The YCF intercultural leadership programme aims to lay a foundation for dialogue and knowledge sharing among young leaders, promising professionals, social workers and entrepreneurs aged between 22 and 32 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and to provide the participants with new skills, broadened networks and innovative tools to strengthen their work to drive social change in their respective contexts. The participants represent different sectors of society and are visionaries in positions to make a difference. The participants are actively working for democracy and human rights within the spheres of society, culture, politics, entrepreneurship and media.
The programme is run for the fourth year, and this year Sri Lanka was included as a fifth eligible country. Besides the three-week sojourn in Stockholm, full of seminars workshops and other events, the participants will come back for a follow-up week in early spring 2017. During and after YCF, they will then also be part of an active network that aims to boost creativity and to support their personal and professional development, while also laying the platform for a more connected future.
Out of the 31 young leaders, three come from Afghanistan, and seven each from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SASNET deputy director Lars Eklund has been involved in the planning of the 2016 programme.