Girls High School Chess champs

Nimal DISSANAYAKA, Senkadagala group corr

Girls High School, Kandy (under-19) and (under-14) were champions at the All Island Inter-School Chess Championship conducted by the Sri Lanka School Chess Association held recently at St. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela and St. Thomas’ Girls School, Matara.

The under-16 team were runners-up.

They were also runners-up in the under-15 and under-19 at the Sri Lanka Schools Games conducted by the Ministry of Education at Isipathana College, Colombo recently.

All teams were coached by Sarath Eriyagama.

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Residential training for disabled youth

Nimal ALGEWATTA, Southern Province Group Corr

Hellabeem, a residential training centre for disabled youth set up at a cost of Rs. 80 million under a Netherlands Government aid scheme was opened at Ibbawala, Weligama recently under a programme initiated by Tharunyata Hetak Organisation President Namal Rajapaksa.

A release said the Hellabeem project is a project in Sri Lanka for a boarding school where about 60 young people with physical disabilities can learn a trade, in the age of 12 to 18 years.

Here they will have a home and care and after education will have learned a trade their handicap allows them to practise, so they can earn their own living.

Care and education

The curing of youths who are retarded in their psycho-social development and the treatment of their traumas. Helene, being a versatile therapist herself, will contribute to this.

The aim is to give these young people confidence and self-respect and make them independent and resilient in the society in which they live.

Education is a basic part, in which communicative skills are improved and extended by teaching fluency in the vernacular as well as in English and by teaching writing skills. Arithmetic and elementary management are on the programme as well.

Besides, their skills in various crafts will be practised with different materials to develop any potential talents. In this way, the youths should be enabled to show their abilities.

After the basic part the choice for a vocational training is made and specific training is started. Once this has been completed the accomplished craftsman is helped to start his own business.

Help means financial support as well as coaching. The idea is that some of these youths will become teachers themselves at the boarding school.

The project includes a sheltered workshop to generate money for the youths when they are ready to become a full member of society and start a business of their own.

‘Symbolic’ building

There will be one or two houses with four bedrooms. There is a big bathroom with showers and basins, separate toilets, all according to Dutch standards for people with disabilities.

The buildings are six-sided, an organic form reminiscent of honeycombs. Bees are industrious, operate in a tightly knit society and produce a healthy, sweet substance: honey. For these reasons the bee is a natural and relevant symbol for the project.

In addition, the six-sided shape works out well aesthetically and practically.

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Trinity dancers enthral crowd at Malaysian festival

A team of dancers from the Trinity College oriental dance ensemble are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in connection with the 50th Anniversary of its independence.

The week-long festival which began on December 23 continued till December 31 at which a dozen selected countries had been invited to participate.

The dancers were specially trained by Vipula Janashantha, teacher-in-charge of dancing at Trinity College, Kandy.

The troupe was accompanied by Tilak Gunawardene and Tilak Fernando, two members from the Sri Lanka chapter of CLOFF, an NGO working with UNESCO to foster folklore among member nations.
 

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