Image caption: The Serendib Community Mentoring Network has been launched by the Sri Lanka Association of New South Wales. Image credit: SLANSW.
The Sri Lanka Association of New South Wales (SLANSW) has launched Serendib, a new community mentoring network designed to connect and empower Sri Lankans across Australia through professional guidance, education, cultural connection and leadership development.
The initiative was announced by Sheyana La Brooy on behalf of SLANSW on 31 August 2026, establishing a structured platform through which experienced professionals, academics, business leaders, entrepreneurs and community members can support students, young professionals, new migrants and emerging leaders.
The launch represents a constructive investment in the long-term strength of the Sri Lankan community in Australia, where knowledge, experience and cultural understanding can be shared across generations and professional fields. Rather than operating as an informal networking opportunity alone, Serendib has been designed as a coordinated mentoring program with defined participation requirements, a clear timetable and five principal areas of focus.
A name shaped by heritage and opportunity
The name Serendib reflects the long historical association between Sri Lanka and the wider world. Serendib is an Arab reference to Sri Lanka, and the term is recognised as the source from which the English word serendipity was derived.
For SLANSW, the name conveys the possibility that meaningful relationships can lead to unexpected opportunities, new directions and lasting personal growth. In the context of mentoring, a conversation between an experienced professional and a developing student or young worker can become instrumental in shaping a career, strengthening confidence or opening a pathway that may otherwise have remained inaccessible.
The network’s mission is:
“To support and empower Sri Lankans through mentoring, professional development, education, cultural connection, and leadership growth.”
That mission places professional advancement alongside cultural continuity, recognising that successful community development requires more than employment advice or academic guidance in isolation. It also depends upon trust, belonging, intergenerational exchange and the confidence to contribute.
Five areas of mentoring and development
Serendib will focus on five areas intended to reflect the varied circumstances and ambitions of Sri Lankans living across Australia.
Career mentoring and entrepreneurship
The first area concerns career development, professional decision-making and entrepreneurship. Mentees may benefit from practical advice about entering a profession, changing careers, developing workplace capabilities or establishing a business.
Mentors with experience in business ownership and enterprise can also provide perspective on planning, resilience, customer relationships, professional networks and the responsibilities involved in developing a sustainable venture. Such guidance can be particularly valuable for individuals who possess strong technical or academic abilities but have had limited access to professional role models.
New migrant settlement
Settlement in a new country involves practical and professional challenges that extend beyond initial arrival. New migrants may need to understand workplace expectations, identify suitable employment pathways, build local networks and navigate unfamiliar systems while maintaining important links with family and culture.
Through Serendib, experienced community members can offer informed encouragement and practical knowledge, helping new migrants to approach their Australian lives with greater confidence and a stronger sense of connection.
Women’s leadership
Women’s leadership is the third focus area, recognising the significant contribution made by Sri Lankan women across professional, academic, business and community settings.
Mentoring in this field may support women who are preparing for management responsibilities, building businesses, returning to work, undertaking further education or seeking greater involvement in community leadership. The exchange of experience between established leaders and emerging professionals can help identify strategies for effective communication, decision-making, confidence-building and progression.
Youth and community development
The network also places emphasis on young people and the future development of community organisations. Youth mentoring can assist students and emerging leaders as they consider education, employment, volunteering and civic participation.
Community development, meanwhile, depends upon a continuing supply of capable and committed people who are prepared to organise activities, support others and contribute to institutions serving the wider community. Serendib can provide a setting in which those responsibilities are discussed openly and developed through practical encouragement.
Academic and research careers
The fifth area is academic and research careers, offering a pathway for students and early-career researchers to engage with people who understand the demands of higher education, scholarly work and professional research.
Guidance in this field may include advice about academic progression, research planning, professional presentation, collaboration and the development of long-term goals. It also creates an opportunity for established academics to contribute their experience to the next generation while strengthening the intellectual resources of the Sri Lankan community in Australia.
A structured model for meaningful relationships
Serendib will operate through small mentoring groups, with one mentor paired with up to three mentees. This format has been selected to encourage focused discussion while allowing participants to learn from the experiences and questions of others.
The groups will meet quarterly online over a nine-month period, creating a defined program cycle rather than a single introductory conversation. Online meetings also enable participation by members living in different parts of Australia, reducing the geographical limitations that can affect community programs centred in one city.
The mentoring groups will be complemented by SLANSW community events and related initiatives. This combination of online discussion and in-person community connection is intended to provide both continuity and breadth, allowing participants to develop their mentoring relationships while also engaging with the wider work of SLANSW.
Participants will share responsibility for building respectful and productive relationships. SLANSW will facilitate the recruitment, matching and coordination process, while mentors and mentees will be expected to participate in good faith and contribute to an inclusive environment.
Eligibility and participation
All mentors and mentees must be SLANSW members aged 18 or over. The requirement establishes a common connection to the organisation and confirms that participants are joining a program founded upon shared community values.
Mentors may include experienced professionals, academics, business leaders, entrepreneurs and community members who are willing to share knowledge, encouragement and practical insight. Mentees may include students, young professionals, new migrants and emerging leaders seeking guidance in one or more of Serendib’s five focus areas.
Expressions of interest for Cohort 1 close at close of business on Monday, 21 September 2026.
Prospective mentors can register their interest through the official mentor form, while prospective mentees can register through the official mentee form. SLANSW has also published its code of conduct for the network.
Questions about Serendib may be directed to Sheyana La Brooy, the SLANSW Serendib Program Lead, via secretary.slansw@gmail.com.
Building stronger connections across Australia
The launch of Serendib demonstrates how community organisations can respond to changing needs through structured, accessible and forward-looking initiatives. Its value will not be measured only by the number of meetings held, but also by the confidence developed by mentees, the knowledge shared by mentors and the relationships that continue beyond the formal nine-month program.
The initiative is particularly timely because Sri Lankans across Australia are active in an increasingly broad range of professions, industries, educational institutions and community organisations. A mentoring network can help bring those capabilities into closer contact, while ensuring that students, new migrants and emerging leaders are not required to navigate every challenge without informed support.
The program also provides a practical expression of cultural connection. By combining professional development with shared heritage and community participation, Serendib reflects the possibility of progress that remains grounded in identity, service and mutual responsibility.
Further community opportunities and Sri Lankan events in Australia can be explored through eLanka’s event listings. eLanka also previously reported on the broader promise of the initiative in Sheyana La Brooy’s earlier feature on Serendib; this report focuses specifically on the official launch, program structure and participation details announced by SLANSW.
Serendib offers a clear and purposeful framework through which experience can be shared, ambition can be encouraged and community leadership can be developed. Its success will depend upon the commitment of participants, but its foundation has already been established through a carefully considered model that connects professional opportunity with cultural belonging.
Source: https://slansw.org.au/blogs/introducing-serendib-the-slansw-community-mentoring-network
This article was written based on the source https://slansw.org.au/blogs/introducing-serendib-the-slansw-community-mentoring-network, kindly email us at info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.
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