Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) Youth Leadership Summit 2021 plenary session "Living on the edge" underscored the struggles and challenges of marginalised groups Thursday.

The four-day summit is being held virtually through a webinar on Zoom, with a focus on listening to the voices of marginalised youths and crafting solutions together to achieve inclusivity in terms of opportunities to work, exercising equal rights, access to better health, livelihood, education, and skills development within the society.

Tashnuva Anan, social activist and news anchor at Boishakhi TV, Chandra Tripura, founder and director of Hill Resource Centre, and Umama Zillur, founder and director of Kotha, and Vashkar Bhattacharjee, programme manager of Young Power in Social Action, spoke at Thursday's plenary on the second day of the event.

The professionals shared their struggles, challenges, leadership journey, access to opportunities, power of togetherness, and vision for Bangladesh.

Not all youths can enjoy equal rights within society. Race, ethnicity, gender, and social class divide people and this difference restricts many youths from accessing great opportunities and leave others with opportunities at all, they said.

So, the speakers discussed how they designed interventions and solved problems while echoing the concerns of marginalised youths – including young people with disabilities; youths from Dalit, madrassa, and low-income backgrounds, and with transgender identity.

Tashnuva spoke about stereotypes, social stigmas, and the vulnerability of certain groups amid the pandemic.

The social activist also discussed the role of identities and how she broke the barriers down and took a courageous step forward, even after being a member of a marginalised group.

Umama – also a feminist activist and researcher at Power and Participation Research Centre – shared insights on how to navigate the difficulties in life and identify stakeholders and their perceptions.

Participants also shared their reflections and interacted with the speakers. The conversation focused on inspirations, vision, and the importance of humility and action.

It also featured system diagnosis; the work of leadership, and how it can be exercised to raise concerns and take initiatives.  

Next, the workshop "Translating vision into action" was held through a class session followed by small group activities.

The participants were taught to design intervention strategies through online platforms such as digital posters, videos, and share them on social media platforms using a hashtag.

Earlier, Thursday's session started with a debrief and leadership session where the instructor heard reflections from the participants about the previous day and asked them to share some of the key takeaways.

Next, the instructor built the conversation from the reflections and generated a conversation, differentiating authority and leadership.

To harness inclusiveness in society and diversity in youth leadership, BYLC Youth Leadership Summit 2021 began online Wednesday.

The summit has brought together 300 delegates from 149 educational institutions across 45 districts.

The theme of this year's summit is "Journey towards an inclusive Bangladesh," and United News of Bangladesh is the official online news partner of the event.

The summit consists of plenaries and workshops featuring industry experts and policymakers.

Participants are getting the opportunity to network, learn; practise leadership skills, and share ideas with their peers.