the webinar, confirming that project ESCAPE was a efficacious approach to the Rotaract community as well as the general public. Due to the enthusiasm shown by all participants and the knowledge shared by the invitees throughout the event, the project ESCAPE ended on a high note with a very successful panel discussion. Proving the immense success of the project, the event sponsors ensured their partnerships for future initiatives which was a remarkable achievement for the club. It is evident that the entire journey of ESCAPE filled a gap in our society which needed immediate human intervention solely for the betterment of our own kind, for ensuring the community is mentally healthy after all. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Timasha Weerakkody Duration – 22nd of September to 25th of October, 2021 Secondary Avenue –Anti-Discrimination and Co-Existence
138 | P a g e Helasa “A nation’s culture resides in the heart and souls of its people.” Sri Lanka has a proud heritage of arts and crafts from the ancient time. “Helasa '' was an initiative by the editorial team of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo to explore through the depth of these cultural industries and a unique approach to address their current plight with the prevailing circumstances. The project consisted of seven articles bringing out the insights of seven industries which are at the foremost positions of the traditional arts and crafts sector in Sri Lanka. These mainly featured the roots of Masks industry, puppetry industry(ruukada), pottery, Batik industry, Mat weaving industry, Beeralu lace making industry and at the same time inspiring readers to think about the impact they can make on the national economy, in the journey of being a developed country. The IT team as they collaborated with the editorial team in designing the introductory flyer which grabbed the attention of a larger crowd. The rest of the project content and flow were planned smoothly making “Helasa” an out of the ordinary blog series. With the immense support from the editorial team and the IT team, the project marked its closure on the 26th of November. The fascinating feedback we received at the end of the series, was able to convince us that we have been successful in conveying a message on such a long-time neglected topic in the country to our readers. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Chalani Wijemunige Duration – 4 th of November to 29th of November, 2021 Secondary Avenue – Marginalized Communities
139 | P a g e Wanderlust “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore” – Andre Gide Another year rolled by, with people isolating within their four walls, away from beautiful landscapes, amazing historic sites and the eye-catching fauna and flora, all going unseen and unappreciated by tourists. This grave situation began to affect the mental health of the common public. Tourism being one of the most important sources of income of Sri Lanka, has been severely affected by the global pandemic. The Editors team of RACFOSUOC, in an attempt to play our part in helping the country overcome this period of disaster, put forward a travel blog which accomplished the Goal 08 - Sustainable cities and Communities and Goal 08 - Decent Work and Economic Growth by raising awareness on the need to conserve these beautiful cities while promoting tourism. This project was mainly focused on Basic education and literacy where the skill of literature of our team was showcased, along with reviews from the rotaract and general community. 12 articles were published within the span of four weeks, with three articles being published every week and ending with the project article taking everyone through the memory lane. “Wanderlust” was able to create picturesque sceneries within the mind of the reader making us able to expand the reach and viewers of the blog. The blog article series received over 200 likes with reaching over a thousand views and multiple comments appreciating the creative and novel concept as well as the talents of the writers for doing wonders with words. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Sayagi Asogan, Rtr. Thiruni Withana Duration – 12th of October to 29th of December, 2021
140 | P a g e Feliz Heartz “It’s not what’s under the christmas tree that matter, It’s who’s gathered around it” Christmas is the season where the hearts of the people are filled with excitement and joy. It’s the time of the year when the whole world wishes to celebrate in a peculiarly different and charismatic way. With this intention in our hearts, the members of the PR avenue organized the project, “Feliz Hearts” to spread the joy and excitement of Christmas. This was the first physical project done by the PR avenue for the year 2021/22. While thinking of the most awaited person on Christmas, the name that clicks anyone’s mind is undoubtedly, Santa Claus and his Christmas presents. Santa Claus brings with itself the message of joy, happiness, hope and merriment. Hence, even amidst the COVID-19 breakout, the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo made it a point to remind each other that we are not alone during this Christmas season, by spreading joy and love among a bunch of innocent souls. The project “Feliz Heartz” was brought to light as the members of the PR team decided to be a Santa to the children in the Pilapitiya Children’s Home.
141 | P a g e Close your eyes and picture the perfect Christmas. The smell of freshly baked cookies, the Christmas tree glistening with perfectly hung decorations and the kids playing and dancing. That’s exactly how we made their day. All the members of the PR team got together in order to make their day memorable and cheerful. The smiles and the joy that sparkled on the eyes of those young souls were captured to compile a video, to be shared on the 25th of December, Christmas day by bringing out the true spirit of Christmas. The project was immensely successful in doing its part to the community and achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 16 - Peace and Justice Strong Institutions as well as focusing primarily on Maternal and Child Health. The video did justice in emphasizing the true essence of Christmas by focusing on the togetherness, selflessness and the joy of giving with love and goodwill at a time of a crisis during which the whole world is isolating themselves to get through the hard times. The project was concluded remarkably reaching out to a greater audience beyond our Rotaract community and the video secured a total of 1000+ views and numerous comments appreciating the relentless and selfless efforts of the club. Project Chairpersons – Rtr.Dihan Lakthila, Rtr. Dulashi Chahunika, Rtr. Jayavi Kuruppu, Rtr. Nishen Malinda Duration – 5 th of December to 25th of December 2021 Secondary Avenue – Marginalized Communities
142 | P a g e Sath Sith “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” -Franklin D. RooseveltEvery generation has its own struggles. Sathsith was an initiative by the editorial team of Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo to explore the depth of the challenges that the youth face at present along with the pandemic and numerous other difficulties. During this we realized the necessity of portraying these facts from the point of view of the youth in order to make a stronger impact. As per plan, seven major challenges were selected out of the long running list and the articles were written focusing on the insights of these challenges and their impacts on youth for the future. Seven of us addressed these seven topics namely, innovative thinking, mental health issues, addiction towards drugs and alcohol, social media insecurities, body image anxiety, unemployment, and youth education, in our own point of views pouring out our genuine thoughts towards these matters in Sri Lankan context. Added to that, at the end of every article we didn’t forget to bring out our suggestions in the process of overcoming these challenges. Sathsith paved the way to expand the reach and viewership to greater heights living up to our expectations and goals through the project. Therefore, Sathsith was an attractive yet an impactful journey as we were able to gain a reach of and receive immense positive feedback from our readers after each and every publication under the project. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Chalani Wijemunige Duration – 2 nd of January to 6th of April, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Education and Literacy, Anti-Discrimination and Co-existence
143 | P a g e With YOUth “අද දවස ේවීරස ෝ සවන්සෙ අපි තමයි, අද විදවෙ අසේ රටට ඉන්සෙ අපි තමයි, හදවතින් අපි මව්බිසේ හීෙ මවෙවයි, රට හදෙවා අපි දිෙෙවා රටට ආදසරයි” In the fall of economy, Sri Lanka dropped into a fateful crisis where we had to live in a country where our ancestors would have cried if they knew the country’s situation. But behind every cloud, shines a silver lining. The intolerable pressure brought harmony among citizens to life. Caste, creed, religion wasn’t a matter anymore. This awakening brought hope. And youth in the country became carriers of the promise of a better tomorrow. Thus, came to life With YOUth, a timely initiative organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo which addresses the prevailing situation of Sri Lanka. The purpose of the project was highlighted mainly through the tagline used; “අත් හැරෙන්නට රෙෙ සීරුරෙන්” which was to pose an impact on the society by encouraging the youth as a whole to bring about change through their freedom of opinion and expression which will contribute to the betterment of the country. It was organized under the Public Image avenue, as we expected to portray within the university as well as the general community, what the Rotaract movement is through the conduct of our club and also by depicting an aspect of what we stand for as a youth movement. The project rose in four phases, namely, ‘Seeharaawa’, the patriotic musical, ‘Awaken’, the speak forum, ‘With YOUth’ facebook page, and the inspiring short video series. All of these phases addressed their own objectives.
144 | P a g e Seeharaawa, our roar, the roar of the members of the Rotaract club of the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, our ultimate epitome to the country from the hearts of its young, the patriotic musical night happened on 1st of June, at KG hall of University of Colombo, from 6 pm onwards. Our objective was to reach the hearts of the audience through tones and melodies, and bring youth from all socio backgrounds together for it. ‘Awaken’ was the speak forum of With YOUth where the youth was given a safe space to express their opinions and give solutions to resolve the prevailing situation of the country. Senior professor Nalin de Silva of the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, a few of our very own past presidents Rtn. Sahan Wijesinghe, Rtr. Thanuja Jayawardena who is also an Assistant district Rotaract representative, our immediate Past president Adheeban Gowrishankar, Rtr Dushan Dissanayake from the University of Moratuwa and Rtr. Damith Priyadarshana from the University of Moratuwa and one of our undergraduates Rtr. Ruchila Wijerathne joined us on that day to encourage the youth to build a better tomorrow by providing precise leadership and guidance to our fallen country. A Facebook page was maintained throughout the project with the intention of providing a platform for the youth to express their ideas about the current situation of the country in their own creative ways such as essays, poems, photographs, art etc. Such content we received through the link we shared, was published throughout the project, which clearly indicated the enthusiasm of the youth regarding the matter.
145 | P a g e The purpose of the short video series was to give an impactful message featuring the importance of unity and leadership to the youth. With different concepts that talk about the need of unity and the need of one person’s change of action to bring about change in the country, short videos were made and shared to the public. The aim was to take the message to the society that words alone cannot. “Seeharawa” was an absolute success, having an audience of more than 400 individuals representing the youth of the country as the melodious night ignited these young hearts with patriotism. The Facebook live conducted for the speak forum was successfully concluded, gaining nearly 1K views, proving that the essence of our initiative has already reached a massive audience. Moreover, even within the short span of two months, the With YOUth Facebook page was able to gain nearly 600 followers and publish numerous creations, opening a platform to the voices of the youth. In addition, the short video series gained a reach of more than 3K in total, accomplishing the development of the club’s public image in a venture to save our country. All in all, taking action that goes with the quote that is prevalent in the society today “You messed with the wrong generation!”, we as a part of a youth movement realized the need for the youth to stand up for our mother nation to help her overcome this crisis and to build a better tomorrow for the younger generations of the country. Thus, realizing today's necessity, the Rotaractors of our club were able to bring forth an opportunity to voice the struggles faced by our country in an attempt to make a change for the better. This is elucidated by the recently very famous rhyme which goes as “අපි හැසදෙවා, රට හදෙවා, ඒක ඇත්තමයි”. Project Chairpersons – Rtr. Hiruni de Silva, Rtr. Sithira Abeywardhena Duration – 12th of April to 3rd of June, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Peace and Reconciliation, Antidiscrimination and Co- Existence
146 | P a g e Heritage Mail “Any great achievement is preceded by many difficulties and many lessons; great achievements are not possible without them.” We all live in the present while planning for what the future holds. However, it is extremely important to learn about the past and build knowledge and understanding of historical events in order to develop a better understanding of the world we currently live in and face the many challenges emerging in the present and awaiting for us in the future. Man has achieved innumerous feats over the years in various fields of interests. From the invention of fire to the invention of the Covid19 vaccine, mad has come a long way in the scope and scale of his achievements attaining what no other individual or entity has ever attained in history. Hence it is important that we as the next generation pioneers, not only look back and appreciate these great accomplishments but also learn from these motivational stories so as to not repeat their mistakes and regrets. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the Editors Team of RACFOSUOC decided to send the buried letters of the past which reveal the greatest turning points of humanity’s timeline as project Heritage Mail: A quest for mankind’s greatest achievements. The aim of the project was to give our readers a glimpse into some of the most illustrious success stories and the encounters faced by the masters’ of genius who dedicated their lives to changing the world. The project strived to cover several SDGs including Goal 03 – Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 04 – Quality Education, Goal 09 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Goal 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities. A total of eleven articles were published in this article series which vary in disciplines of medicine, education, engineering, art, science and technology. Each article focuses on a unique
147 | P a g e invention of man giving a comprehensive account of how the creation came to be and the trials and troubles that led to the final discovery. Project Heritage Mail undoubtably emphasized on the focus area Basic Education and Literacy by providing a platform to the capable writers of the club to showcase their talent and get their work published on a prestigious and recognized site which is the club’s blog. The articles were published over a span of three weeks, gaining the love, support and appreciation of the readers in the form of likes, shares and comments. The project overall had around 250 likes and more than a thousand views on the blog. They were also widely shared by the members on their social media platforms so as to increase the reach and ensure the astounding success of the project. Project Chairpersons – Rtr . Sayagi Asogan, Rtr. Thiruni Withana Duration – 9 th of May to 29th of May, 2022 Secondary Avenue – Education and Literacy
148 | P a g e 4.10 TOGETHERSL ‘Iddagahapitiya’ is a beautiful village situated in the Kurunegala District of the North-Western Province. Approximately, eighty-five families reside in the village with a population nearing five hundred, whose main source of income is farming. For the past six to seven years these villagers have suffered from the lack of access to clean water. Their only source of safe drinking water was a tube well. However, this tube well has sustained extensive damages such as the breakage of the well’s valve, clogged pipes due to the build-up of mud and the connecting pipes at the two ends breaking. These rural villagers lacked the financial resources and equipment to repair it and the tube well was left in its’ dilapidated state. Furthermore, the village does not have a pipe borne water supply as its too far from urban areas. For these reasons, the villagers rely mainly on rainwater stored in wells for their agricultural and daily needs. However, this too proves difficult during the dry season as rain is scarce and the wells dry up. They struggle daily due to the lack of a reliable source of water and sometimes must sacrifice a meal. Another serious concern is that the villagers do not currently purify the little water they receive before consumption and are unaware of the dangers associated with doing so. Owing to these struggles the villagers face daily, our team was tasked to provide a sustainable solution addressing all their needs.
149 | P a g e 5. Public Relations Efforts
150 | P a g e 5.1 ONLINE PR PLATFORMS 5.1.1 Facebook Facebook was the most widely used social media platform to promote all upcoming, ongoing as well as the completed projects throughout the year, in addition to celebrating international days, other days of special importance and the blog articles published on the Club’s Official blog. The webinars and speak forums conducted virtually were also livestreamed in the Facebook page through which the club was able to reach out to a huge audience. Total Reach of the Page within the year