YMCA Youth Initiative Project Concludes with Final Event: Youth Champion for Change
The final event of the YMCA Youth Initiative Project, “Youth Champion for Change”, was successfully held on 27th September 2025 at the MOH Office in Vavunathivu. The program placed a strong emphasis on raising awareness about Gender-Based Violence (GBV), creating a platform for dialogue and learning among young people.
A total of 41 participants aged 18–25, many of whom had experienced early marriage, came together to engage in meaningful discussions and transformative sessions. The program focused on dismantling harmful gender norms and fostering healthier perspectives through topics such as:
- Challenging male-dominated attitudes
- Understanding the needs and voices of women
- Developing healthy gender attitudes
- Recognizing that marriage is not a prison
- Overcoming superiority and inferiority complexes
The sessions were facilitated by distinguished resource persons:
- Fr. Jude Deluxion SJ – Director, Professional Psychosocial Counselling Centre
- Ms. Sumithra Sellathamby – Consultant
- Mr. Patrick – Acting General Secretary, YMCA
This initiative offered participants the knowledge and confidence to reflect critically on social and cultural attitudes, while empowering them to become advocates for change in their communities.
As the project drew to a close, YMCA reaffirmed its commitment to empowering youth as agents of transformation in the fight against gender-based violence, paving the way for a society rooted in equality, dignity, and mutual respect.
