What motivated you to become a young entrepreneur?
“It was always about freedom and passion. I wanted to have my own identity and I found that art was one way of expressing myself. I had a passion for painting and travelling, which is what inspired my work. The Covid-19 crisis was a time that inspired me to pursue my own work and fulfill my passions; it was the beginning of my career. Although it is tough right now, since the country is still recovering from the economic crisis, I am trying to find ways to grow my business. An important part of my work is to always prioritise helping other local businesses and maintaining a sustainable brand.”
Can entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for change?
“To be an entrepreneur is to be a risk taker. If one has no idea on how to start a business but has a passion, if you are willing to take a risk, then you can achieve your dream. Entrepreneurship creates opportunities and through innovation, teamwork and networking. You can find more freedom and love what you do.”
How do you give back to your community?
"I am not sure if I am empowering others through my business but I am always open to helping the youth who are passionate about starting their own businesses. So many young people message me and ask for ideas on how to buy materials and the initial work needed to start the business. I always give my ideas on how they can start it up. Enjoyable work is stress free. You can enjoy your work while you do your business. That’s the motivation I show through my business."
Why do you choose to stay in Sri Lanka?
“I am still trying to not fly away from my country but who knows for sure what could happen in future? Since I started my business during the pandemic period, I faced a few struggles. Now I am doing what I love and it was the social media content that worked well. Since social media is a great marketing strategy, I did not face the economic crisis in a huge way. Then again, the material prices were not as expected. Finding alternative options while upholding the same quality was not easy. I survived and I have been able to maintain the brand name thus far. I have also been able to collaborate with other businesses. I started doing plate painting workshops, which was another form of income. I have been consistently trying to find a steady flow of income to keep my business alive. I do hope that I can maintain what I am doing right now to survive in the future. What is keeping me home right now is my business.”
How has your age influenced the way people engage with your advocacy work?
"I have been able to experience first-hand how people try to dismiss or invalidate my opinions or work due to my age. “Young people think they know everything, you have so much more to learn before you can understand” is a common phrase I have heard people throw at me and other young people in different fields. I believe that if you do have people going out of their way to doubt you or be negative about something you are doing, it is a direct sign that you are actually doing something and advocating for change. People don’t usually like change and respond to it with either negative sentiments or doubt; whenever that happens I remind myself this and also look back at other young people who are even younger than me who have advocated and done big things."
What are the challenges you have faced in gaining credibility and recognition in your field?
“There are two challenges that I face as a young person. One is in a world full of false information, making sure my content and work is accurate and fact checked and the other is getting older people to listen and participate in conversations with an open mind. People often look at us as naïve but many young people do incredible things and see the world through a different lens that is worth listening to. I make sure that any content or work coming from me is either something that I have experienced in person or something that I have learned through science or someone else’s first-hand experience. I think people's personal experiences are very powerful tools to get people to listen and think beyond their own beliefs. That is what I try to do to overcome the issue of having conversations with older people.”
How do you ensure that the perspectives of young people are taken seriously in decision making processes?
“Different young people are passionate about different things. I am passionate about sustainability, specifically about environmental and climate justice. I try to fuel my passion into the work I do. My capacity right now is advocating at a local level because I believe that change from a bottom up approach is what ends up being sustainable. When doing so, working on something I am passionate about and have enough knowledge about makes it easier to convey to others how important or serious I consider my work to be. Perseverance is super important and one thing I see with young people is their unwavering spirit to push for what they believe in until it is achieved. Celebrating the small wins are very important too.”
How do you collaborate with more established advocates?
“It is so important to always keep in mind that the youth alone can only achieve so much but it takes everyone from different walks of life to achieve big change. Unity is key to big things. I believe that the youth play a key role in re-igniting the fire that older people hold. A lot of knowledge is passed down and this is so important in carrying forward information to future generations. When working with people of different ages it is important to acknowledge everyone has unique and important roles. Everyone has their own style and I think it is important to develop that with the help and collaboration of others.”
Are you coming back to Sri Lanka?
“Yes, I intend coming back to Sri Lanka. I finished the first year of my undergraduate degree at the University of Colombo and transferred to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York where I am currently majoring in economics and environmental studies with a minor in international relations. I intend on pursuing a career in sustainability and policy making with a special focus on environmental equity. Sri Lanka is my home; it is where I spent the majority of my life and the love I hold for my country is something that will always pull me back to serve my people. I am determined to learn more, become more qualified and return back to Sri Lanka so that I may contribute to changing the system from the top one day. It is as Gloria Steinem said, “The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving”. This moving that has started in Sri Lanka will not stop until we have reached our aspirations. Therefore I believe that my growth together with all young people's growth equates to Sri Lanka's overall growth. I hope to inspire myself and others, including those across the miles, to reach a more just world.”
Credits:
Anjalee Wanduragala and Shanaz Samseer