R 251008Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0157

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000644 
 
 
STATE FOR SCA/INSB, SCA/PD (PFLEIDERER) AND R 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV KIRC ASEC CE
SUBJECT:  America House in Sri Lanka: A Platform for Reconciliation 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  The Government of Sri Lanka's military defeat of the 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has brought an end to the 
island's 26-year conflict.  However, winning the peace and 
overcoming deep mistrust that exists between communities will be a 
major challenge.  A critical element of those efforts will be 
building reconciliation among youth, as fifty percent of Sri Lanka's 
population is under the age of thirty.  The Embassy's Public 
Diplomacy section is spearheading the Mission's efforts to support 
youth reconciliation.  To this end, Post has drafted a Strategic 
Communication Plan that refocuses its PD resources and tools on this 
goal.  Post seeks additional resources to expand its programming and 
activities related to the plan.  At the center of these efforts, 
Post seeks funds at this time to open and support a resource center 
and two regional satellites to serve as PD platforms.  PAO discussed 
the issue with RSO Colombo.  RSO approved in principle the opening 
of facilities that are not co-located with Embassy on the Chancery 
compound, provided PD funds security upgrades and coordinates 
co-location waivers with DS, OBO and RSO Colombo. End Summary. 
 
Youth: A Vital Element of Reconciliation 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Fifty percent of Sri Lanka's population is under 30 years of 
age, according to a report from the United Nations' Population 
Division.   After 26 years of intermittent war, approximately half 
of the people of Sri Lanka do not have an active memory of 
pre-conflict Sri Lanka.   Instead, their image of Sri Lanka has been 
defined by nearly three decades of violence, division, and mistrust 
between ethnic communities.   Moreover, during the conflict there 
were few opportunities for young people to interact with other youth 
who lived "behind enemy lines."  With such limited contact, 
prejudices developed and solidified.  Although the physical divides 
may disappear with the end of the conflict, the mental and 
psychological divides remain.  Moving forward, forging a lasting 
peace will depend on engaging youth from different backgrounds in 
initiatives that promote cooperation and reconciliation and help to 
support the development of a tolerant, democratic, and united Sri 
Lanka. 
 
Public Diplomacy Programming: 
Enabling Reconciliation 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Post's Public Diplomacy section is spearheading the Mission's 
efforts to engage and influence Sri Lanka's youth in support of 
reconciliation.   Programs aim to provide youth with the skills to 
become active citizens and opportunities to work together with their 
peers from other backgrounds to address issues of local and national 
concern.  To this end, the Mission has refocused its Public 
Diplomacy tools and resources around a Strategic Communications Plan 
targeting youth.  The plan has three primary objectives:  1) Youth 
around the country work together on projects that strengthen 
cooperation and counter extremism; 2) Youth around the country have 
access to quality English language instruction and English is used 
as a tool to bridge language barriers between Sinhala-speaking and 
Tamil-speaking youth; and 3) Youth become leaders in their 
communities and work together across ethnic and regional divides to 
tackle issues of local and national importance. 
 
¶4.  Under this Strategic Communications plan, Post has already 
organized several programs and initiatives.  To support the first 
objective, Post is co-sponsoring a nation-wide youth conference that 
will take place this summer.  In line with the goals of the 
conference, Post will organize the participation of an American 
speaker who will focus on motivating and organizing young women to 
become involved in community leadership.  Post will also provide 
assistance to ensure the entire conference is simultaneously 
interpreted into Sinhala and Tamil.  In support of the second 
objective, Post recently concluded a three-week English Teacher 
training workshop that brought together teachers from both Sinhala 
and Tamil backgrounds.  Later this year, for the second phase of the 
program, the teachers will work together to train additional 
teachers.  To support the third objective, in April, Post sent 17 
-young community and business leaders on a three-week exchange 
program to the US.  The program focused on creating strategies for 
youth to work together, across ethnic and geographic boundaries, to 
address community challenges.  The participants are now working 
together with colleagues they met in the US to design projects that 
will be implemented in Sri Lanka. 
 
Ideal Time to Increase Resources 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  With the end of the war, now is the optimal time to increase 
Public Diplomacy resources and greatly expand Post's reconciliation 
efforts among youth.  A relatively small amount of financial 
resources can go a long way in extending the Mission's ability to 
positively influence youth. 
 
Martin Luther King Jr House and Hubs 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  At the center of Post's Strategic Communications plan is the 
establishment of a resource center in Colombo, outside of the 
Embassy walls, with a corresponding network of mini-resource centers 
in regions outside of Colombo.  To promote the notion of tolerance 
and diversity, the resource center would be called the "Martin 
Luther King Jr (MLK) House" and the mini resource centers "MLK 
Hubs."   The MLK House and Hubs would include four main components: 
English language teaching facilities; a space for programming 
(discussions, lectures, meetings, workshops and cultural events); a 
resource library; and an IT center for programs and classes. 
 
¶7.  Administratively, the MLK House and Hubs would be affiliated 
with and run by the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.  A 
management board with two US Embassy employees and the Executive 
Director of Fulbright would hire, oversee, and evaluate the manager 
of the center (to ensure US Embassy control).  Fulbright has a long 
and respected history in Sri Lanka.  Partnering with the Fulbright 
Commission would help to overcome access concerns, while creating a 
management structure that enables the Embassy to maintain control 
over the network. 
 
¶8.  Funding would be needed to lease the space, upgrade the 
facilities, and pay staff salaries.  Post would aim to generate 
revenue from the network through fee-based English and IT classes 
(some classes would also be free of charge), membership at the 
resource center, renting space to outside groups, and allowing use 
of digital video conference equipment and simultaneous translation 
facilities for a fee. 
 
¶9.  PAO discussed the issue with RSO Colombo.  RSO opined that 
opening facilities that are not co-located with on the Chancery 
compound is possible, provided PD funds security upgrades and 
coordinates collocation waivers with DS, OBO and RSO Colombo. 
 
¶10.  Post eventually plans for MLK Hubs to be located in eight 
cities, in or near locations where Post has Access English 
Microscholarship programs.  Each hub would include a small resource 
center and a multipurpose room for programs, meetings, or classes. 
One full-time coordinator would run each hub.  Initially, Post would 
like to establish two hubs to complement the MLK house; the pilot 
hubs would be located in Kandy and Oluvil, where post currently has 
American Corners.  Other hubs would be opened pending the 
availability of funds and the success of the pilot hubs. 
 
Increased Public Diplomacy Programming 
-------------------------------- 
¶11.  The MLK Network is a central element of Post's Strategic 
Communications Plan.  Programs and activities at the Center and the 
Hubs will help the Mission maximize the effectiveness of its PD 
programming and meet the three objectives of the plan.  In addition 
to establishing the MLK Center and Hubs, post is planning other 
youth reconciliation programs over the next year.  The following 
programs are some of the activities/initiatives planned. 
 
Youth Volunteer Corps 
¶A.  Post is working with the Peace Secretariat, a governmental 
institution that supports reconciliation, and Roteract, the youth 
wing of the Rotary Club, to organize a program where youth leaders 
from urban areas spend 2-3 weeks volunteering at schools in rural 
areas.  Post will work with US-based specialists to help design the 
program and would provide financial support to start the program. 
 
Sri Lanka through My Eyes 
¶B.  Post is organizing a nation-wide program where youth who have 
little or no filmmaking experience work in multi-ethnic, 
multi-regional teams to learn the basics of filmmaking and script 
writing and make short films on themes that reflect values common to 
the participants.  At the end of the program, films will be screened 
at events in each of the program cities and on national television. 
Internships for some participants will be organized in coordination 
with program partners.  An American filmmaker will lead the project, 
working together with local filmmakers. 
 
This I Believe 
¶C.  Based on a radio program created by Edward R. Murrow and 
broadcast on National Public Radio, working together with the MLK 
Hubs and House, Post is organizing a program for youth to write 
essays on their core beliefs and values.  Essays will be written in 
the student's native language, but translated into other languages. 
Selected essays will be featured regularly on a national radio 
station. 
 
ACCESS Community Grants 
¶D.  Annually, Post would like to bring together top students from 
the Access English Microscholarship program for a four-day workshop 
at the King House in Colombo.  The workshop would focus on using 
English as a tool to build greater understanding.  As part of the 
program, working in teams comprised of students from various cities 
and ethnic backgrounds, students would develop community projects to 
implement in their towns.  Each team would be given a small grant 
($500 maximum). 
 
Traveling Teachers 
¶E.  Post would like to develop an English language curriculum for 
rural areas that combines classroom instruction with text messaging 
follow-up and phone assignments.  Three teams of two teachers would 
each cover five villages.   Schedules would be arranged that they 
visit each village for a class every two weeks.  Interim assignments 
would be conducted via text messaging and by phone and supervised 
through a call center of 2-3 teachers who would be located at the 
King House in Colombo.  Teachers would be Sri Lankan, but trained by 
Americans.  Curriculum design would also be done by a US 
specialist. 
 
Resource Request 
---------------- 
 
¶12.  With the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka and new opportunities 
to support a lasting peace, Post requests the Department to consider 
supporting the opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr House in 
Colombo and two regional MLK Hubs.  Post estimates the initial costs 
would be $1.25-1.75 million with annual operating costs around 
$300,000.   Post will implement the other programs outlined above 
with existing funds and with additional resources that will be 
requested septel. 
 
MOORE