Objective

To enhance youth leadership and civic engagement across Bangladesh by equipping youth leaders with the cognitive, inclusive leadership, and human-centered design skills necessary to drive decentralized development and community action.

Project Summary

The Youth Leadership Development Program, supported through the FYL (Ful for Youth Leadership) Grants Program, is a nationwide initiative designed to empower youth by providing flexible and boundless support to grassroots organizations. The project aims to address the traditional power dynamics that often limit small or rural youth groups and to equip them with the knowledge and resources needed to lead local development. At the heart of this project is the belief that every youth leader’s potential matters and that shifting power to the local level is essential for building an inclusive and self-reliant democracy in Bangladesh.

The project will engage over 2,100 youth leaders across all 8 divisions of Bangladesh, including 497 divisional and district leaders and 1,600 youth at the upazila level. These participants, selected from the Volunteers for Bangladesh (VBD) network and other local groups, will take part in 14 daylong residential training sessions and conduct community outreach programs. They will be trained to lead Community Action Projects in their constituencies, specifically targeting local challenges through the use of human-centered design and inclusive leadership strategies. As part of this training, youth will also participate in a comprehensive needs assessment designed to identify and bridge specific skill gaps in their respective regions.

One of the central components of this initiative is the decentralization of leadership through the training of specialized Youth Coordinators. Through these coordinators, the project seeks to create a unified network of empowered youth who can impact the future of the country by implementing locally relevant solutions. These training sessions are designed to highlight how inclusive leadership and cognitive development can improve civic participation and community resilience across Bangladesh. By educating youth on these leadership principles, the program will inspire active community service, making young people more aware of the power they hold in shaping the local policies that affect their lives.

The overarching goal of the Youth Leadership Development Program is to bridge the gap in leadership opportunities for youth in marginalized and rural areas. By fostering democratic values and ensuring that youth have the skills to manage their own projects, the project will ensure that grassroots voices are heard and represented in the national development agenda. Furthermore, this project will help build an environment where youth not only serve as volunteers but also influence the social and economic progress of their communities. The project will focus on community-led action, ensuring that leadership development goes beyond basic training and instead promotes a holistic approach to civic responsibility. Ultimately, the project will build a stronger, more inclusive society in Bangladesh, where youth are active contributors to the nation’s future.