Aravinth Panch

After losing several family members in the civil war and fearing that he, like some of his friends, would be recruited as a child soldier, Aravinth fled Sri Lanka alone at the age of 14. He spent ten years in exile as a refugee, where he faced systematic discrimination. After the war ended, Aravinth returned to his homeland.

The desire to create new opportunities for his people, who are still particularly affected by the impacts of the civil war, and to contribute to the reconstruction of the heavily neglected eastern coastal region of Sri Lanka, led Aravinth, along with Kishoth Navaretnarajah, to found the DreamSpace Academy in Batticaloa. This area is home primarily to the Tamil minority, who suffered greatly during the war. Through the initiative of Aravinth, Kishoth, and their team, young people from underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka are supported in building a better future through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The goal is to build a self-sustaining ecosystem for local and international innovators in Sri Lanka. Through collaborative learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, and production, Sri Lanka aims to become the leading center for social and technological innovation in South Asia.

The DreamSpace Academy operates state-of-the-art, transdisciplinary, and regionally unique “learning labs” in areas such as software & IT, media, music, mechanics, electronics, and biotechnology. These labs are led by young adults aged 20-30 who themselves come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have been trained by the DreamSpace Academy. Their expertise is complemented by a network of international professionals.

The DreamSpace Academy offers regular workshops that provide participants from the region with in-depth knowledge and skills in the respective disciplines of the learning labs. In addition, long-term programs such as the “DreamSpace Lifecycle Initiative” are offered, enabling disadvantaged young people to turn their ideas for solving ecological or social problems into viable business models. Local entrepreneurs with existing business models are also supported in building and growing their businesses.

To foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation from an early age, the DreamSpace Academy also conducts workshops in underfunded public schools in rural areas.

To fund the free programs and activities for participants and maintain the learning labs, the DreamSpace Academy relies on donations and the creation of its own startups, which channel a portion of their profits back into the organization.