Centenary Academy holds Graduation for First Cohort

• 50 aspiring political leaders from across Sri Lanka complete Comprehensive Training Program

50 aspiring political leaders making up the first cohort of the Centenary Academy graduated on 4 March at the movement’s inaugural graduation ceremony.

The event was held under the patronage of Deputy Commissioner the Elections Commission Deputy Commissioner P.A.S. Senarathna. Distinguished dignitaries who make up the Advisory Council of the Centenary Movement were also present.

The first cohort of 50 carefully selected batch of graduates included 33 male and 17 female members representing the Colombo, Kalutara, Kalmunai, Kandy, Kurunegala, Batticoloa, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Mannar, Jaffna, Puttlam, Matara, Mullaitivu, Ampara, Moneragala, Kilinochchi and Matale districts. The batch also represented all ethnicities in keeping with the Centenary Movement’s vision of representation of all citizens.

Following an induction held in March 2021, the first batch went through comprehensive 52-week training programmes on areas such as Politics and Governance, Economic Reform, Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Environment and Agriculture among many others. These 50 change makers received a full scholarship to be a part of a ground-breaking journey towards transforming Sri Lanka’s political culture and were equipped with intellectually stimulating, transformative learning guided by an inspirational faculty of outstanding members. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, sessions were held regularly via Zoom and concluded with a residential session that also allowed the graduates to learn from each other’s experiences and work cohesively to build their plans for the future Sri Lanka.

Following the graduation ceremony, each graduate will be allocated a mentor from their chosen field of expertise who will further guide them through making positive changes in these areas. Simultaneously, the second cohort of 50 more aspiring young leaders were also inducted to the Centenary Academy at the event.

The Centenary Academy is a diverse, results-driven political movement with a 2048 vision of creating a progressive, well-trained, competent generation of political leaders for Sri Lanka who will transform the political, economic, and social landscape of the country. Its vision is to make Sri Lanka a better place to live, reset our political culture and put a new generation at the core of national decision making to chart a better path to progress over the long-term. To achieve this vision the movement presents a comprehensive, intentionally designed pathway to effective and empathetic political leadership.