Prashan De Visser, a distinguished proponent of youth-led reconciliation, activist, speaker and professor of conflict transformation, launched his first book, “Pheonix Generation”, amidst a special ceremony at the BMICH Cinema Lounge on the 30th of March 2023. De Visser is also the President and Founder of Sri Lanka Unites (www.srilankaunites.org) and Global Unites (www.globalunites.org), both youth movements for hope and reconciliation.
His debut book, ‘Phoenix Generation’ is a compelling advocacy for youth to play a central role in peacebuilding and national transformation. Drawing from historical movements for change, and his fifteen years of experience founding and leading the largest youth movement for peace in the Island, Sri Lanka Unites, and one of the fastest-growing global youth movements for peace, in the form of Global Unites, Prashan, through this book, urges his readers to consider the possibility of youth-led conflict transformation and reconciliation.
Expressing praise for the book, former American President Barack Obama’s one-time spiritual advisor, Dr. Joel Hunter says, “This book is a must read for anyone who wants to change the world for good. It is written by one of the world’s top young leaders, who has created a movement and an incredible global organization (Global Unites) that will shape our future… Inspirational in its hope, compelling in its stories, and factual in its history, the Phoenix Generation calls us to join young leaders, going into a future of cooperation and fulfilling potential.”
Sri Lanka Unites was founded in 2006, prior to the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and the movement has grown significantly since then. Today it is supported by nearly 30,000 members, 40 staff, and nine offices across the Island, one in nearly every province, helping it to be actively engaged in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka. In 2015, inspired by Sri Lanka Unites, a worldwide movement called ‘Global Unites’ was born and now acts as an umbrella movement for youth-led reconciliation in 13 countries under Prashan De Visser’s visionary leadership.
The launch of “Phoenix Generation” was also an opportunity for De Visser to officially bid farewell to Sri Lanka Unites, as he hands over leadership to a capable younger generation, as his focus now shifts to the expansion of Global Unites – through which he will work towards expanding the movement and its positive impact – while at home his focus will be on policy transformation and paving the way for a new political culture led by a new generation of Sri Lankan leaders.
“Phoenix Generation” by Prashan De Visser is available for sale at leading bookshops in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Jaffna, and online through Kapruka.com – in Sri Lanka – and Amazon.com – worldwide.