LEARNING, LEADING AND UNLEASHING POTENTIAL

Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Leadership is an extremely crucial element which is required to build any nation. According to a UNFPA report, 40% of the total population consists of the youth. Given the statistics are such, we, the young people must be the torch bearers of tomorrow's Bangladesh. Keeping this notion in mind, several youth leadership organisations are now working towards progress. While some mainly focus on eradicating education inequity others take up the issue of a poverty free Bangladesh. Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC), the country's first leadership institute, was founded with the vision to create a poverty-free Bangladesh, driven by the next generation of home-grown leaders.

BYLC’s leadership programme enables the youth to work for the development of the country. Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Ejaj Ahmad, is a Harvard graduate and the Founder of BYLC. He recently received the 2013 Rising Star Award from Harvard Kennedy School. This award recognises alumna who has made a meaningful difference in their country. Ejaj says, “We believe that fresh and innovative leadership is required to address the complex challenges facing our nation today, and such conviction in vision and purpose has to come from the young generation.”

The concept first originated at Harvard University in 2008. In 2009, BYLC was registered in Bangladesh as a nonprofit organisation. Drawing on concepts of organising, communication and leadership taught at Harvard and MIT, BYLC has designed a four-month long leadership programme, Building Bridges through Leadership Training (BBLT), for college and university students aged between 17 and 22.

Lessons on improvisation, quick thinking and mid course correction can help the youth in community service. Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Parallel to the BBLT programme, BYLC also conducts Building Bridges through Leadership Training Junior (BBLT-J), a month-long programme for secondary school students aged between 12 and 16. For the past four and a half years, BYLC has successfully completed ten BBLT and six BBLT-J programmes, training 556 students, who in turn have served more than 25,000 hours in the community during the programmes, directly impacting the lives of more than 3500 people.

Ejaj says, “Many graduates from BYLC's earlier leadership programmes are now in leadership positions in other youth-led organisations in Bangladesh and abroad, while a few others have founded their own organisations. This is a strong indicator of the impact the institute has had in Bangladesh over the past four and half years.”

Ejaj Ahmad, Founder of BYLC. Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Tonima Tasnim Ananna, a PhD student of Yale University and BBLT 2 graduate, and Project Coordinator of BBLT Junior 1 programme in Dhaka says, “BYLC taught me that it's not necessary to work under a banner to make a difference, and that you don't have to work on every issue plaguing the country - you need to work on the issues you feel most passionately about because you will approach those with the most conviction.”

“I feel most passionately about how women are constantly subjugated in our culture, and I have been primarily trying to motivate women to speak out and pursue their own goals and happiness instead of silently accepting assigned roles. I personally try to be a partner in the efforts of all those I can reach,” says Tonima.

Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Tasnim Jara is a second year undergraduate student of Medicine at Dhaka Medical College and a BBLT 8 graduate. She was actively engaged in serving patients in post Savar tragedy period. The BYLC training helped her gain exposure to young people from a diverse background. The lessons on improvisation, quick thinking, mid-course correction and previous exposure to community service aided her to help the victims of the event. “I was involved in arranging blood banks and helped the patients receive the right diagnosis. I knew a few interns and asked them to assist me in any way they could,” says Tasnim.

BYLC is the first leadership programme that works as a bridge to gap the difference that has historically existed between the various education streams of our country, Bangla, English and Madrassa mediums. Given that there is often a conflict of interest in opinion; BYLC provides these three mediums to work in a platform, where they can share the common goal of working towards development of the country.

“Young people bond better when they work together for a cause that resonates with their passion. Our leadership training helps young people to perform well in a team, understand group dynamics, set goals and turn visions into actions,” says Ejaj.

Young people from various backgrounds work together for the betterment of the society. Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

“BYLC's leadership programme helped me come out of my comfort zone. I feel more at ease now and can easily tackle challenges. Most people who come from the Madrassa background, lack the confidence because they cannot avail the facilities that most students from other streams receive,” says Osama Bin Noor, an undergraduate student of Dental Surgery from Update Dental College and a BBLT 5 graduate. He adds, “With the leadership skills I have learned from BYLC and my work experience at Volunteer for Bangladesh, I want to contribute to the development of education in the Madrassa stream. I plan on arranging workshops and lessons under various organisations like British Council, where Madrassa students can learn English.”

Abdallah Naeefy, Programme Manager of BYLC, further explains the overarching motto of the leadership programme. He says, “We teach our programme participants to view leadership as an activity or process, not as a position of authority.” “When we look at leadership as an activity, it automatically mobilises a group to make progress on a common challenge and it opens up new and exciting opportunities for ordinary people to participate in this process,” adds Naeefy.

The leadership programme is not just based on theoretical work but also enables young people to work in communities, see the problems that exist there and produce sustainable solutions that can be implemented. “Classroom training in itself is not good enough; action is important. We push our participants to come out of their comfort zone to exercise leadership on issues they care about. Using the diagnostic framework taught in leadership classes, participants and in groups implements small yet scalable projects in their communities,” says Naeefy.

The BYLC graduates use their training to work in their respective fields. Photo: Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center

Syeda Lammim Ahad, a third year Engineering student of BUET and a BBLT 3 graduate and BBLT 5 Facilitator says, “BYLC has helped me develop my theoretical analysis skills along. Technical solutions are not the only answer. We must seek solutions which are sustainable. As the Vice President of BYLC Graduate Network, it is our duty to maintain a close knit society of the BYLC alumni members. Through this network we facilitate the alumni members in any way they need us. Societal development is another main aspect on which we draw emphasis and we do this by continuing our workshops and activities.”

For BYLC, this is a year of reflection. They have asked BRAC to conduct an evaluation study for their BBLT and BBLT Junior programmes and are now trying to set new goals. Over the past few years, they have made a monumental change but they also believe that there is scope for improvement. As a learning organisation which believes in further growth and success, they plan to take mid-courses corrections to create greater impact in society.