Md. Wahidul Islam is currently working with the Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University (CPJ) as Senior Officer – Communications and Documentation. Under this role, he is entrusted with the following key responsibilities: Developing and implementing long-term communications strategies, building and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders to better develop, coordinate, and facilitate strategic communications, contributing ideas for new programs and research, and providing recommendations for innovative communications techniques for various projects.
He also oversees the development and maintenance of CPJ's official website and manages key events, training sessions, seminars, workshops, and campaign rollouts. His duties also include developing and executing social media activities across multiple channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Mr. Islam maintains media relations with print and electronic media houses to ensure outreach and circulation of national and international media coverage of CPJ's work. In this regard, he prepares external newsletters, press releases, and event reports, and is also responsible for developing, producing, and designing content to engage and educate audiences across various channels on topics relevant to the organizational mandate.
He also plays a number of roles in supporting CPJ's various projects through his expertise in mass media communication, organizational capacity, and project management. He provides communications support (remotely) to CPJ's Refugee Studies Unit (RSU) in Cox's Bazar for organising their short courses among other things. He also provides audio/video editing and recording support for producing CPJ's PODCAST series and other similar projects.
Mr. Islam joined CPJ as a Communication Assistant in May 2019. He was previously involved as an Intern at CPJ under the project titled ‘Empowered Women, Peaceful Communities Project,’ funded by UN Women. He provides mentorship support to facilitate an innovative and pioneering student-led initiative titled ‘Peace Café,’ which promotes civic engagement and experiential learning for a just, peaceful, and inclusive society. He also supports the coordination of the ‘Bangladesh Peacebuilders’ Network,’ a community of online activists working towards the same goals as the Peace Cafes.
Before joining CPJ, Mr. Islam worked as a Training Coordinator at Digicon Technologies Limited under a project titled ‘Skill Development for Mobile Game & Application Program,’ initiated by the ICT Division, Bangladesh. Previously, he worked with Bangla Tribune as a University Reporter at the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University (JKKNIU) Campus for four years. He was the moderator of the University Debate Society at JKKNIU and was also the General Secretary of the University Journalist Association. He was also involved as a mentor of the Press Club, JKKNIU.
Mr. Islam holds Honours and Master’s degrees in Social Science from the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, majoring in Public Administration and Governance Studies. He participated in several offline and online short courses, training, and workshops related to peace, social cohesion, gender, facilitation skills, communications for development (C4D), and basic journalism.
Provided below is a non-exhaustive list of published articles authored/co-authored by Mr. Islam:
- Islam, M.W and Reza, (2023 Jun 18) Centre for Peace and Justice: On a mission to build a just, peaceful and inclusive society. Daily Star
- Rahman, N. and Islam, M.W. (2023 Jun 10) পরিবেশবান্ধব উন্নয়ন এবং আমাদের ভাবনা. Daily Ittefaq
- Khayum, H.M.O. (2023 May 19) The knowledge-method for peace and social cohesion: Investing in youth through C4D. The Financial Express
- Islam, M.W. and Reza, A. (2023 January 17) Peace Café – How a student-led platform is transforming thousands of lives across Bangladesh. Daily Star
- Tabassum, N., Reza, A. & Islam, M.W. (2023 January 30) Challenges in Peace-building and development. Daily Observer
- Rahman, N., & Islam, M.W. (2022, November 30) - Editorial. ভার্চুয়াল জগতে নিপীড়ন ও সাইবার বুলিং প্রসঙ্গে. The Daily Ittefaq
- Islam, M.W., & Rahman, M.A. (2022, October 32). উইম্যান পিস ক্যাফে, শান্তি-সম্প্রীতি-সৌহার্দ্য প্রতিষ্ঠায় রোল মডেল. The Daily Ittefaq