Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian Young Professionals Network for Success and Seek Out Intercommunal Dialogue

Here is an event we did to help bridge the divide between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities in Canada.  We are looking to do more of these . The response was great, 34 of the 50 attendees have signed up to volunteer for the next event. If you are interested, drop a note and come to our next meeting.

For Immediate Release
 
April 15, 2010
 
Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian Young Professionals Network for Success and Seek Out Intercommunal Dialogue
 
Toronto – On April 11, 2010, 50 Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian young professionals came together for a special luncheon to network with various industry leaders and to help build better intercommunal relations in the Sri Lankan diaspora community in Canada.  
 
The decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka has, for many years, strained the relationship between Sinhalese and Tamil diaspora communities in Canada and opportunities for productive dialogue remain scarce.  With the recent conclusion of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, however, there is renewed interest amongst Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian young professionals to initiate genuine and recuperative intercommunal dialogue that would help bridge the gulf that exists in the diaspora community in Canada.
 
Sponsored by community leaders and organized by fellow young professionals, the attendees were provided the opportunity to meet industry leaders in various sectors, including business, financial services, health care, communications, and public policy. For many, it was an opportunity to build a stronger professional network and all attendees acknowledged the great value brought to the table by their mentors.  Many of the mentors were from diverse communities including Indo- and Jewish Canadians. These industry leaders who acted as mentors at the event and helped facilitate group discussions included:
 
·        Stephen Adler, Director, Public Policy and Governmental Affairs, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
·        Priti Chawla, Chief Executive Officer, Capsule Communications
·        Xavier N. Fernando, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ryerson University
·        Neerja Goyal, Director, Regulatory and Development Operations, GlaxoSmithKline Canada Inc.
·        Aditya Jha, President and Chief Executive Officer, Karma Candy Inc.
·        Pankaj Mehra, Director, India and South Asia Markets, The Bank of Nova Scotia
·        Len Rudner, Ontario Regional Director, Canadian Jewish Congress
 
The occasion was also unique and the first of its kind for Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian young professionals in that it created a safe space to discuss how Sri Lanka and its diasporas might improve relations across communities. As Anupa Khemadasa observed, “It gave me hope that peace is possible.” “It was a perfect opportunity to bridge gaps in our careers and communities,” added Sabitha Kana.
 
The success of this first initiative has given hope to many Tamil and Sinhalese Canadian young professionals that through such exercises they can create a forum to actively work together on common professional interests and community issues that impact both groups, support the amelioration of human rights of all communities in Sri Lanka, and explore opportunities to make positive and meaningful contributions to the future development Sri Lanka.
 
 
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