Inspiring Generation Next
Bangladesh Brand Forum, in collaboration with EMK Center, hosted an event at the EMK Center on 5th March. With the theme, “How to connect with the people you don't know, but should”, the event featured a virtual talk with Bangladeshi-American entrepreneur Sumaya Kazi. The purpose was to interact with university students from Dhaka and to inspire them. Around a hundred handpicked students from different universities were present at the event.
The event was inaugurated by Shariful Islam, founder, Bangladesh Brand Forum, who said, “Students have certain inabilities simply because they lack exposure, and we are going to provide it to them. Only then will Bangladesh move from what it is, to what its true potential is.” M.K. Aaref, director of EMK Center, also stated that the main objective is to empower the students and help them be more independent. He added that entrepreneurship is the best way to do that.
Michael Harker, foreign service officer, US Department of State, was also present at the event. He expressed his gratitude towards all the attendees and explained to them how EMK is all about helping the Bangladeshi youth.
The event's highlight was a Google Talk session with Sumaya Kazi, founder and CEO of sumazi.com. Sumaya was featured in over 150 magazines including Newsweek, Washington Post and ABC News. The virtual hangout between her and the students lasted for about an hour alongside a Q&A session where countless questions regarding entrepreneurship were answered by Sumaya.
“Sumaya started with nothing. Pairing that nothingness with good constructive ideas, she went places. This convinced me that maybe one day I can achieve my dreams too,” said Md. Ashraful Amin, a participant from NSU. Tasnim Ferdousi Joti from BRAC University said, “Events such as these are lighting the way for us, students. I, for one, am inspired.”
Towards the end of the session, the hosts announced the winner of the “Best Project Name” contest. The winner was granted a two-people free pass to the upcoming Leadership Summit.
“This is just a beta test of what we are actually aiming for. If the initial event goes well, then we'll do this on a massive scale,” said Shariful Islam, when asked about the progress of the project.
There will be 10 such live sessions across the country over 2014. Each session will take place via Google Hangout, where one mentor from the US will enter into a dialogue with young participants.
SHOUT was the media partner of the event.
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