Promoting young changemakers

To further uphold the legacy of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Brac has joined social entrepreneurs’ global platform Ashoka, and have launched an initiative named after the Brac founder to promote young changemakers.

As part of the initiative, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, which supports a global network of social entrepreneurs, nominated 15 youths from across Bangladesh who are working on impactful social ideas.

Selected by a jury panel, they are the first batch of “Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Ashoka Young Changemakers” who will vie for Ashoka’s global edition of “Young Changemakers Programme”.

Brac and Ashoka formally launched the initiative at a programme yesterday at Brac Centre Inn in the city.

This was part of Ashoka’s “Everyone a Changemaker” framework, and Bangladesh is the fifth country to unveil the initiative after the US, Brazil, Indonesia and India, said organisers.

The “Young Changemakers Programme” focuses on the role of youths as influencers and co-leaders.

Their social initiatives in different fields including women and children’s rights, hygiene, drug abuse, and climate change have generated awareness and also improved the communities and livelihoods of people around them.

On the new initiative, Brac Executive Director Asif Saleh said, “The brilliance of this initiative lies in its commitment to make every person a changemaker.”

“It is a fitting tribute to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, whose vision was not only to build a world that worked for everyone but also to create changemakers around the world who would make it happen,” he said.

Yashveer Singh, global executive director of Ashoka Young Changemakers, said Ashoka believes that to thrive in this new world, every young person needs to grow up as a changemaker -- a person who steps up to solve problems for the good of all.

David Bonbright, leadership group member of Ashoka Global, also attended the event.

At the event, the selected youths -- 15 to 20 years old -- were also introduced.

They are: Maimuna Fariah Jahan (Swapnotory Foundation); Nibrasul Alam (Dreamunteers); Tanjin Tanha (TransEnd); Muhammad Abrar (ProjectDebi); Abul Bashar Rahman (Green); Sanjidul Islam (Upokul Welfare Association); Ahona Anjum (One Action Foundation); Labby Ahsan (National Newspaper Olympiad); Arafat Samir (Madok Shuny Bangladesh); Tazreen Mehrav (Revival); Parvez Hasan (Sohomormita Foundation); Shahazadi Marium Binte Shahan (Fighters of Bangladesh); Sk Shoaibur (Agri-science Society); Sheikh Naeem Hasan Moon (Mojar Pathshala), and Ridhi Jahan Dola (End Child Marriage).