The youth Eco-Leaders (“Yathrees”) trained as part of the Kelani River Journey returned to Colombo last weekend for a Climate Change training camp. Kanchana, who has just returned from a month-long elite climate change training programme in Sweden, strengthened the Yathrees knowledge of climate change so that they can become effective communicators. The Yathrees plan to return to their local communities and conduct their own climate change training workshops. The Yathrees loved this experience, and plan to meet up more frequently, with a field trip to Sinharaja National Park planned to give them a hands-on experience to study this world-class rainforest ecosystem.

A team of Canadian volunteers have also just arrived in Sri Lanka, and have selected some of the Yathrees for a 6-day workshop on nature-photography, a skill that is highly valuable for any conservationist.

One of the Yathrees, Dhanushka, is also planning to construct a eco-retreat in his own community, which would be a place where volunteers can come together to plant trees, work on the organic garden, be involved in environmental workshops and much more!

Several JCJ volunteers will be traveling to Sri Lanka this year to work on these, and many more exciting ongoing projects, including a feasibility study into bio-gas potential along the Kelani River.

JCJ has several upcoming presentations/fundraisers about our work:

-        Thur 2nd Feb @ Corangamite CMA, South Geelong

-        Wed 15th Feb @ Patagonia Store, Torquay

-        Thur 16th Feb @ Ocean Grove ‘Chicken Shop’

If you are interested in becoming involved with JCJ, both in Australia and possibly abroad, or wish to attend any of these evenings, please contact Pat Kirkby at Kirkby_d@hotmail.com.

While we would love to share with you the success of each of the Yathrees, we only have the chance to share a few of their projects with you today:

Imala has organised a massive 3-day exhibition in his University in late December to raise awareness for climate change and other environmental issues, and build momentum for action. He has already implemented a number of tree planting projects and has planned a series of environmental education workshops in a local school.

Tharindu is running a series of campaigns to educate people about climate change and polythene pollution. He has enlisted the help of a local temple and youth group for added support. He has also lobbied a politican to protect a stunning local forest from pollution and vandalism.

Dhanushka is running a tree-planting and clean-up campaign targeting a stunning wetlands system. The wetlands are a major income source for his local community through eco-tourism, and thus it’s conservation would be a major win for the local community as well as the environment. As part of this campaign Dhanushka also plans to run workshops on climate change and other environmental issues.

JCJ will provide ongoing funding and logistical support to the youth projects to ensure their success. We have also made arrangements to send several volunteer Australian climate activists over to Sri Lanka to collaborate with the youth on their projects. Future training programs are planned to equip the ‘Yathrees’ with the knowledge to become more effective communicators of climate change.

The world is our oyster, however at the end of the day we are always limited by the funds that we have available. We thank you very much for your generous contributions and encourage you to continue to support us in the future to allow us to continue our work.

During Kanchana’s hectic schedule here in Australia she teamed up with JCJ members to deliver a series of public seminars to share the success of the River Journey. Meetings were also held with the JCJ committee and advisory board (which includes the former Governor David de Kretser), and many other leaders in the energy, finance, land care, sustainability and climate change sectors. These meeting formed important contacts and networks, as well as generating many new and exciting ideas.

The Australian media was also keenly engaged, with appearances in several papers as well as interviews with SBS News and Channel 31.

JCJ has some incredibly exciting opportunities and ideas to follow-up, and Kanchana’s visit to Australia has built tremendous support and enthusiasm amongst the Victorian community. For now we have pledged to support the Sri Lankan youth eco-leaders in their ongoing conservation projects, but we are also discussing several potential future projects in the AAP region with great enthusiasm. Watch this space!

It will be an action-packed visit, with a busy schedule of meetings, interviews, public talks, and media engagement.

There will be 4 public events:

1. Sun 27^th Nov, Westgarth: Journey presentation (sponsored and joined by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition) from 12pm – 1:30pm, followed by an open discussion of JCJ’s future directions from 2 – 4pm. Jika Jika Community Centre (cnr of Union St. and Plant St.). Contact: Jim on 0488 956 506
2. Tue 29^th Nov, Barwon Heads: Journey presentation and premier of the documentary! 8 – 9pm, Barwon Heads Scout Hall. Contact: Karen on 0413969786
3. Wed 30^th Nov, Geelong: Journey presentation, 11am-12pm. Geelong State Government Building (room 2, level 5). Contact: Karen on 0413969786
4. Sat 3^rd Dec, Glen Waverly: Journey presentation and discussion with Sri Lankan community. 3pm onwards. Contact: Manjith on 0411702064

We would love to have you at all of these events! Also, could you please help promote these events amongst your networks as we would love to have as many friendly faces along as possible.

Also, check out the ‘new look’ JCJ website: http://www.journeysforclimatejustice.org.au/

Kind Regards

Patrick Kirkby (Journeys for Climate Justice)

Feel free to contact me to discuss: 0429 427 000, kirkby_d@hotmail.com

Course content was not only restricted to theory but more practical exposure too given to us. Visiting many Swedish initiatives like wind and solar power stations, sustainably designed cities, exposure to bio gas production for transportation in Stockholm, bio energy production out of garbage and sewage for National electricity grid, are great experience we came across. It was very interesting to learn more about climate change scenarios, modeling, all protocols with the legal background, initiatives in Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), Cleaner Development Mechanism (CDM), and Payment for Environmental Services (PES), Reducing Emission from Avoiding  Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) etc.

During one month of stay in Sweden, I questioned myself why can’t we do it in our country? what make us prevent initiating…why…and always what…and how..So now I am ready to go back to Sri Lanka to try my best to continue my mission as a campaigner, communicator, leader and a citizen to do my best to convince stakeholders, direct them to do what they can do and let them think about what they should do. I am not sure how far I can go but at least I know I have 21 youth ambassadors already trained to some extent (Thanks to Kelani Nadee Yathra) to be ready to go forward and always with young energy. So let’s go for it…with like minded people, politicians and policy makers …because its “our country our future”.

Running with Bio-fuels

Private company producing Solar energy to National electricity grid

Wind power to National grid by same company

All particpants at SMHI

ECO-V was felicitated by WP environmental ministry

Kelani Nadee yatra..the journey along Kelani river is over…We had a grand final event on the 15 th of September 2011. Thanks to Western province ministry of Environment for organizing such a wonderful final event for us. All the Yathrees (travelers) were felicitated by the ministry by giving a certificate and an award. Senior minister Hon.  A.H.M Fauzi was the chief guest along with the western Province Environmental Minister Hon. Udaya Gammanpila and some other invitees. It was held at the beautiful Beire lake premises and many school children, press, government officers, Cooperate sector, and ECO-V members were among the invitees. They all were there to share the information about the journey. All the yathrees came back to Colombo. Thanks to kind permission from Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen Chandana Rajaguru who personally participated in the event we had both Selva and Newton from North back to Colombo for the event. All Yathrees were with full of energy and some of them have already started their projects which was very encouraging. Imala Aberatne from Sabaragamuwa province awarded as the best Yathree. All were delighted to watch the 15 minute documentary film we made about Kelani Nadee Yatra- a river journey for climate justice. We missed Jim and Pat from Journeys for Climate Justice in Melbourne but we knew that their blessings were wit us on that day.
Well…. thank you for every body who supported us in many ways to have our journey a success. It was not just a journey along Kelani River but a journey of Youth in their lives with a positive behavioral change.  Also it is a beginning of another journey with a message we take across the country and to the region in coming months! Let’s have our own journeys towards positive attitudinal change to save our Mother Earth from Climate Change crisis.

Well we are really looking forward to meet the Yetrees again next week and share some more thoughts. Please come and join us on the 15th of September at Beire Lake, Kala Duwa in Colombo from 9am to 5pm. There will be a video, photographs, poems, and art to share with you all.

Niwton completing the ECO hand print

Thank you for all of your positive energy towards us through out the journey – Kanchana

We made our way to the stunning International Training Centre of Vishua Niketan, where we were to complete our final day of training. Jim Crosthwaite kicked off the session leading us in an informative discussion of Climate Change. I then took the chance to give a presentation of the results of our water quality study of the Kelani River, and discuss some key issues and potential solutions. We then gave the Yathrees the chance to formally evaluate their trip, which they have described as “life-changing”, and “the best experience of our lives”! We interviewed each of the Yathrees separately, asking them to reflect on their Journey.

We begun our last day in the field with a fascinating tour of the ancient Hanwella Fort, a strategic militiary post which has fallen into the hands of many nations over its prolonged history.

We then returned to our base at the Education Centre to hear that the Minister of Environment and several other provincial MPs would be joining us to discuss the outcome of the Journey! The Minister has been a great supporter of the Journey from the start, and he was particularly impressed with the success this innovative project has achieved, including its strong partnership with the Australian charity organisation Journeys for Climate Justice, of which Jim and I were present. National media groups also came along to capture our story and report on the success of the Journey!

We then took a step outside, and the Minister and his fellow MPs donned a Kelani Nadee Yatra cap and got straight into some tree planting.

We stopped off for another awareness campaign in the town of Hanwella, before travelling onwards to the banks of the Kelani river in the heart of Colombo. We crossed the river by a hand-pulled barge, before testing the water quality and getting our hands dirty cleaning up rubbish on the banks of this beautiful river.

We then paid a visit to the beautiful Kelani temple, a site visited by the Buddha thousands of years ago. The Kelani temple is a very sacred site for buddhists, with thousands of people coming daily to pray, give offerings and marvel at the sheer beauty of the complex.

Sadly, the time had come to move along to our last stop in the field, where the Kelani River meets the ocean. It has been a magical experience to follow this mighty river from its source in the mountains, to its end-point hundreds of kilometres away in the urban coastal environment of Colombo.

Tonight we are staying at the headquarters of Sarvodaya (the largest social NGO in Sri Lanka) just south of Colombo. We are all reminiscing on our unforgettable experiences on this Journey, and are looking forward to our final day of environmental training tommorow.

After several fun-filled hours on the course, we took the chance to catch our breath and clean ourselves of mud before planting more trees around the Scout Camp. Tree-planting is just one of the techniques we have used along the Journey to improve our Eco-Handprint!

We said goodbye to our good friends at the Scout Camp (who have been great supporters of our Journey since it was conceived) and travelled onwards into the hustle-and-bustle of the outskirts of Colombo.

We picked a few strategic locations and launched a full-scale awareness campaign, covering town squares, markets and bus depots, with the support of local officials and police. We had a crazy and fun afternoon, performing street dramas, gathering crowds, chatting with locals, handing out eco-awareness stickers and singing our famous ECO-V song (about caring for Mother Earth, written by a famous Sri Lankan singer).

At dusk we made our way to the Education Centre in Hanwella, where we were invited along for the night. The Yathrees have been spending their evening finishing their beautiful journals, which they will be handing in tommorrow!