British Council announces support for three Sri Lanka-UK collaborations through the Connections Through Culture Grant Programme The British Council has announced the recipients of the 2024 Connections Through Culture (CTC) Grant Programme, with three Sri Lankan projects awarded grants for the first time since the programme’s inception. Initially founded as a platform for fostering vibrant collaborations between artists in the United Kingdom and the East Asia-Pacific, this year’s grant cycle, however, marked an exciting milestone as the programme expanded to include South Asia, welcoming grantees from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh alongside those from Australia, New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The British Council’s CTC Grant Programme stands as a testament to the organisation’s commitment to cultivating international artistic connections and promoting the exchange of ideas and creativity. The programme supports 84 innovative projects this year, three of which are collaborations between participants from the United ...
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The British Council Sri Lanka and UKVI conduct insightful session for UK education agents and school counsellors The British Council Sri Lanka recently hosted an interactive and informative seminar for UK education agents and school counsellors in Colombo recently. The event was attended by a large gathering of UK education agents and school counsellors, receiving an opportunity to engage with visiting senior UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) expert Neetu Prakash – Customer Account Manager, Visits, South and Southeast Asia, UKVI. Education agents and counsellors play a vital role in marketing UK education and supporting international students to achieve their goal of studying in the UK. This ensures students have an outstanding international student experience during their time in the UK. The British Council works with education agents and counsellors to ensure and improve the quality of the education experience. In collaboration with its sector partners such as British Universities’ International ...
New Climate Futures programme offers grants for Sri Lanka artists and cultural organisations tackling climate change The Climate Futures: South Asia Programme by the British Council is now open for applications from Sri Lanka – the program offers grant opportunities for artists and cultural organisations to address the climate emergency through innovative projects and practices. The Climate Futures: South Asia programme is designed to support the arts sector with grants of £15,000 available to artists and cultural organisations. The grant supports artist-led initiatives that promote knowledge creation and sustainability in the cultural sector; the designing and implementing a sustainability strategy or process for organisations (including capacity building initiatives) and optimise infrastructure to enhance climate change awareness and sustainable approaches within the arts sector. “We believe that the arts have a crucial role to play in addressing the climate crisis,” said Orlando Edwards, Country Director – British Council Sri Lanka. “Climate ...
Empowering with words: British Council holds Reading for Life challenge Congratulations to Polymath College which became the first school to complete the British Council Reading for Life challenge! Over 150 Polymath students completed the March-April 2024 Reading Challenge by reading at least six books in six weeks and were rewarded with a certificate upon completion. Orlando Edwards, Country Director, British Council Sri Lanka said “Reading is a great way to improve vocabulary and learn new things. Reading opens up a world of opportunities for children, exposing them to other cultures, attitudes and issues, such as the environment. It can inspire imagination and creativity.” Books were lent by the British Council Library which has just refreshed its 2024 stock with many new titles, including works by Sita Bramachari and Sophie Anderson. Polymath College students’ favourite reads included Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the magical world of Harry Potter, and the timeless ...
Celebrating and rewarding local Sri Lankan women role models British Council in collaboration with ChildFund Sri Lanka, recently concluded an exciting competition to celebrate the achievements of local Sri Lankan women in their communities. The She-roes role model competition encouraged Sri Lankan girls to recognise and celebrate the achievements of local female role models, nurturing appreciation for the remarkable women in their communities. Tailored for the English and Digital for Girls’ Education (EDGE) project peer group leaders and members, the role model competition served as inspiration for its club members, nudging them to dream and soar to greater heights. The award ceremony for the competition was held on 22 March 2024 at the Tower Hall theatre in Colombo. The event showcased the talents and creativity of EDGE club members all over Sri Lanka, and recognised the achievements of local women role models and the tremendous impact they have on their ...
British Council launches Youth-Led Green and Inclusive Initiatives in Businesses project in Sri Lanka Youth-led businesses can be a vital catalyst for change, sparking multiple positive ripple effects. This month, the British Council Sri Lanka launched a new project, ‘Youth-Led Green and Inclusive Initiatives in Businesses’, to harness the enthusiasm and energy of young business leaders and spearhead green and inclusive transitions in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka. The project aims to provide knowledge, skills, resources, and networks to young entrepreneurs to help transform their existing businesses into inclusive and sustainable businesses. A systemic commitment to sustainability and inclusiveness can build customer loyalty, attract better talent, yield more investments, boost stakeholder engagement, build a stronger sense of belonging amidst a team, and improve innovation and efficacy for businesses. The timely project attempts to demystify green and inclusive initiatives, demonstrating how SMEs and young entrepreneurs can create progressive ...
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence visit British Council office Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence visited the British Council office in Colombo on Friday, 12 January for a series of engagements as part of their visit to Sri Lanka. They were welcomed at the British Council with a traditional dance performance by school children from the Dikhena school. They then viewed the ‘Arches of Awe’ exhibition at the British Council library which has been curated by diplomatic historian and curator George Cooke. The panel exhibition comprised of photographs of the 21 arches that were erected across Colombo to welcome Their Royal Highnesses Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during their visit to Sri Lanka in 1954. Dating back centuries, such archways, also known as ‘thoranas’ were found across Asia, including in India, China, Japan, Korea, ...
Empowering the Future: British Council Supports Six Sri Lankan Youth for COP28 The British Council is supporting six climate leaders from Sri Lanka that will attend COP28. The climate leaders are: Sajini Wickramasinghe, Jayanthan Amalanathan, Minuri Perera, Erandika Ediriweera, Shamla Saleem and Mohamed Husni. Our youth leaders are part of the accredited COP28 delegation representing Sri Lanka. The British Council Sri Lanka is working with the Ministry of Environment, the Climate Change Secretariat, the National Youth Service Council and aims to work with like-minded organisations on post COP28 activities. The United Arab Emirates will host the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in the UAE from 30 November to 12 December 2023. This will be the largest international climate change summit since Egypt hosted last year, bringing together over 70,000 delegates in the UAE including heads of states, climate experts and campaigners to agree coordinated action ...
The British Council hosts a pre-departure briefing for Sri Lanka’s 11 selected Commonwealth Scholars As the 2023 cohort of Commonwealth Scholars prepare for their departure, the British Council hosted an interactive and informative Pre-departure Briefing at their library in Colombo to help scholars ensure a smooth transition to their respective university destinations in the UK. The briefing equipped the talented students with the tools and information that would enable them to have a well-rounded and positive experience in the UK. The briefing was attended by the British Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Lisa Whanstall, Country Director of the British Council, Sri Lanka, Orlando Edwards, the departing cohort of scholars, and a diverse range of alumni scholars, led by the British Council’s Education Programmes Manager, Hamzi Haniff. ...
Commonwealth scholars from Sri Lanka receive a warm welcome The British Council hosted a networking event to welcome the recent batch of Sri Lankan Commonwealth Scholars returning from the UK recently. Commonwealth Scholarships are offered to citizens and permanent residents of a Commonwealth country with a record of academic achievement and the potential to make a positive impact in their home country. The 2021/2022 cohort of scholars spanned a gamut of subject areas including International Commercial Law, Public Policy, Wild Animal Health, Translation Studies, Exercise Science and Physical Rehabilitation (with a special interest in rehabilitation after amputation) and Economics. ...
