Youth-Led Post-War Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: An Experiential and Institutional Model

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, reconciliation after the war has frequently been interpreted as a top-down political or legal process. In this paper, we propose an alternative view: reconciliation is mainly an experiential, relational, and youth-driven process. Utilizing longitudinal evidence from youthcentred programmes, in particular the Enhancing Knowledge and Virtues: Youth Empowerment (Sisu Diriya) initiative and university-based reconciliation platforms, the study investigates how lived encounters, shared cultural practices, language learning and institutional embedding within higher education create durable pathways towards social cohesion. This paper provides an analytical model of youth networks as peace infrastructure and universities as strategic reconciliation institutions. The findings are consistent with SDG 16 and SDG 4.7 and provide a scalable Global South model for post-conflict societies.