Parliamentary Initiative Concludes First Phase of Youth Engagement Dialogue in Kandy

The Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative has wrapped up the opening phase of its Voice to Policy Dialogue series with a session in Kandy, bringing together 40 young people and eight MPs to discuss education, employment, and regional development priorities.

The Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative has completed the first phase of its Voice to Policy Dialogue series with a session in Kandy, marking the third and final location in the initiative's opening round. Approximately 40 youth participants engaged directly with eight Members of Parliament to discuss issues affecting their lives and communities, including education, employment, substance abuse, women's political participation, entrepreneurship, and Kandy's potential as an economic hub.

Across the three dialogue locations—Gampaha, Batticaloa, and Kandy—young participants identified both region-specific and shared concerns. Education-employment misalignment emerged as a consistent theme, with participants emphasizing the need for stronger vocational training, closer collaboration between educational institutions and the private sector, and improved access to quality jobs. Young women called for expanded opportunities in political decision-making, while discussions on substance abuse traced the issue to unemployment and insufficient support services.

MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus, emphasised that Parliament must expand youth engagement beyond election cycles and integrate young people's voices into ongoing policymaking. He highlighted that the Voice to Policy model gives young people agency to identify issues, shape recommendations, and present directly to MPs without intermediaries filtering their concerns. For Kandy specifically, participants proposed tourism, entrepreneurship, infrastructure development, and digital connectivity as economic development drivers.

Rasamanickam stated that the dialogues have demonstrated strong appetite among young people for policy participation and acknowledged the Coalition for Inclusive Impact for partnering with the Caucus. He committed to advancing ideas raised through the dialogues via appropriate parliamentary processes, signalling intention to translate youth input into formal policy consideration.