Ejaj Ahmed disseminating the concept of leadership to young participants. Photo: Durlov Nibras Ahmed

Bangladesh is home to some of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind. But now it has become the country of severe leadership crisis.
A youth -led organisation, called Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC), has taken the initiative of redefining leadership for our future generation. According to Ejaj Ahmed, the President of BYLC, “Leadership is a heavily discussed and widely misunderstood concept in Bangladesh today.  While our youth have shown great historic figures as role models of leadership, BYLC makes the crucial distinction between authority and leadership - that the latter is not about the person, but rather about the work that needs to be done.”

Photo: Prabir Das

Engaging him/herself with people to work for the country is actually the ultimate challenge of a leader. The quality of taking the lead is inherent among many of us. But in our formal education, which is confined to classroom and exam halls, there is a little scope to practice this skill. So this youth-led organisation has taken this step to nurture the leadership skill through an extensive training programme of two and half months.
The programme is called Building Bridge through Leadership Training (BBLT). But do leaders need training to become a leader? Ishita a first year student of Dhaka University replies, “Before this training I didn't have the courage to speak in front of people, I didn't know how to solve a social problem and how to work on behalf of a community. From this training I have got the inspiration to come out of my introverted shell. So I think this training will be significant for me to play the role of a leader in future.”
But what in this programme broke Ishita's barrier to speak out? Saifur Rahman, the coordinator of the programme says, “In the programme participants learn the art and skills of leadership. Public speaking session, group consultation and field work in the problem ridden areas of the country help them to think of how they can lead Bangladesh for a positive change.”

Eloquence is an essential quality for a leader. Photo: Prabir Das

One of the key features lies in its very name that is building bridge among youths. It is very unfortunate that our new generation is divided into various groups. Three different education systems such as Bengali medium, English medium and madrassa have resulted a clear division among young Bangladeshis. In this programme participants from all three education systems are joining heads to think of positive solutions for the society.
Md Hasan a student of Government Alia Madrassa says, “In the beginning I was a bit nervous because I thought this kind of programme was all about English medium students. But the friendly approach of the facilitators and participants was very helpful for me. In the group activities we share each other's ideas and problems regardless of our socio-economic background. It enables us to know more about ourselves. This effort of building bridge between divided generations is a milestone for leadership practice.”
Forty five students from three academic backgrounds are receiving training on leadership skills each year through the BBLT programme. From 2009 the programme has been training youths on leadership. In one of the programmes of BYLC renowned scholar Abdullah Abu Sayeed the founder of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro says, “Leadership is not possible from a castle. Leaders must come from the grassroots. Leaders are created from the earth; from the grass; from the grief.”|

Group discussion creates a bridge between students from different academic backgrounds. Photo: Durlov Nibras Ahmed

The advice of this scholar is certainly followed. Field work is an important part of the training. Fayez, an O level graduate from the International School of Dhaka says, “After training and group works in the classroom we will move to the field to implement our ideas. Guided by our facilitators we will go to slum areas of Mouchak where our team will work for a sanitation project.”
Teaching leadership is not an easy task and this initiative is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. Maintaining high quality teaching methods is essential. The president of BYLC says in this regard, “Seeing leadership crisis in different sectors of Bangladesh I felt encouraged to enrol at Harvard University in the Master of Public Policy programme. There I studied leadership for two years.  I utilized my experience and knowledge to design a unique curriculum modelled after leadership courses taught at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.”
It is very optimistic that through this initiative youths are learning the actual concept of leadership through sharing their experiences. They are learning that leadership is not about a chair rather it is about working for the people which is an important lesson for all leaders- present and future.

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