BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:IEEE vTools.Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Asia/Colombo BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20380119T084407 TZOFFSETFROM:+0530 TZOFFSETTO:+0530 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=3TU;BYMONTH=1 TZNAME:+0530 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20060415T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0600 TZOFFSETTO:+0530 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=3SA;BYMONTH=4 TZNAME:+0530 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260308T154304Z UID:8CE0B71B-A5DA-4868-AC45-79B2A2618DB7 DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Colombo:20260122T083000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Colombo:20260122T133000 DESCRIPTION:“පියවර” CSR Project was an educational outreach a nd mentorship initiative organized to support and guide school students du ring a critical stage of their academic and personal development. The prog ramme specifically focused on students in Grades 06 to 11\, aiming to help them gain clarity about their future pathways while building self-confide nce and essential life skills. Through a series of interactive sessions an d mentorship activities\, the initiative encouraged students to recognize their potential\, set meaningful goals\, and make informed decisions regar ding their education and personal growth. The programme also created a sup portive and engaging environment where students felt comfortable asking qu estions\, sharing their thoughts\, and exploring opportunities beyond the classroom.\n\nThe event was successfully held on 22nd January 2026 from 08 :45 AM to 01:30 PM at Adikarigoda Sri Gnanissara Vidyalaya\, bringing toge ther enthusiastic school students and dedicated mentors from the IEEE Wome n in Engineering community of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Universi ty. The programme was designed to inspire young learners and help them tak e meaningful steps toward a confident and successful future.\n\nThe mentor ship session played a vital role in the programme\, focusing on the person al and professional development of the participating students. Important t opics such as building self-confidence\, developing communication skills\, and improving decision-making abilities were discussed in an engaging and practical manner. Students were encouraged to actively participate\, shar e their opinions\, and reflect on their strengths and aspirations. The ses sion was conducted by MS. D. V. Dharani Abeysinghe\, MR. H. L. D. P. De Si lva\, and MS. A. T. Theekshani\, who shared their experiences\, real-life examples\, and motivational insights. Their guidance helped students bette r understand the importance of self-belief\, determination\, and continuou s learning.\n\nFollowing the mentorship discussion\, an interactive group activity was organized to reinforce the concepts shared during the session . Students were divided into small groups and encouraged to collaborate wh ile participating in a series of engaging activities. This allowed them to practice teamwork\, leadership\, communication\, and problem-solving skil ls in a practical and enjoyable setting. The activity created a lively and supportive atmosphere where students could freely interact with each othe r and with the volunteers. It also helped build strong connections between participants while boosting their confidence and encouraging them to expr ess their ideas openly.\n\nAnother key highlight of the programme was the future pathways session\, which aimed to broaden students’ understanding of the educational and career opportunities available to them after compl eting their school education. The session provided valuable insights into higher education opportunities such as university studies\, vocational and technical training\, professional qualifications\, and other alternative pathways that students can pursue depending on their interests and abiliti es. The session was conducted by Dr. Kalpana Ambepitiya\, who shared impor tant guidance on planning academic journeys and building successful career s. Her discussion emphasized that success can be achieved through multiple pathways and encouraged students to remain confident and open-minded whil e making decisions about their future.\n\nAt the conclusion of the program me\, a prize-giving ceremony was held to recognize the participation and e nthusiasm of the students and to express appreciation for the speakers who contributed to the success of the event. Souvenirs were distributed to al l speakers and participating students as a token of gratitude and remembra nce. This gesture brought excitement and joy to the students and served as a memorable ending to the programme.\n\nThe event was further enriched by a special and inspiring address delivered by MS. Wishma Samaraweera\, the IEEE Counsellor. Her speech encouraged the students to believe in their a bilities\, remain determined in the face of challenges\, and make responsi ble decisions that will shape their futures. Her motivational message reso nated strongly with the students and reinforced the importance of confiden ce\, perseverance\, and self-development.\n\nOverall\, the “පියව ර” CSR Project was a highly successful and meaningful initiative that created a positive learning experience for both students and volunteers. T he students gained valuable knowledge\, improved their life skills\, and d eveloped a clearer understanding of the opportunities available to them in the future. At the same time\, the volunteers experienced the satisfactio n of contributing to community development through mentorship and guidance . The programme successfully achieved its objectives and left a lasting im pact on the students of Adikarigoda Sri Gnanissara Vidyalaya\, further str engthening the commitment of the IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University toward creating sustaina ble and impactful community service initiatives.\n\nSpeaker(s): \, \, \, \ , \n\nAgenda: \n\n\nAdikarigoda Sri Ganissara Vidyalaya\, \, Kalutara\, Co lombo \, Sri Lanka\, Sri Lanka\, 12000 LOCATION:Adikarigoda Sri Ganissara Vidyalaya\, \, Kalutara\, Colombo \, Sri Lanka\, Sri Lanka\, 12000 ORGANIZER:ieeewie@kdu.ac.lk SEQUENCE:168 SUMMARY:පියවර (Piyawara) - An Educational Outreach and Mentorship Programme URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/504480 X-ALT-DESC:Description: <br /><p style="text-align: justify\;" data-start=" 0" data-end="393"><strong data-start="0" data-end="11">&nbsp\;<img style=" display: block\; margin-left: auto\; margin-right: auto\;" src="https://ev ents.vtools.ieee.org/vtools_ui/media/display/2907792b-34ee-41e2-b4a4-24df6 57f10c4" width="917" height="689"></strong></p>\n<p style="text-align: jus tify\;" data-start="0" data-end="801"><strong data-start="4" data-end="27" >&ldquo\;පියවර&rdquo\; CSR Project</strong> was an educational o utreach and mentorship initiative organized to support and guide school st udents during a critical stage of their academic and personal development. The programme specifically focused on<strong> students in Grades 06 to 11 </strong>\, aiming to help them gain clarity about their future pathways w hile building self-confidence and essential life skills. Through a series of interactive sessions and mentorship activities\, the initiative encoura ged students to recognize their potential\, set meaningful goals\, and mak e informed decisions regarding their education and personal growth. The pr ogramme also created a supportive and engaging environment where students felt comfortable asking questions\, sharing their thoughts\, and exploring opportunities beyond the classroom.</p>\n<p style="text-align: justify\;" data-start="803" data-end="1238">The event was successfully held on <stro ng data-start="838" data-end="885">22nd January 2026 from 08:45 AM to 01:3 0 PM</strong> at <strong data-start="889" data-end="930"><span class="hove r:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><sp an class="whitespace-normal">Adikarigoda Sri Gnanissara Vidyalaya</span></ span></strong>\, bringing together enthusiastic school students and dedica ted mentors from the <strong data-start="1010" data-end="1051"><span class ="hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baselin e"><span class="whitespace-normal">IEEE Women in Engineering </span></span ></strong>community of <strong data-start="1065" data-end="1106"><span cla ss="hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-basel ine"><span class="whitespace-normal">General Sir John Kotelawala Defence U niversity</span></span></strong>. The programme was designed to inspire yo ung learners and help them take meaningful steps toward a confident and su ccessful future.</p>\n<p style="text-align: justify\;" data-start="1240" d ata-end="2040">The mentorship session played a vital role in the programme \, focusing on the personal and professional development of the participat ing students. Important topics such as building self-confidence\, developi ng communication skills\, and improving decision-making abilities were dis cussed in an engaging and practical manner. Students were encouraged to ac tively participate\, share their opinions\, and reflect on their strengths and aspirations. The session was conducted by <strong>MS. </strong><stron g data-start="1711" data-end="1752"><span class="hover:entity-accent entit y-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class="whitespace- normal">D. V. Dharani Abeysinghe</span></span></strong>\, <strong>MR.</str ong> <strong data-start="1754" data-end="1795"><span class="hover:entity-a ccent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class=" whitespace-normal">H. L. D. P. De Silva</span></span></strong>\, and<stron g> MS</strong>. <strong data-start="1801" data-end="1842"><span class="hov er:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><s pan class="whitespace-normal">A. T. Theekshani</span></span></strong>\, wh o shared their experiences\, real-life examples\, and motivational insight s. Their guidance helped students better understand the importance of self -belief\, determination\, and continuous learning.</p>\n<p style="text-ali gn: justify\;" data-start="2042" data-end="2712">Following the mentorship discussion\, an interactive group activity was organized to reinforce the concepts shared during the session. Students were divided into small group s and encouraged to collaborate while participating in a series of engagin g activities. This allowed them to practice teamwork\, leadership\, commun ication\, and problem-solving skills in a practical and enjoyable setting. The activity created a lively and supportive atmosphere where students co uld freely interact with each other and with the volunteers. It also helpe d build strong connections between participants while boosting their confi dence and encouraging them to express their ideas openly.</p>\n<p style="t ext-align: justify\;" data-start="2714" data-end="3551">Another key highli ght of the programme was the future pathways session\, which aimed to broa den students&rsquo\; understanding of the educational and career opportuni ties available to them after completing their school education. The sessio n provided valuable insights into higher education opportunities such as u niversity studies\, vocational and technical training\, professional quali fications\, and other alternative pathways that students can pursue depend ing on their interests and abilities. The session was conducted by <strong data-start="3232" data-end="3273"><span class="hover:entity-accent entity -underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class="whitespace-n ormal">Dr. Kalpana Ambepitiya</span></span></strong>\, who shared importan t guidance on planning academic journeys and building successful careers. Her discussion emphasized that success can be achieved through multiple pa thways and encouraged students to remain confident and open-minded while m aking decisions about their future.</p>\n<p style="text-align: justify\;" data-start="3553" data-end="3991">At the conclusion of the programme\, a p rize-giving ceremony was held to recognize the participation and enthusias m of the students and to express appreciation for the speakers who contrib uted to the success of the event. Souvenirs were distributed to all speake rs and participating students as a token of gratitude and remembrance. Thi s gesture brought excitement and joy to the students and served as a memor able ending to the programme.</p>\n<p style="text-align: justify\;" data-s tart="3993" data-end="4451">The event was further enriched by a special an d inspiring address delivered by <strong>MS.</strong> <strong data-start=" 4072" data-end="4113"><span class="hover:entity-accent entity-underline in line cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class="whitespace-normal">Wishma Samaraweera</span></span></strong>\, the IEEE Counsellor. Her speech enco uraged the students to believe in their abilities\, remain determined in t he face of challenges\, and make responsible decisions that will shape the ir futures. Her motivational message resonated strongly with the students and reinforced the importance of confidence\, perseverance\, and self-deve lopment.</p>\n<p style="text-align: justify\;" data-start="4453" data-end= "5211" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Overall\, the <strong dat a-start="4466" data-end="4489">&ldquo\;පියවර&rdquo\; CSR Project </strong> was a highly successful and meaningful initiative that created a positive learning experience for both students and volunteers. The studen ts gained valuable knowledge\, improved their life skills\, and developed a clearer understanding of the opportunities available to them in the futu re. At the same time\, the volunteers experienced the satisfaction of cont ributing to community development through mentorship and guidance. The pro gramme successfully achieved its objectives and left a lasting impact on t he students of <strong data-start="5010" data-end="5051"><span class="hove r:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><sp an class="whitespace-normal">Adikarigoda Sri Gnanissara Vidyalaya</span></ span></strong>\, further strengthening the commitment of the <strong data- start="5097" data-end="5138"><span class="hover:entity-accent entity-under line inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class="whitespace-normal" >IEEE Women in Engineering Affinity Group of General Sir John Kotelawala D efence University</span></span></strong> toward creating sustainable and i mpactful community service initiatives.</p><br /><br />Agenda: <br /><p><i mg style="display: block\; margin-left: auto\; margin-right: auto\;" src=" https://events.vtools.ieee.org/vtools_ui/media/display/32f31961-fc99-42f9- a951-ea73cae15289" width="316" height="452"></p> END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR