The Berlin to Kalpitiya Cultural Exchange 2025 marked another meaningful step in the growing partnership between schools and communities in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka, and Berlin, Germany. Rooted in cultural understanding and sustainability education, the collaboration involved the Nelson Mandela School and the Friedensburg-OS School in Berlin, together with six partner schools in Kalpitiya: Pallivasalthurai Muslim School, St. Sebastiyan Government Sinhala School Kudawa, St. Anne’s Thalawila, Roman Catholic Tamil School Kalpitiya, Sinhala School Kandakuliya Mune, and Kandakuliya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya. Key institutional partners included the Town Council of Kalpitiya (Pradeshiya Sabha), the District Office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and SBNE Berlin, the Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, and Kitesurfing Lanka.
From June 28 to July 12, Kalpitiya students visited Berlin, presenting their photography project, joining workshops on sustainable consumption and ecosystems, and staying with host families. Their visit laid the foundation for the return exchange.
From October 27 to November 7, Berlin students travelled to Kalpitiya. The program centred on cultural exchange, maritime ecosystems, plastic waste prevention, and community-based learning. Students met local fishermen, joined classes in partner schools, took part in Fair Trade and Goethe-Institut workshops, practised Palmyra weaving, and participated in beach clean-ups. Cultural activities included dolphin-watching, visits to Sigiriya, family stays, and a creative sustainability workshop.
A key moment was the signing of a three-year partnership between the Town Council of Kalpitiya and the District Office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf to support a future community centre for sustainability education and youth leadership.