Child Rights & Child-Friendly Spaces Workshop 2026

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Last Updated (Wednesday, 01 April 2026 05:07)

Child Rights & Child-Friendly Spaces Workshop 2026


Date: 14th March 2026

Venue: Forum hall – Colombo YMCA, Sri Lanka


1. Objectives of the Program:

  • To promote awareness and understanding of child rights among YMCA representatives.

  • To provide technical guidance on establishing and maintaining safe, inclusive Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS).

  • To strengthen institutional commitment to ensuring children grow in supportive environments where their protection is prioritized.

2.  Details of the Program

This program was conducted by the Children Development committee of Sri Lanka YMCA. This training brought together 29 participants from Member YMCAs across the Western, Southern, and Central regions, including Colombo, Matara, Moratuwa, Negombo, Nugegoda, Kandy, and Pamunugama. The sessions were facilitated by Ms. Nishamani Sri De Silva, a Protection, Participation & Safeguarding Specialist from Save the Children, who shared valuable insights on promoting child rights and creating safe, inclusive environments for children.

3. Proceedings, Outputs & Outcomes

  • We conducted training sessions on the CP1 and CP2 modules to improve our understanding of child protection.

  • We mapped out how to create safe and welcoming spaces that meet the needs of children in different local areas.

  • The program helped our local YMCA leaders feel more capable of using these safety rules in their own branches

4. New Insights Gained

  • Participants learned more about child rights and how to keep children safe in our programs.

  • Everyone realized how important it is to have the same safety rules across all our local YMCAs.

By Nimasha De Silva
Junior Executive Secretary
National Council of YMCAs Sri Lanka