Cycling Tour 2014: ‘Volunteering to Make a Difference’

Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cycling Tour 2014: ‘Volunteering to Make a Difference,’ a project initiated by the United Nations Volunteers program in Sri Lanka, was pre-launched on 12 August, coinciding with International Youth Day. Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy attending the event marked the launch by handing over a bike for the tour to UN Volunteers.

The cycling tour will contribute to the advocacy efforts to strengthen youth volunteering for peace and development in Sri Lanka by implementing the recommendations of the UNV research report titled ‘Sri Lankan Youth: Volunteering to Make a Difference,’ which was launched during the World Conference on Youth in May 2014. A group of 20 volunteers will be cycling for two weeks, starting from Vavuniya on 24 November passing through 10 different locations and the riders will reach Colombo on International Volunteer Day, 5 December. During the tour, local communities, especially youth, will have the opportunity to learn and get involved with volunteering activities for sustainable development, and get to know organisations they can further get involved with. The cycling tour is organised by the UN Volunteers with the support of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development, UN agencies, volunteer involving organisations and youth-led organisations. The UNV research report can be found at: www.unvlk.org/youthreport. For more information regarding the cycling tour please email [email protected].