Youth@Kandy
x = independently organized TED event

This event occurred on
January 21, 2023
Kandy, Mahanuvara
Sri Lanka

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Trinity College Main Auditorium
262 D S Senanayake Veediya
Kandy, Mahanuvara, 20000
Sri Lanka
Event type:
Youth (What is this?)
See more ­T­E­Dx­Youth@­Kandy events

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.

Abhimani Damunupola

Speaker
Abhimani Damunupola is a student studying at Gateway College Kandy who has interests in art, dancing and singing. She had the passion in drawing and dancing since she was 4 years old. Currently she is studying chemistry, geography, psychology, and literature. Her main ambition is to be a geochemist. She also would like to share her personal experiences in TEDx regarding psychological aspects in relation to the current society.

Adithya Shankar

Speaker
Adithya Shankar is a motivated student of 16 years old from Colombo International School Kandy who has a strong interest in Studies of Foreign Languages. This year he represented Sri Lanka for the International German Language Olympiad 2022 held in Hamburg, Germany where he got a chance to present his knowledge and skills of the German language, and successfully emerged as 4th out of about 60 nations of the world. Adithya believes that every young person of today’s world have the ability and potential to achieve something if they love to achieve. He wishes to give a message to all the youth of today, that “Youth can fix their future” by achieving what they really love to achieve in life, for which they gain a willpower to achieve it.

Aimee Liyam Beekmeyer

Speaker
Aimee Beekmyer is a gifted young girl hailing from the hill city of Kandy. Aimee has varied interests in aesthetic subjects such as speech, drama, writing, and singing. She has bagged many achievements and awards such as 1st place at the MCA Bible Speech Competition, Solo-drama honors at the British Lanka Festivals of The Performing Arts , and Shakespeare drama competition in 2021. She is also a talented athlete who participates regularly in school sports and athletic meets. She has won awards for the long jump and 4x100 relay. She enjoys playing cricket, reading books, playing the guitar, and watching movies in her leisure time.

Ameli Thalagampala

Speaker
Ameli is a student at Good Shepherd Convent Kandy. She is a music lover, a book enthusiast and an aspirant to become a robotic scientist. She believes that robotic science can be used better to help mankind and wants to dedicate herself as a robotic scientist to accomplish her idea.

Apoorva Jinadasa

Speaker
Apoorva Jinadasa is an eighth grade student, studying at Hillwood College Kandy. She has an avid interest in music and creative writing, aspiring to be a singer or a writer in her future. She was introduced to the TED platform by her parents, and this is her first time speaking at a TEDx event. She intends to use her opportunity to show that every person in the world has a voice to speak out against oppression.

Avin Marasinghe

A Student from Springfield International School Kandy.

Chirathu Seneviratne

Speaker
Chirathu Seneviratne is a student of Trinity college, currently he is studying in grade 9. He loves classical music and singing . He is very passionate about origami. He wants become an architect one day.

Himeth Ranasinghe

Speaker
Himeth Ranasinghe is a student from Dharmaraja College Kandy who recently started his first year after the Ordinary level exams for the path of the Advanced levels exam.He has stepped in the football arena and played for his school since middle school. He is also very fond of public speaking and has attended to debates and MUN conferences in his school years.

Hiranga Suraweera

Speaker
Hiranga is 11 years old and studies at Trinity College, Kandy, Sri Lanka. His father is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, and his mother is the Deputy Principal of the Australian College of Business & Technology - Kandy Campus. He is an avid chess player and a member of the school under 13 chess team. He is also a member of the school's Junior Literary Association. Hiranga likes to write essays in his spare time. He participated in several international essay competitions in 2022 and won many awards. Hiranga believes this world would be a better place if everyone practices mindfulness. He thinks it will make everyone kind and compassionate, which are much needed values during these times of conflict.

Inandi Rathnatilake

A passionate Speaker and a youth activist.

Janeesh Damunupola

Speaker
Janeesh Damunupola is a thirteen-year-old student studying at Trinity College Kandy. He mainly gets involved in sports such as cricket and swimming by also representing his school. His main objective in joining TEDx is to develop his confidence in public speaking while also inspiring others with his knowledge gained through in depth reading.

Joanna John

Young activist and a speaker who loves to paint during her free time

Methu Induwara Senarathpathirana

Speaker
Methu senarathpathirana is 10 years old. He is doing his education at CISK. His ambition is to play Basketball for a living. Currently he is in the U-13 basketball team.He is beginning to love everything about TEDX. He hopes one day he will be able to help people like him and help them become masters in what they love to do.

Michelle Herath

Speaker
Michelle Herath is currently an 11th grade student of Girls' High School Kandy with long held ambitions to work in the science field. Her belief is that innovation is key to the development of our society and sees TEDx as the perfect platform to get a head start. The amount of knowledge and experience to be gained by TEDx fascinates her and she intends to use that knowledge to help everyone, in the best ways possible.

Nehalie Ruhara Gunawardena

14 Year Old Student From Hillwood College Kandy.

Nimseth Dahamdhara De Silva

Speaker
Nimseth De Silva is a tremendous. Singer reader research interests on electronics and the best Gardner who studies in grade 5 at St Clements college Ampitiya. He would like to continue and engaged with TEDx undoubtedly it paved him to speak fluently and perform confidently and also from the theme " youth can fix" he would like to express his future plan by being a youth one day.

Rhylee Thalagampala

Speaker
Rhylee is a student at Good Shepherd Convent Kandy. She is a kindhearted girl with a great passion to make the world a better place for everyone. She wants to grow up to be one of the most generous people in the world.

Rumi Nagpal

Speaker
Rumi Nagpal is a Lower 6th student at Elizabeth Moir School, Colombo. He has an ardent interest in the use of technology for maximising the common good and in particular, he has been working on the use of Blockchain to reduce poverty through more secure property rights. He believes that using Blockchain for land titles offers governments and people the ability to monetise and transfer deeds while preventing fraud and corruption in the system. For the last 2 years has worked on such a solution for the Government of Sri Lanka. He is also a debater, aspiring playwright, cricketer and actor and this is his first TED journey where he would like to share how he got interested in his subjects, what it took to work on his plan and how, ultimately, technology must work towards bettering the human condition.

Samadhie Gunawardena

Speaker
Samadhie Gunawardena is yearning to become an oncologist when she is big. She always think out of the box and questions reasoning behind everything. She is fond of the TED community after speaking thrice at TEDxYouth. She enjoys speaking about resolving topical issues to her fellow listeners.

Savith Bhanuka Ratnaweera

Speaker
Savith Ratnaweera is a seventh grader at Trinity College Kandy. He is an ardent music lover and plays the violin , the piano and sings in the college choir. He is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental damage caused by humankind challenging its very own existence. As great as it is people are involved in awareness programs, he believes the damage can be reversed only by actively solving the problems. He believes TEDx is an excellent platform to present his raw ideas that can bloom into real solutions.

Selini Sehasa De Silva

Speaker
Selini Sehasa De Silva, is a 8 year old primary school student studying at Gateway College Kandy. Selini is very fond of cats and enjoys playing the piano, dancing, watching cartoons and movies. She is a karate and table tennis player for school and participates for many clubs and extra co-curricular activities. Her biggest passion is art and wishes to spread creativity and colour through my artistic creations and likes to become an artist whe

Sennovya Seneviratne

Speaker
Sennovya Seneviratne is a student of Hillwood college, currently she is studying in grade 6. She is very passionate about nature and animals.She loves music and calligraphy. She enjoys playing the guitar and singing. She wants to become a writer one day.

Shalini Senara De Silva

Speaker
Shalini Senara De Silva, a 15 year old 10th grade student at Gateway College Kandy. As a karate captain and national winner, a netballer, an emerging pianist, a writer, an amateur singer, a programmer, a gamer, a traditional dancer, a daughter, a sister and a cat-lover, she finds herself consumed with 101 duties to perform along with her studies. Amidst her busy schedule she enjoys training for sports, reading, watching anime whenever she finds a free spot and spends most of her time listening to music while being occupied with work. She is a big fan of racing, action movies, mystery and fantasy novels. Her passion for speaking starts at a very young age. She has been a host at several events at her pre-school and has been an active speaker at many private events. Senara is a highly qualified and achieved student in Speech & Drama as well as in many other academic fields. Her inspiration to participate at this TEDx event was simply because of her will to contribute by sharing her ideas

Shamaya Sayandhan

Student at Hillwood

Shanaka Gunawardena

Guest Speaker
Shanaka Gunawardena is a Molecular Biologist and a science educator with a professional background in molecular diagnostics and research from the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic, USA. Currently, he is a project management specialist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations implementing the emergency project “Immediate Support to Paddy Farmers in Response to the current Economic and Food Crisis in Sri Lanka”. Shanaka is fond of inspiring the youth towards working for zero hunger and other Sustainable Development Goals. He would like to share a story among the TEDx Community, a story that initiated with curiosity on a natural phenomenon.

Sheshani Rachel Rajakarunanayake Ferdinandusz

Speaker
She is a Twelve year old girl. She studies at Hillwood College Kandy. And she plays Tennis as a sport. She loves engineering, Photography and exploring modern technologies. She likes TED because it allows us to share our ideas with the society.

Shihama Hanifa

Guest Speaker
Shihama Hanifa is a secondary school Mathematics teacher with a great interest towards instilling "Happy Education" in young minds. Currently, she is dynamically working on enhancing the quality of delivering math education, by effectively utilizing 21st century teaching and learning resources. She holds a BSc. Honours degree in Applied Sciences from the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, and has also completed a PgD. in Supply Chain Management and a PgD. In Education Management and Leadership. Her passion towards teaching and working with kids, has made her switch her career from an Executive Supply Chain Analyst in the corporate sector, to a caring teacher at Gateway College, Kandy. Listening to TED talks by inspirational speakers has sparked her interest towards public speaking and sharing her ideas and thoughts as a loving mother, teacher and a friend. This has nurtured her courage and confidence to step forward and start a whole new journey with TEDx.

Shivaram Muhunthan

Guest Speaker
Shivaram Muhunthan, A son, a brother, a friend and not just that... An individual who aspires to be the change in today’s world. A person of class and honor. A kid when he has to be and matured than any adult when he has to be. He is currently a Business lecturer at APIIT College Kandy inspiring the younger generations. He is someone with a goal to embrace the upcoming generation to be future fit. He is also always on the hunt looking for the tinniest opportunity where he can utilise his strengths and develop new ones. He is also very much interested in public speaking because he believes every word has a value when it is conveyed to an audience.

Theeshya Samaranayake

Speaker
Theeshya Samaranayake is a 13 year old student learning at Girls’ High School Kandy. She is a potential writer, editor, table tennis and chess player and a talented dramatist. She is a student interested in cooking the best food, a dedicated lover of music, singing and playing the piano, an enthusiastic appreciator of dancing, deep-rooted for writing and reading novels and especially devoted for her talent in drama. She has a committed passion for mathematics and has a strong feeling of suitability to become a great Aircraft Engineer in the future. She is fond of public speaking because she loves to share her ideas, communicate with the society and also relinquish her stage performance anxiety. She takes great pleasure in motivating other people to believe and not giving up since, her courage to step up is mustered from motivation itself. She hopes to share all her experiences and bond with the TEDx community during her time.

Thenu Weerasinghe

Student From Trinity College Kandy.

Thimethya Samaranayake

A Student From Mahamaya College Kandy.

Thiru Sayandhan

Keynote Speaker
T. Sayandhan is a CEO for the last 10 years and currently working at Sunshine Healthcare Lanka LTD, which is a leading healthcare organization. T.Sayandhan has more than 32 years of experience in healthcare industry working for Hemas and GlaxoSmithKline. He is currently a doctoral candidate possessing a MBA carrying “Chartered Marketer” and “Practicing Marketer” titles. To his credit he is a FELLOW of Chartered institute of marketing, Fellow of the Sri Lanka institute of marketing and Fellow of the Institue of management of Sri Lanka. During his leisure time Sayandhan focus on teaching MBA students, developing people and creating business models

Vinu Weerasinghe

A Student From Trinity College Kandy.

Yumandee Waidyatilleke

A Student from Hillwood College Kandy.

Organizing team

Denali
De Silva Wijeyeratne

Kandy, Sri Lanka
Organizer

Nadika
Alexander

Co-organizer