America House in Sri Lanka: A Platform for Reconciliation

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000644


STATE FOR SCA/INSB, SCA/PD (PFLEIDERER) AND R

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PGOV KIRC ASEC CE
SUBJECT: America House in Sri Lanka: A Platform for Reconciliation


1. SUMMARY: The Government of Sri Lanka's military defeat of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has brought an end to the
island's 26-year conflict. However, winning the peace and
overcoming deep mistrust that exists between communities will be a
major challenge. A critical element of those efforts will be
building reconciliation among youth, as fifty percent of Sri Lanka's
population is under the age of thirty. The Embassy's Public
Diplomacy section is spearheading the Mission's efforts to support
youth reconciliation. To this end, Post has drafted a Strategic
Communication Plan that refocuses its PD resources and tools on this
goal. Post seeks additional resources to expand its programming and
activities related to the plan. At the center of these efforts,
Post seeks funds at this time to open and support a resource center
and two regional satellites to serve as PD platforms. PAO discussed
the issue with RSO Colombo. RSO approved in principle the opening
of facilities that are not co-located with Embassy on the Chancery
compound, provided PD funds security upgrades and coordinates
co-location waivers with DS, OBO and RSO Colombo. End Summary.

Youth: A Vital Element of Reconciliation
--------------


2. Fifty percent of Sri Lanka's population is under 30 years of
age, according to a report from the United Nations' Population
Division. After 26 years of intermittent war, approximately half
of the people of Sri Lanka do not have an active memory of
pre-conflict Sri Lanka. Instead, their image of Sri Lanka has been
defined by nearly three decades of violence, division, and mistrust
between ethnic communities. Moreover, during the conflict there
were few opportunities for young people to interact with other youth
who lived "behind enemy lines." With such limited contact,
prejudices developed and solidified. Although the physical divides
may disappear with the end of the conflict, the mental and
psychological divides remain. Moving forward, forging a lasting
peace will depend on engaging youth from different backgrounds in
initiatives that promote cooperation and reconciliation and help to
support the development of a tolerant, democratic, and united Sri
Lanka.

Public Diplomacy Programming:
Enabling Reconciliation
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3. Post's Public Diplomacy section is spearheading the Mission's
efforts to engage and influence Sri Lanka's youth in support of
reconciliation. Programs aim to provide youth with the skills to
become active citizens and opportunities to work together with their
peers from other backgrounds to address issues of local and national
concern. To this end, the Mission has refocused its Public
Diplomacy tools and resources around a Strategic Communications Plan
targeting youth. The plan has three primary objectives: 1) Youth
around the country work together on projects that strengthen
cooperation and counter extremism; 2) Youth around the country have
access to quality English language instruction and English is used
as a tool to bridge language barriers between Sinhala-speaking and
Tamil-speaking youth; and 3) Youth become leaders in their
communities and work together across ethnic and regional divides to
tackle issues of local and national importance.


4. Under this Strategic Communications plan, Post has already
organized several programs and initiatives. To support the first
objective, Post is co-sponsoring a nation-wide youth conference that
will take place this summer. In line with the goals of the
conference, Post will organize the participation of an American
speaker who will focus on motivating and organizing young women to
become involved in community leadership. Post will also provide
assistance to ensure the entire conference is simultaneously
interpreted into Sinhala and Tamil. In support of the second
objective, Post recently concluded a three-week English Teacher
training workshop that brought together teachers from both Sinhala
and Tamil backgrounds. Later this year, for the second phase of the
program, the teachers will work together to train additional
teachers. To support the third objective, in April, Post sent 17
-young community and business leaders on a three-week exchange
program to the US. The program focused on creating strategies for
youth to work together, across ethnic and geographic boundaries, to
address community challenges. The participants are now working
together with colleagues they met in the US to design projects that
will be implemented in Sri Lanka.

Ideal Time to Increase Resources
--------------


5. With the end of the war, now is the optimal time to increase
Public Diplomacy resources and greatly expand Post's reconciliation
efforts among youth. A relatively small amount of financial
resources can go a long way in extending the Mission's ability to
positively influence youth.

Martin Luther King Jr House and Hubs
--------------


6. At the center of Post's Strategic Communications plan is the
establishment of a resource center in Colombo, outside of the
Embassy walls, with a corresponding network of mini-resource centers
in regions outside of Colombo. To promote the notion of tolerance
and diversity, the resource center would be called the "Martin
Luther King Jr (MLK) House" and the mini resource centers "MLK
Hubs." The MLK House and Hubs would include four main components:
English language teaching facilities; a space for programming
(discussions, lectures, meetings, workshops and cultural events); a
resource library; and an IT center for programs and classes.


7. Administratively, the MLK House and Hubs would be affiliated
with and run by the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission. A
management board with two US Embassy employees and the Executive
Director of Fulbright would hire, oversee, and evaluate the manager
of the center (to ensure US Embassy control). Fulbright has a long
and respected history in Sri Lanka. Partnering with the Fulbright
Commission would help to overcome access concerns, while creating a
management structure that enables the Embassy to maintain control
over the network.


8. Funding would be needed to lease the space, upgrade the
facilities, and pay staff salaries. Post would aim to generate
revenue from the network through fee-based English and IT classes
(some classes would also be free of charge),membership at the
resource center, renting space to outside groups, and allowing use
of digital video conference equipment and simultaneous translation
facilities for a fee.


9. PAO discussed the issue with RSO Colombo. RSO opined that
opening facilities that are not co-located with on the Chancery
compound is possible, provided PD funds security upgrades and
coordinates collocation waivers with DS, OBO and RSO Colombo.


10. Post eventually plans for MLK Hubs to be located in eight
cities, in or near locations where Post has Access English
Microscholarship programs. Each hub would include a small resource
center and a multipurpose room for programs, meetings, or classes.
One full-time coordinator would run each hub. Initially, Post would
like to establish two hubs to complement the MLK house; the pilot
hubs would be located in Kandy and Oluvil, where post currently has
American Corners. Other hubs would be opened pending the
availability of funds and the success of the pilot hubs.

Increased Public Diplomacy Programming
--------------

11. The MLK Network is a central element of Post's Strategic
Communications Plan. Programs and activities at the Center and the
Hubs will help the Mission maximize the effectiveness of its PD
programming and meet the three objectives of the plan. In addition
to establishing the MLK Center and Hubs, post is planning other
youth reconciliation programs over the next year. The following
programs are some of the activities/initiatives planned.

Youth Volunteer Corps

A. Post is working with the Peace Secretariat, a governmental
institution that supports reconciliation, and Roteract, the youth
wing of the Rotary Club, to organize a program where youth leaders
from urban areas spend 2-3 weeks volunteering at schools in rural
areas. Post will work with US-based specialists to help design the
program and would provide financial support to start the program.

Sri Lanka through My Eyes

B. Post is organizing a nation-wide program where youth who have
little or no filmmaking experience work in multi-ethnic,
multi-regional teams to learn the basics of filmmaking and script
writing and make short films on themes that reflect values common to
the participants. At the end of the program, films will be screened
at events in each of the program cities and on national television.
Internships for some participants will be organized in coordination
with program partners. An American filmmaker will lead the project,
working together with local filmmakers.

This I Believe

C. Based on a radio program created by Edward R. Murrow and
broadcast on National Public Radio, working together with the MLK
Hubs and House, Post is organizing a program for youth to write
essays on their core beliefs and values. Essays will be written in
the student's native language, but translated into other languages.
Selected essays will be featured regularly on a national radio
station.

ACCESS Community Grants

D. Annually, Post would like to bring together top students from
the Access English Microscholarship program for a four-day workshop
at the King House in Colombo. The workshop would focus on using
English as a tool to build greater understanding. As part of the
program, working in teams comprised of students from various cities
and ethnic backgrounds, students would develop community projects to
implement in their towns. Each team would be given a small grant
($500 maximum).

Traveling Teachers

E. Post would like to develop an English language curriculum for
rural areas that combines classroom instruction with text messaging
follow-up and phone assignments. Three teams of two teachers would
each cover five villages. Schedules would be arranged that they
visit each village for a class every two weeks. Interim assignments
would be conducted via text messaging and by phone and supervised
through a call center of 2-3 teachers who would be located at the
King House in Colombo. Teachers would be Sri Lankan, but trained by
Americans. Curriculum design would also be done by a US
specialist.

Resource Request
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12. With the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka and new opportunities
to support a lasting peace, Post requests the Department to consider
supporting the opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr House in
Colombo and two regional MLK Hubs. Post estimates the initial costs
would be $1.25-1.75 million with annual operating costs around
$300,000. Post will implement the other programs outlined above
with existing funds and with additional resources that will be
requested septel.

MOORE