Galle, Sri Lanka—Religious Youth Service (RYS) International has announced it will hold its 30th anniversary celebration project in Sri Lanka from August 11 to 18, 2017, and invites international volunteers to participate. RYS decided to organize the project in Sri Lanka, as it has been very active in the country in the past 25 years.
The project, entitled, “Building a Brighter Future: An Interfaith Approach Across the Board,” is scheduled to take place in the village of Ella at Elpitiya in the Galle district of Sri Lanka. This place is situated about 90 km (55 miles) from Colombo.
Since 1986, RYS has been organizing projects globally, involving young volunteers of various religions and ethnicities, and who speak different languages. Over the years, RYS has taken bold steps to strengthen the peace process in many countries around the world, inspiring young people to think high, dream big and work together for a united, harmonious and peaceful world.
In 1992, RYS set foot in Sri Lanka and was embraced enthusiastically by the youth of this war-torn island nation. Despite the difficulties Sri Lanka has had, it has continuously hosted RYS projects every year since the year 2000. Projects have been held in many parts of the island to bring Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities together, and a few have been held in the war-affected north and eastern provinces of the country.
RYS is seeking about 50 international young volunteers (between 16-30 years of age) from diverse cultures and religions to join this historic project. Many RYS alumni, who participated in various projects held in the past 30 years, will attend this project to add flavor, hue and color, sharing their experiences and discussing the importance of RYS for world peace.
Young participants will take part in RYS’ leadership program, led by international educators. The program will include team-building exercises, lectures, interreligious discussions, visits to religious sites, sightseeing/field trips, sports, fun activities, and community service work.
The service part of the project will involve building a bridge to connect two parts of the village Ella (see photos of the site above). Our volunteers will work with technicians to build the bridge. Once the bridge is completed, it is estimated it will be used by 300 to 400 of the local villagers daily. For details of the project, please visit: www.rys30years.org.
Ella/Elpitiya is a scenic hamlet with lush, green tea fields, water streams and coconut/rubber plantations. The famous pristine beaches of southern Sri Lanka (such as in Hikkaduwa), which attract tourists from all over the world, are located just 20 to 30 km (12 to 18 miles) from Elpitiya. Many tourists enjoy whale watching off Galle. Our field trip and visits to religious sites will cover some historic places in the southern part of Sri Lanka.
If you would like to participate in this RYS anniversary project, please contact Mr. Sid Jain, coordinator of the project, with your name and country of residence for the relevant application form. He can be contacted at the e-mails,
We will be closing applications on May 15, 2017.
For more information about the location, please contact Ms. Dinesha Liyanasuriya by e-mail at
To view the participant guidelines, please click here