Season 2, Episode 8: A Sri Lankan ‘Think-and-do-Tank, Kavindu Ediriweera
Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 8! Before diving into our next Climate Story from the amazing Kavindu Ediriweera, here’s a quick update on how Brym is doing as an organization and what’s coming on the horizon.
On March 16th, the Brym Global Working Group (of which Kavindu is a part) will have our third Session! We have 12 members planning to attend from 7 countries, with the intention of sharing experiences and brainstorming potential projects we can work on together. This next meeting will be led by Arijit Reeves, Daniel Wildman, and Jen Cole, focusing on the themes of Community Energy & Water.
Brym will be launching our first ever Community Climate Lab in Q2 (April/May)! This has not been formally announced yet but we wanted to share with all of you who are reading as a sneak peak. The Lab will focus on translating the amazing stories we’ve heard through this platform into actionable projects happening in the world. Common Project Themes include: Community Energy, Water, Food & Land. Hint: Arijit, Daniel and Jen will be leading the next Global Working Group meeting to share a bit about a new potential project that will be launching in the Lab!
Keep an eye out for our Year 1 Thesis Report - pulling together common themes and lessons from our research & development over the first year of Brym! This Thesis Report is informing the direction and model of Brym as an organization moving forward - can’t wait to share it with all of you.
As always, feel free to follow along on Apple Podcasts as well! Hope you enjoy…
A Sri Lankan ‘Think-and-do-Tank’
Author: Kavindu Ediriweera, February 23, 2023
My Past
I used to have a carefree life, full of dreams in my hometown of Matara, in the deep South of Sri Lanka.
When asked who I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d nonchalantly say - an ambulance driver! Probably I instinctively felt that I needed to be at the centre-stage of saving the dying man.
As I was growing up, Sri Lanka was going through a brutal civil war and we were in the midst of several political developments. As this was all going on, I fervently felt the need to challenge the mainstream thinking which had divisive undertones, and busied myself following political discussions whenever I could.
This passion of mine became more honed as I gained more opportunities to contribute to the discourse, through various internships and by contributing as an op-ed journalist on politics for one of the leading newspapers in the country.
Starting to study law was one of the key turning points in my life. This is where I met the Executive Director of SLYCAN Trust - Vositha Wijenayake (Back then as a tutor in law) where she got me to watch a speech she conducted at a TEDx show on youth and climate change.
That is where I started exploring more on climate action and started to read and learn more on technical matters related to climate change with her guidance.
Kavindu at his first COP conference - 2012 in Doha
Starting from the passion that developed by reading - I had the opportunity to engage with thousands of young people, policy makers and sector experts over the past ten years while building my career with SLYCAN Trust.
Kavindu at COP27 last year in Egypt!
My Present
SLYCAN Trust functions as a think-tank based in Asia, Africa and Europe and carry out evidence-based research work, policy analysis work and a lot of capacity-building on climate action at many levels, starting from grassroots communities to young people to different stakeholders in multiple disciplines. Our studies are incorporated into wide range of national policy documents and recognized by many stakeholders in Sri Lanka and worldwide.
Kavindu leading a workshop with SLYCAN Trust
We also have recently launched EthicalX - Climate and Innovation Hubs, working with local entrepreneurs who are building solutions in the realm of food systems, fashion, tourism and the circular economy. In that way, we’re almost like a ‘Think-and-do-Tank’, helping to turn policy and research into action.
Key multi-stakeholder groups that I have had the opportunity to interact with include:
Local farmers,
Policy-makers,
Youth,
Private-sector leaders,
Civil society organizations,
Community-based organizations and
Mainstream media.
These stakeholders came under a multitude of key thematic areas that includes:
Climate resilience,
Risk management and risk finance,
Youth and Action for Climate Empowerment,
Entrepreneurship and innovation (Through EthicalX-Climate and Innovation Hubs),
Ethical, Sustainable & Climate-friendly food systems,
Climate-induced loss and damage,
Just Transition and transformative solutions (With a special focus on Renewable Energy),
Ecosystems and biodiversity conservation (With a special focus on mangroves restoration) and
Law, governance and multilateral processes that includes national and international processes including UNFCCC negotiations.
Our Future
I’ve always envisioned a life that would be dedicated towards working in radical, visionary projects, geared towards enabling a meaningful tomorrow for the world.
Working towards that future requires concrete reflection and multi-stakeholder engagement, across multiple spheres including education and institution-led initiatives.
However, I fervently believe in the inherent goodness of human beings and believe we can tackle the challenge of climate change together!
Huge thank you to Kavindu for sharing his awesome story! Up next, look out for our next Climate Story on March 9th from Horticulturalist & Entrepreneur, Henry Obispo! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more exciting updates…
Have a great rest of the week everyone and a safe weekend.
