Young Sri Lankan journalists embark on journey in entrepreneurship

Thirty (30) dynamic Sri Lankan journalists launched their journey into the exciting world of entrepreneurship, at a workshop on entrepreneurship for young journalists conducted on 13 and 14 July, 2024, at NH Collection Hotel, Colombo. 

The young journalists represented print, electronic and digital media. Some were influencers who owned their own media platforms. They had been selected out of a competitive application process. They were the lucky ones amongst the 212 young journalists who had applied. 

The program was presented by the International Labour organisation, ILO and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, CCC, in collaboration with the Rainbow Institute of Communication.

The entrepreneurship for young journalists’ program is part of the ILO program, South Asia Leadership in Entrepreneurship (SALE). It is implemented in Sri Lanka in partnership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The program promotes entrepreneurship as a career option for youth, discarding the traditional ambitions of young graduates of public sector employment. SALE encourages entrepreneurship and an enabling environment for business. Focusing especially on the digital economy and e-commerce SALE supports youth’s entry into this sector, and provide them with training and awareness of the opportunities this sector offers. 

Role of media in strengthening entrepreneurship

SALE identifies the role of media in disseminating knowledge, shaping opinions and attitudes and has included a component focusing in empowering young Sri Lankan Journalists in entrepreneurship. This is being done through capacity development and mobilising the participation of young journalists in the awards scheme for young entrepreneurs. 

Entrepreneurship journalism is popular at global level today. It plays a pivotal role in media development by fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and ensuring the sustainability of the journalism industry. This niche focuses on stories about new business ventures, start-ups, and the broader economic environment, shedding light on the challenges and successes of entrepreneurs. 

 The ILO SALE programs engagement with local journalists aims at motivating the journalists to cover entrepreneurship as a subject area for reporting and thereby boost the image of entrepreneurship and also equipping young journalists to embark on entrepreneurial initiatives to complement the income they earn through journalism.

The young journalists were exposed to key areas of entrepreneurship journalism during the workshop which was activity based. The workshop commenced with an introduction to the entrepreneurial eco system by the ILO Chief Technical Advisor Dr. Thomas King. This was followed by interactive sessions on identifying and developing stories on entrepreneurship conducted by Charindra Chandrasena. 

Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka Fact checkers Pavithra Sandamali and S.G. Prabhu enlightened participants on how to identify and counter fake news and disinformation. 

Hasitha Dela, conducted an informative session on how to use Artificial Intelligence for entrepreneurship reporting and Omar Rajaratnam discussed how to leverage digital tools for entrepreneurship reporting. 

Young journalists’ discussion with young entrepreneurs 

The grand finale of the workshop was a panel discussion with four outstanding young entrepreneurs. They were winners of the ILO- CCC, SPARK competition 2023, for young entrepreneurs. 

 The panel discussion was a first-time media experience for the young entrepreneurs Helani Adhikara, Malindu Pradinath, Kavindi Ransinghe, and Hansana Janinda.

It was also a first time in interviewing such a panel of young entrepreneurs for the young journalists. The synergy brought by the two groups was strong and a vibrant discussion took place. 

At the conclusion of the program, ILO and CCC announced that there is a special segment for young journalists in the 2024, SPARK competition for young entrepreneurs launched by ILO and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Entries are now being accepted and it is open to all young Sri Lankan Journalists. 

Opportunity for young journalists through SPARK 

ILO National Project Coordinator (Youth Entrepreneurship) Erandhika Dissanayake, Communications Officer Kaushalya Kathiresan, and CCC Senior Assistant Secretary General Manori Dissanayake, officiated at the event and urged the young journalists who participated in the workshop to submit their work for the SPARK competition this year. 

The SPARK Youth Entrepreneurship Competition provides a platform for Sri Lankan youth aged 15 to 30 to pitch innovative entrepreneurial solutions.

The competition enhances participants’ skills through workshops and boot camps, with national and international recognition and networking opportunities. The competition is part of the “South Asia Leadership in Entrepreneurship” project by the International Labour Organisation and USDOS. Entries close on 15 July. The Grand Finale is schedules for 2024. Winners will receive trophies, awards, and foreign exposure visits. 

The journalists who participated were motivated through their newly-kindled interest in entrepreneurship. They expressed their desire to follow up by producing media content on entrepreneurship, embarking on their own entrepreneurial ventures and also participating in the SPARK competition 2024 and contributing towards a resilient and sustainable media landscape in Sri Lanka.