Empowering Youth through Volunteerism, Bangladesh

Project name: Empowering Youth through Volunteerism

Project location: Bangladesh

Website: http://vbd.com.bd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerforBangladesh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VforBD

Project description:

Youth is the future of Bangladesh with almost 48 million of the overall population .However, opportunities for them have been scant as the unemployment rate in Bangladesh between the age group 15-24 was 10.4% in 2016 .Failing to utilize their potential is having a big impact on Bangladesh’s socio-economic future and its push towards a middle-income country status.Without guidance and lack of safe space for discussion,Bangladeshi youth are increasingly feeling alienated which is making them vulnerable towards radicalization and unlawful activities.

As a youth based organization,JAAGO Foundation has been working towards to address such issues since 2011.Given the current scenario,it’s of utmost importance to give youth a sense of purpose and JAAGO’s volunteer wing,Volunteer for Bangladesh (VBD) is in the best place to do so with 25,000registered young volunteers in 32 districts of Bangladesh.

VBD works to equip youth with a voice while previously they were often ignored in the socio-political discussion.By following a bottom up approach, the volunteers are included in the project designing phase which provides them an opportunity to express their ideas.This has been effective to engage and make youth contribute in the overall development of the country through diverse programs on education, environment, health, human rights, civic participation and democratic engagement.

Goal and purpose of the project:

• To empower the youth of Bangladesh by encouraging volunteerism.
• To provide a sense of purpose to the frustrated youth of Bangladesh through capacity building activities.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

Mr. Korvi Rakshand started JAAGO Foundation when he was only 22. As a youth himself, Mr. Rakshand was aware of the challenges faced by youth which promoted him to start JAAGO’s youth wing,‘Volunteer for Bangladesh’ in 2011.He understands the need to provide youth a platform where they can channel their frustrations in a positive way is more than ever. Thus, the proposed project aims to teach the young volunteers how they can design and implement projects to address their community’s needs.

Use of prize money:

Project duration: 1 year. Project Location: 8 divisions of Bangladesh.Number of beneficiaries: 240, 30 volunteers per training
Phase 1: Training on a)Raising funds from community based activities b) Identifying community needs and aligning them with SDGs c)Writing project proposals and preparing budgets for a small scale project or campaign d)Developing critical thinking skill to design impactful projects
Phase 2: Follow up projects by volunteers in their communities to implement their learning