Project inception meeting for the “JAAGORON” project, aimed at engaging marginalized youth in civic leadership, was held on 11 June, at the YPSA Human Resource Development Centre, Sitakunda Campus, in the Martyred Freedom Fighter AKM Mofizur Rahman Auditorium.
Under the Nagarikota: Civic Engagement Fund (CEF), funded by Switzerland, Canada, and the European Union, and with development support from GFA Consulting Group, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) is implementing the project in Chattogram. The consortium partner organizations include the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) in Dhaka and Agragoti Sanstha in Satkhira, which are also implementing the project.
The Chief Guest at the event was Md. Fakhrul Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Sitakunda Upazila, Chittagong. Special Guests included Md. Abdul Hannan Alam, Assistant Director, Department of Youth Development, Chittagong District, and Ali Ashraf, Regional Manager, BYLC, Chittagong.
The session was chaired by Mohammad Shahajahan, Director (KM4D), YPSA and Focal, YPSA-JAAGORON Project. The project presentation was delivered by Pradip Acharjee, Programme Manager, JAAGORON Project, and the event was moderated by Dr. Morshed Hossain Molla, Manager (Research, M&E), YPSA, Chittagong.
Also present were Md. Shah Alam, Youth Development Officer, Sitakund and Mirsarai Upazila; Lutfun Nessa Begum, Upazila Social Services Officer, Sitakunda Upazila; ward secretaries from various wards of Chittagong City Corporation; Union Administrative Officers from Sitakunda and Mirsarai Upazilas; representatives of local youth organizations; the Secretary of Sitakunda Press Club; journalists, teachers, representatives of professional organizations, and representatives of local non-governmental development organizations.
The primary objective of the “JAAGORON” project is to build the capacity of marginalized youth to lead inclusive and rights based local development through civic awareness, leadership, and engagement. The project covers 9 wards of Chittagong City Corporation, 8 unions including the municipality of Sitakunda Upazila, and 7 unions including two municipalities of Mirsarai Upazila. Under the project, 4,385 direct and 10,150 indirect beneficiaries aged 18 to 35 will be engaged, of whom 50% are women and youth from marginalized communities. Key activities include the formation of 30 youth groups, involving 30 youth organizations in leadership and civic engagement capacity development, peer-led sessions, youth participation in Union Development Coordination Committees (UDCCs), intergenerational dialogues, community radio and talk shows, and online campaigns. The project is aligned with SDGs 4, 7, 16, and 17.
Speakers at the meeting noted that despite youth aged 18 to 35 comprising 33% of Bangladesh’s total population, their representation in local governance and policymaking remains inadequate. Participants recommended that younger adolescents also be brought under the project’s scope to protect them from risky activities such as drug use and juvenile gang involvement.
Chief Guest Md. Fakhrul Islam, UNO Sitakund, stated that this is an appropriate project that will enrich youth with civic knowledge and play an effective role in delivering various government services to the general public. In the closing remarks, Mohammad Shahajahan, Director, YPSA, specified that the JAAGORON Project has been planned in such a way that it will play a supportive role in the effective implementation of the national Youth Policy 2017 of Bangladesh
