This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Young Planners Forum of Institute of Town Planners Sri Lanka and it reminds us how YPF started and how YPF realizes the importance of cultivating and inspiring the next generation of young planners for the future of the planning profession. The Institute of Town Planners, Sri Lanka, established the Young Planners Forum in 2004, which is operating as the unique associated body of the institute that generates skilful young planners by providing continuous professional guidance to strengthen the future planning industry. In this year also YPF has come up with an exciting set of events and opportunities with the intention of providing prospects for the professional development of early planning professionals and establishing social and professional relationships where youth planners can affect real change.
“The Competent Young Planner” is a year-round program to improve and acknowledge the competencies of young planners and it organizes the following four categories of distinct trophy completions throughout this year.
- The Innovative Thinker Trophy
- The Best Communicator Trophy
- The Best Entrepreneur Trophy
- The Smart Tech Trophy
The YPF successfully carried out the “Chapter 15: The Competent Young Planner Launching Ceremony 2021/22 & The webinar on Upskilling Young Professionals” on 19th September 2021 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (SLST) via the ZOOM platform followed by the briefing of the annual plan, keynote speeches and the breakout-room session. Approximately, 130 participants representing student members, associate members and corporate members of the ITPSL participated.
A logo design competition was organized by the YPF on 16th August 2021, aligned with the YPF 15th Anniversary Celebration and the annual event series. Nearly 30 young contestants participated in the competition and the design submitted by YPF student member Mr. Anushka Prageeth was selected as the official logo of ‘The Competent Young Planner’ year-round program. The winning logo was launched and acknowledged at the 19th September launching ceremony.
The webinar on “Upskilling Young Professionals” was carried out with the objective of identifying and uplifting the skills of the young planning community. The keynote speakers addressed the gathering by emphasizing the skills demanded by four sectors namely the corporate sector, the IT sector, entrepreneurship and general professional skills. The following designated and well-experienced professionals joined the “Upskilling Young Professionals” to inspire the whole planning community towards skill development and motivation.
- Miss. Keshavi Puswewala
- Dr. Anuradha Jayakody
- Mr. Anushka Gunasinghe
- Dr. Sharmini Perera
The following set of key events are also planned to be held under “The Competent Young Planner” program throughout the year 2021/22.
- Live Debate
- YPF 15th Anniversary Celebration along with Town Planning Day Event – CPD 2: A virtual discussion session with Sri Lankan and international young planners about Competent Young Planner
- CPD 3 – Personal Branding
- CPD 4 – Entrepreneurship, Setting Up Companies and Startups
- CPD 5 – New Technologies for Young Planners
- CPD 6 – Soft Skills Development for Young Planners
- ‘The Competent Young Planner’ – Award Ceremony & AGM
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