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About BYLC

Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), the country's first leadership institute, exists to build connections among youth from diverse backgrounds, equip them with leadership skills, and enable them to have high impact in public, private, and civil sectors. All our efforts aim to strengthen prosperity, justice, and inclusiveness in societies worldwide.

About BGN

The BYLC Graduate Network (BGN) is an alumni association of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC). Governed by an elected board of BYLC graduates, BGN works to create an enabling platform for BYLC graduates to exercise leadership for individual and community development.

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About the award The BYLC Alumni Awards, a joint initiative of BYLC and BGN, aims to recognize and celebrate the leadership potential and achievements of BYLC graduates. Award winners are emerging leaders in their fields who have put to use their BYLC leadership education to make a contribution to their communities and professions.

The BYLC Alumni Awards demonstrate the transformative power of youth leadership education and elevate the reputation and profile of BYLC graduates.

Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MPSpeakerBangladesh Parliament

I am delighted to know that Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), in collaboration with BYLC Graduate Network, is recognizing the hard work, commitment to excellence, and outstanding leadership potential of its graduates through the BYLC Alumni Awards. My heartfelt congratulations to all the worthy winners!

It is inspiring to see the energy, idealism, and commitment to the public good in the young people who enroll in BYLC’s leadership courses. I am especially impressed with the academic and professional achievements of those who have won the award. This is, however, the beginning of your leadership journey, so I hope that you will take this award as an encouragement to achieve greater things, both for yourself and for your country.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend BYLC on doing a remarkable job in preparing the next generation with the leadership skills and ethical values to contribute to Bangladesh’s development. I look forward to seeing more BYLC graduates taking on leadership roles across different sectors in the coming years.

Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP

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MessageJune 10, 2017

BYLC was founded with the conviction that youth leadership education can be a powerful force to creating a just, inclusive, and prosperous world. Our courses are designed to help young people discover their potential for leadership, think creatively about society’s hard, pressing problems, and enable them to mobilize others for action.

Eight and a half years on, as I look at our growing community of more than 3000 strong alumni, I am inspired and humbled by what our graduates have been able to accomplish. Among our graduates are officers in civil service, armed forces, MNCs, and NGOs. While some of our graduates have gone on to launch startups and raise millions of dollars from top Silicon Valley venture capital firms, others are social entrepreneurs finding innovative ways to connect poor patients with medical funds through mobile app, or creating employment opportunities for dropout students by providing them free tech training. We have graduates who have written books, and won President’s, Prime Minister’s and Chancellor’s Gold Medals for their academic excellence.

We organized the first alumni awards this year because we believe that our graduates are our biggest asset. Through the awards, we wanted to recognize the outstanding achievements of our alumni and showcase the importance and value of youth leadership education. The 10 award winners were selected from over a hundred nominations. Congratulations to the winners! I hope this recognition will serve as an encouragement for you to work harder to achieve your goals. The dream of a prosperous, just, and inclusive society will only be materialized when you will represent the highest ideals of integrity and ethical leadership.

Ejaj Ahmad

MessageJune 10, 2017

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Ejaj AhmadPresidentBangladesh Youth Leadership Center

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It has been an honor for me to serve as the BGN President for the past one year and to work with our BGN Board. Our mission has been to ensure that our graduates have opportunities for further development and that they stay engaged with BYLC. All of us at the BGN team have had a busy and productive year. We formed the BGN divisional committees in Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet. We hosted the BGN Cricket League, organized an oral health camp for underprivileged children, raised awareness on disaster management, and orchestrated the nationwide “Desh Amar Dayitto Amar” campaign. With the BYLC team and our graduates, we have tried our best to create an inclusive learning platform for our alumni network.

The BYLC Alumni Awards is a part of our efforts to celebrate the leadership potential of our graduates. We are proud of their accomplishments and we look forward to following their journey as they go on to achieve bigger things in the future. On behalf of our BGN Board, I would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to each of the winners.

I would like to conclude by expressing my gratitude to BGN Board Members Zannatul Ferdous Miftah, Md. Golam Mostofa Emon, and Md. Azizul Haque for making 2016-2017 a successful year for BGN.

Jahedul Islam

MessageJune 10, 2017

Jahedul IslamPresident (2016-2017)BYLC Graduate Network

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Jahedul IslamPresident (2016-2017), BYLC Graduate Network

Award Committee

Zannatul Ferdous MiftahGeneral Secretary (2016-2017), BYLC Graduate Network

Md. Golam Mostofa EmonPrograms Executive (2016-2017), BYLC Graduate Network

Md. Azizul HaqueOperations Executive (2016-2017), BYLC Graduate Network

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Shaveena AnamDeputy Manager, Communication, BYLC

jury board

Imran ChowdhuryManager, Operations, BYLC

Lamiya JabbarAssistant Manager, Business Development, BYLC

Khaled SaifullahDeputy Manager, Curriculum Development, BYLC

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Award Categories

Social Impact

Media and Culture

EducationProfessionalExcellence

Entrepreneurshipand Innovation

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Anjali Sarker is a graduate of the first Art and Practice of Leadership workshop for Media Professionals. Currently, she works as a team leader at BRAC Social Innovation Lab, where she runs the Innovation Fund for Mobile Money, a project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to bring digital financial services to the doorsteps of 1 million rural women in Bangladesh. She also leads BoP lab in Bangladesh as part of the BoP Global Network. Her entrepreneurial journey started at the age of twenty when she co-founded a startup called Toilet+, which was featured in Forbes for its innovative business model. Anjali has spoken at two TEDx events in Hong Kong and in the Netherlands on social entrepreneurship and innovation.

For her leadership for social development, Anjali has won several international awards. She is a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and has been recognized as one of the Top 99 leaders under the age of 33 in the Foreign Policy and Diplomatic Courier magazine. She is a New Voices Fellow of the Aspen Institute. UNICEF and Goi-Peace Foundation in Japan awarded her Minister of Education title for her award winning essay Counting the Uncountable. Anjali holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka, and a diploma in social innovation from Lund University, Sweden.

Anjali SarkerAPL for Media Professionals2013

WinnersSocial Impact

Munzurul Hasan is a graduate of the ninth Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. He has been working to improve the lives of underprivileged children for the past seven years. As part of his BBLT community service project at BYLC, Munzurul launched the Road to School project, which provides education to street children. He co-founded Poriborton School, Porshee School, Shapla Gonoshikha School, and Youth Walk Bangladesh, all of which are aimed at enhancing the educational development of underprivileged children. He is also involved in other community education initiatives such as Nobo Digonter Pathshala, Change The Lives, CCP Foundation School 2, and Notun Provat. Through these initiatives, Munzurul has provided early childhood education to more than 300 street children and has gotten them enrolled in primary schools.

Munzurul earned his bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from Goverment Titumir College. He also works as a web developer and started a tech company called Futuretech Solutions Limited.

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Munzurul HasanBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 92012

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Muminul Hoq is a graduate of the fifth Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. He is committed to making a difference in the lives of others through his professional career in the public sector. He passed the 35th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination and is currently working as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). Previously, he worked at the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) as lecturer of finance, and at IDLC Securities Limited as an equity research associate.

Following his HSC from Notre Dame College, Muminul earned both his BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Dhaka. For his academic excellence, he received the Dean’s Award from Dhaka University’s MBA program. During his studies at Dhaka University, Muminul was actively engaged in both the Dhaka University Career Club as well as the Dhaka University Debating Society.

Muminul aspires to be a role model in the country’s police force and wants to make Bangladesh a safe place to live in.

WinnersProfessional Excellence

Muminul HoqBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 52011

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Anik SinhaBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 92012

Anik Sinha is graduate of the ninth Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. He is currently working as a specialist in Digital Channels at Grameenphone. Prior to this, he interned at Nestle Bangladesh and GlaxoSmithKline Bangladesh.

Anik was the valedictorian of his class in 2015 when he graduated from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He achieved both the Vice Chancellor’s Gold Medal as well as the Prime Minister’s Gold Medal. While at BUP, Anik represented his university at the 2013 World Debating Championship in Berlin, Germany, and at the 2014 HPAIR conference at Harvard University, USA.

Anik aspires to transform the ecommerce industry in Bangladesh, making products available at the door steps of every household in rural areas of the country.

Zainab Syed AhmedBYLC Youth Leadership Bootcamp 22015

Zainab Syed Ahmed is a graduate of the second BYLC Youth Leadership Bootcamp. She is currently working as an executive in the curriculum development and teaching team at BYLC. So far, she has worked in three BYLC programs and facilitated in 10 programs, teaching around 250 students. Zainab completed her IGCSE and A levels from Bangladesh International School (English Section), Jeddah (BISESJ). She ranked 1st in the world in Food and Nutrition in IGCSE, for which she received the Cambridge Outstanding Achiever Award. Zainab graduated with the highest distinction in the bachelor’s of pharmacy program at BRAC University. She was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for obtaining the highest CGPA (3.98 out 4.00) among all of the undergraduate programs of her graduating batch. For her achievement, she was chosen to give the valedictorian address at the 11th Convocation of BRAC University.

Zainab is passionate about education and believes that building the skills and capabilities of today’s youth is critical to building a prosperous Bangladesh.

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WinnersEducation

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Abdullah Jobair is a graduate of the third Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. Growing up in a single-parent household, Jobair had to overcome tremendous personal hardships to continue his education. Despite this, he obtained GPA 5 in both his Dakhil and Alim examinations in 2009 and 2011, respectively. In 2012, he was admitted into the Department of Islamic Studies at Dhaka University. He completed his bachelor’s degree with the highest CGPA (4 out of 4) and his master’s degree with CGPA of 3.96 out of 4. Jobair was one of eighty students who received a Gold Medal from the President of Bangladesh at the 50th Convocation of Dhaka University.

Jobair has translated several Islamic writings from Arabic to Bangla. One of his notable translations of Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism was published in the 2016 Ekushe Boimela.

Abdullah JobairBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 32009

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Ovick Alam is a graduate of the third Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. He worked at BYLC between 2010 and 2012 as a leadership facilitator. Currently, Ovick is the chairman and co-founder of WebAble Digital, a creative digital agency. For his work at WebAble, Ovick has been the recipient of several national and international awards, including Asia’s Most Influential Digital Media Professional Award by the World Brand Congress in 2015 and Future Startup’s 15 under 35. In addition to providing digital transformation services to his clients, Ovick also facilitates corporate trainings on digital marketing for industry leaders. Ovick is an advisor to TEDxDhaka, a member of the Standing Committee on Digital Market at BASIS, and a patron of the Bangladesh Organization for Learning & Development. His work has been recognized in global stages such as the University of Texas, Austin’s Dell Social Innovation Challenge (Winner of Global Sustainability Award & Social Innovation Fellow), CRDF’s Global Innovation Science & Technology (GIST Transformer), MIT Enterprise Forum, and Wharton Innovation Tournament. Ovick holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with major in marketing from the University of Dhaka (2012).

Ovick is an evangelist of the internet and believes that the power of connectivity can change the world.

Ovick AlamBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 32009

WinnersEntrepreneurship and Innovation

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Osama Bin NoorBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 52011

Osama Bin Noor is a graduate of the fifth Building Bridges through Leadership Training program and is the co-founder of Youth Opportunities. Youth Opportunities is the largest global opportunity discovery platform which provides equal, free, and easy access to unlimited opportunities to young people from all over the world. Youth Opportunities won the BRAC Manthan Digital Innovation Award 2016 and National Mobile App Award 2016 from ICT Division of the Government of Bangladesh. Osama also co-hosts the radio show Teen Tekka, which is the first radio show dedicated to teenagers in Bangladesh.

In 2016, Osama was awarded the Queen’s Young Leaders Award for his initiative. He was featured as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in Asia. Real Leaders magazine has named Osama in their list of 100 Visionary Leaders Under 30. He also received Rise High Bangladesh Award from The Daily Star.

Osama is currently completing the final year of bachelor’s of dental surgery degree. He has completed a year-long leadership training program from Cambridge University called Leading Change.

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Makshudul AM Mondal is a graduate of the fifth Building Bridges through Leadership Training program. Along with three other peers he met during BBLT program at BYLC, he co-founded Youth Opportunities in 2012. Youth Opportunities is the largest global opportunity discovery platform which provides equal, free, and easy access to unlimited opportunities to young people from all over the world. Previously, Makshud served as a fellow and senior research associate at the Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG), where his responsibilities included managing stakeholder relationships, conceptualizing projects and frameworks, and writing proposals. As a certified trainer of leadership, Makshud has been playing an active role for the past few years in developing the leadership capacity of different youth-led organizations in Bangladesh.

Makshud has represented Bangladesh in leading international programs, including Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations at Harvard University, Asia Pacific Week at Australian National University, and International Youth Program in Malaysia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Institute of Business Administration at Dhaka University. He completed his HSC from Notre Dame College and SSC from St. Joseph Higher Secondary School.

Makshudul AM MondalBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training 52011

Meem Noshin Nawal Khan, a graduate of the fifth Building Bridges through Leadership Training Junior program, is an HSC student at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. She is currently working as a sub-editor at priyo.com, a leading news and entertainment portal in Bangladesh.

Meem has authored and published thirteen books, including Boka Manushta O Pagli Meyeta, which she published when she was in third grade. She won the first prize for Meena Media Awards in 2010 and 2014, and received the second prize in 2013 and 2016. She was the group champion of OItijjha Gollachhut Golpolekha Protijogita 2011 and the champion of Dhaka University Photography Society 2nd National Photography Festival. For her outstanding accomplishments as a young writer, Meem also won the Chotoder Mela Sera Shishu Lekhok title in 2014.

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WinnerMedia and Culture

Meem Noshin Nawal KhanBuilding Bridges through Leadership Training Junior 52013

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Our InterventionOnline Academy

Our InterventionTeachers’ Training

Challenge 3Leadership education and opportunities only available to youth in major cities; crisis of leadership in society due to limited opportunity to learn about leadership skills

Challenge 4Teachers overly dependent on rote learning; existing teaching methods do not foster creativity and problem solving; develop-ment of values-based leadership not emphasized in curriculum

Objective 3Leverage technology todemocratize leadership education and make it available to youth worldwide

Objective 4Enable teachers to use experiential teaching tools to foster creativity, problem solving, and values-based leadership among students

Outcome 3 Inclusive learning, educational equality, and improved understanding of leadership

Outcome 4Empowered teachers enable leadership development of more students and youth

Vision: To create a just, prosperous, and inclusive world

Stock of leaders

Our InterventionBBLT, BBLTJ, APL, Bootcamp, Summit, Graduate Network

Our InterventionOffice of Professional Develop-ment

Challenge 1Rising conflict due to divergent education systems; dearth of critical thinking skills in educational system; lack of opportunities for youth tochannel energy for community development

Challenge 2Lack of career services for youth to avail and make informed career decisions; youth inadequately prepared for the job market due to lack of career counseling services

Objective 1Connect youth across diverse backgrounds, equip them with leadership skills, and engage them in active citizenship

Objective 2Build professional capabilities of alumni and enable them to have high impact in multiple sectors

Outcome 1Courageous, compassionate, and competent leaders

Outcome 2High impact in public, private, and civil sectors

Stock of leaders

BYLC Theory of Change

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Our Programs

A 10-week long program for HSC/Alim/A'Level and first and second year university students

Building Bridgesthrough LeadershipTraining

A month-long program for grade 6-10 students

Building Bridges through Leadership Training Junior A three-day workshop for

third and fourth year undergraduate students as well as full-time master’s students

The Art and Practice of Leadership

A four-day residential camp for university students

Youth Leadership Bootcamp

A three-day inter-generational summit for college and university students

Youth Leadership Summit

A five-day intensive workshop to prepare leadership faculty

MASTERCLASS ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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Office of Professional DevelopmentThe Office of Professional Development (OPD) was established in 2016 with the mandate to equip BYLC graduates with 21st century professional development skills and prepare them to excel in their careers in public, private, and civil sectors. Through a holistic curriculum that draws from both academia and industry, OPD assists BYLC graduates to think strategically about their career choices and successfully navigate through the different stages of recruitment. Parallel to this, OPD provides placement services for BYLC graduates via partnerships with top employers.

BYLC Career Fair

The OPD organized its first BYLC Career Fair at Lakeshore Hotel in December 2016. The fair connected more than 300 university students and fresh graduates, who have completed BYLC leadership programs, with 20 of the country's leading private and nonprofit sector employers.

The 20 companies at the career fair included Mutual Trust Bank, BRAC Bank, The City Bank, Dhaka Bank, Green Delta Insurance, Adcomm, BRAC, ActionAid, Anwar Group, Ananta Group, Energypac, bKash, US Embassy Dhaka, UNDP, Praava Health, Paragon Group, Renata Pharmaceuticals, Zero Gravity, Apex Footwear, and Standard Chartered Bank.

This year, the Career Fair, which promises to be even bigger than last year, will take place on October 26, 2017, at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center.

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Youth Leadership Prize 2016With support from UKAid, BYLC launched the BYLC Youth Leadership Prize in August 2016, following the Youth Leadership Summit 2016. Graduates of BYLC leadership programs were invited to apply with project ideas that could create significant social impact. By enabling promising young change makers to take on social initiatives, the BYLC Youth Leadership Prize aimed to demonstrate the power of youth in leading change in their communities.

A thorough assessment process evaluated the applications for potential social impact, innovation in the idea, strategies in project implementation, and the passion demonstrated by the group members. In the last round, groups presented their ideas in front of an external judging panel who chose the final 10 winning groups on the basis of their impact and sustainability.

The 10 groups, who won Taka 750,000 each, are: • Younifi from Dhaka, who are connecting talented volunteers with NGOs and social initiatives• Green Power from Barisal, who are working to provide an alternative source of electricity using tidal power• Waste Free Bangladesh from Dhaka, who are working to change current practices around garbage management to decrease waste• Ground Zero from Dhaka, who are raising awareness around sexual abuse of children• Campaign Red from Cox’s Bazar, who are creating awareness around menstruation hygiene and management in schools• LLC for Dropouts from Dhaka, who are providing free tech training and career opportunities to dropout students• Aqualine from Mymensingh, who are creating a social business using fish viscera and waste• Zhink from Dhaka, who are teaching art and designing skills to street children so they can create and sell products• Aroggo from Dhaka, who are connecting underprivileged patients with medical funds through a website and mobile app.

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why study leadership at bylc?