OCSAR in partnership with Ashoka Innovators for the Public hosted “The Youth Venture Day” on 2nd October. The official launch of Ashoka’s Youth Venture in Bangladesh took place through this daylong event in BRAC University indoor auditorium.
Youth Venture is an international community of young Changemakers who launch and lead their own ventures with profound social impact to improve their community, country and the world. Youth Venture Operates in 24 countries with Bangladesh being the recent addition to the list.
A Panel of Judges, comprising of Ms. Samira Zuberi Heemika, Managing Director and Founder of Team Engine Ltd; Ms. Tareen Hossain Manju, Executive Editor and Executive Director of Daily Ittefaq; Mr. Shashikumar Velath, Leadership Group Member-Framework Change, Ashoka; Saif Al Rashid, Cofounder of Change Associates, Ashoka Fellow, World Economic Forum Fellow; and Yashveer Singh, Ashoka-South Asia, selected the top 3 participating teams to be the first set of Youth Venturers in Bangladesh. However, from over 45 initial Venture idea submissions from Bangladesh, 13 shortlisted participating teams pitched their proposals in-front of the judges.
Kreeyo, a designs firm bringing together communities through symbols and signage and demonstrating community spirit is one of the three Youth Venturers along with Street Children’s Theatre Initiative that portrays problems and solutions through drama, dance and poetry and Zhink, an art firm that makes greeting cards by recruiting underprivileged children and training them to do art and designs. Ashoka Bangladesh will work closely with the Youth Venturers and ensure the team’s access to workshops, adult allies (non controlling adult team advisors), a global network of like-minded young Changemakers and fund raising tools to establish their ventures further and make them more sustainable.
Mr. Abdullah Chowdhury Robin, Country Director, Ashoka Bangladesh and Zefroon Afsary, Consultant Ashoka Bangladesh from Reimagine Learning team were present in the program.