Kandy Poet

Problem Statement: The youth in Kandy presently lack inspiration and stimulation to engage in art, literature and culture and fine-tune their inherent linguistic and creative skills. Hence, the Kandy Hub is looking to equip them with standardized and quality human resources to enhance their knowledge and skills of artistic expression and provide a solid platform to share their work of art. 

Target Group: The youth in Kandy with an interest towards creative arts.

Proposed Solution: School education is one of the initial stages in which youth who are passionate about creative and artistic literary expression are provided with the opportunity to identify and enhance their skills. It was observed that students who study English Literature for the Advanced Level (A/L) examination in Kandy face difficulties in receiving adequate resources to comprehensively study the subject. Also, Advanced Level examination being the gateway examination to university education in Sri Lanka, this lack of opportunity prevents the students from pursuing further education and fine-tuning their inherent skills of creative and artistic expression. This lack of opportunity was further aggravated during COVID 19 due to the restrictions in physical movement. Hence, it was decided to annually conduct a webinar series on A/L English Literature for the A/L students in Kandy to equip them with the required knowledge and skills.

Further, as the lack of a solid platform to publish their creative expressions acts as a demotivating factor to engage in creative work, it was decided to use the hub’s social media platforms to establish “Poetry in the Hills” an online platform for the poetic souls in Kandy to publish their work and enhance their reach. Take a look at the hub's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalshaperskandyHub

Hub Activities: 

1. 
   Advanced Level Literature Webinar Series: The recurring webinar series particularly focuses on the subject content of the GCE Advanced Level English Literature syllabus. Facilitated by two university lecturers who have excelled in English Literature not only enhances and grooms the students' literary skills but also provides the necessary support to best prepare the students to face the G.C.E A/L examination confidently and successfully.


2. 
   Poetry in the Hills: This is an online platform providing the opportunity for the poetic souls of Kandy to share their poems in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. It empowers young poetic minds to share their creativity, enhance their online experience, elevate their state of mental health and also promote solidarity and unity in the community. It will expose the participants/audience to understand the contemporary issues that have impacted the poets throught their writing.

Short Term Goals:

Advanced Level Literature Webinar Series

1. Conduct 6 two-hour webinar sessions annually


2. Engage a minimum of 30 students to participate in each webinar


3. Ensure a minimum of 3 students show a 20% knowledge increase after the webinar


4. Ensure 60% of the students receive a C grade or above at the A/L Examination

Poetry in the Hills

1. Shortlist 20 best poems from the total number of poets registered and keep the pool of poets engaged


2. Shortlist the 10 best poems and conduct online interviews to enable the poets to reach a minimum of 700 people via the platform


3. Stimulate direct discussion with a minimum of 10 people on the contemporary issue captured and expressed by the poet during the online interviews

Long Term Goals:

• 
  Advanced Level Literature Webinar Series: Increase the number of webinar sessions in order to provide the opportunity for more students to participate and capture more subject areas in the syllabus


• 
  Poetry in the Hills - Support the Kandy poets to establish their individual profile and evolve as nationally and internationally renowned artists by connecting them to other national and international organizations and artists

Available Metrics:

• Conducted 6 webinars with a duration of 2 hours per webinar


• An average of 28 students participated in each webinar session


• Out of the students who filled the post-webinar feedback form, 57% of the students stated that their knowledge on the subject increased as a consequence of their participation in the webinar.

For more info on Impact Metrics see Impact Assessment Report