Driving young changemakers

The third edition of “Joy Bangla Youth Award” -- aiming to showcase the champions of change through a comprehensive search and to bring them under one platform -- will be held on October 20-21.

This year 30 youth-led platforms, groups or clubs will be awarded under 10 categories -- including skills development, inclusive education, empowerment of differently-abled people, cultural awakening, innovation, sports and fitness, public awareness building initiatives, gender equality and other initiatives to scale up social development indices.

Youths, aged between 18 and 35, can now apply online through the Young Bangla website (http://youngbangla.org/member/ joy-bangla-youth-award-2018.php).

This time, under the categories of public awareness building initiatives and gender equality, a number of issues would be considered for the award.

Those who are working for generating awareness in making roads safer and for protecting the environment can take up this scope.

Besides platforms or clubs which are providing essential social services to children out of schools, those without families, street children, children or persons with disabilities, vulnerable women, elderly people, religious-ethnic minorities and refugees, extreme poor and other vulnerable people are also included in the list.

Those who are implementing innovative programmes for enhancing youth employability, disaster and climate risk reduction and sustainable environment management and sports or physical education for the youth are also being taken under consideration.

Applicants can fill in the form to describe their projects by September 30.

Moreover, to extend the reach of the network, as many as 47 activation camps -- both at upazila level and academic institutions -- are lined up to take place in different parts of the country in the coming days.

A total of 30 Joy Bangla Youth Meetings at district level will allow aspirants to submit their hard copies.

After the application deadline is over on September 30, a rigorous screening process will take place to sort out the top applicants. Then, evaluation teams will go for spot visits to assess the impact of the works of applicants and select the final 30.

On the first day of the event, a number of interactive sessions are planned. Several grooming sessions will be arranged to help the top candidates sharpen their skills and assist them to grow.

On the second day, the award-giving ceremony is scheduled to take place with Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy in attendance to hand over the awards.

'Young Bangla' was launched in 2014 to involve youths in development process and bring up their ideas to policymakers.