From fear to informed choice: Reframing youth, risk and innovation in Sri Lanka

SRI Lanka today stands at a quiet but critical crossroads.

- By Ruwan De Silva

While public debate often focuses on policy reform, investment flows, and economic recovery measures, a deeper constraint continues to limit progress, which is the mindset. In particular, it is how we as a society think about youth, careers, risk, regulation, and innovation.In Sri Lanka, fear, not lack of talent, is the greatest barrier to progress. Parents fear instability. Students fear irreversible failure. Educators fear reputational risk. Regulators fear loss of control. Employers fear "unreliable" graduates. As a result, capable young people either wait too long, take risks blindly, or suppress innovation altogether.

This is not a failure of ambition. It is a failure of confidence in our systems.

One of the most damaging narratives we have normalised is the idea that young people must choose either a stable job or entrepreneurship. This is a false choice.

Employment, experimentation, and entrepreneurship are connected stages of value creation, not opposing paths. A good job does not end entrepreneurial ambition. In many cases, it prepares young people for it by building discipline, exposure, and problem awareness.