The World Board is pleased to announce the appointment of its youngest member, Chamathya Fernando, following a very competitive selection process.
Chamathya joined the Sri Lankan girl guides when she was eight. Since then she has contributed greatly to the Movement. From running a Stop the Violence campaign in Sri Lanka and Bangledesh, to addressing the United Nations in New York, Chamathya has shown herself to be an outstanding ambassador for girl guiding and girl scouting. The US State Department recently named her as one of the top ten young leaders globally.
"Girl Guiding helped me become the person I am today- confident, courageous and compassionate. I have been involved in Girl Guiding for the past 17 years and the experiences and exposure I have had not only helped me to grow as a person but also taught me how important it is to share my knowledge and skills with other girls and young women, so they too are empowered to take leadership. This opportunity would enable me to serve the worldwide movement for girls and young women."
By appointing someone below the age of 30 the board hopes to identify the barriers young women face in participating in governance and decision-making across the Movement. The World Board were particularly looking for a young woman whose skills will complement those of the existing World Board members; experience such as advocacy, fundraising, social media communication, diversity and inclusiveness.
The World Board received 22 nominations from across the world. Six candidates were interviewed by a panel of members. The chair of the World Board, Ana Maria Mideros, said ‘the whole process has been a great success. All 22 candidates showed huge potential and will bring so much talent to the movement. We would like to thank everyone who took part.'