The star-studded jury panel of the Joy Bangla Youth Award, the initiative to recognise nationwide young social change makers, sees the urge and potential among the awardees to transform the country as well as the planet.
Echoing the relevance of the Joy Bangla Youth Award-2021 furthered by the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence, Bangladesh Liberation War Museum Trustee Mofidul Hoque said, “The award has made us optimistic. Let youths carry forward the legacy of independence, the ideals of Bangabandhu, and the development of Bangladesh. That is what I expect of them in this 50th year of the country’s independence.”
Read: Joy Bangla Concert: Rock stars share best memories
This is the first time Hoque has joined the Joy Bangla Youth Award (JBYA) Jury Board.
"The best thing I have felt about this award is that the youths have their deepest urge to ensure the freedom of humanity and the freedom of society. Some are working on technology and taking the benefit of that technology to people. On the other hand, some initiatives are working in remote areas. They may be small in scale but big in essence. In a nutshell, it made us optimistic,” he added.
The Joy Bangla Award takes inspiration from the war cry of the 1971 Liberation War.
Like previous years, the fifth installment of the award received entries from the entire country, said the organizer Young Bangla, the secretariat of the Centre for Research & Information (CRI).
Around 700 organizations applied for the award from across the country.
Entrepreneur Sharmishta Roy said, “It's a great experience to be part of the jury. We have got so many young talents that it’s hard to predict what milestones these youths will help the country reach. Through this award, the organizers are imbuing young hearts with the confidence and inspiration that will contribute not just to the country but to the world as well."
The award, conferred every two years, is now being given out after a year to coincide with the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's Independence.
Since its inception in 2014, Young Bangla has been conferring the award to the young people and youth organizations successfully involved in changing the social paradigm and bringing about change in their respective areas.
In previous years, the award paved the path for international acclamations for youths including Sadat Rahman, a 2018-JBYA winner, who later won the International Children's Peace Prize in 2020 for making an anti-cyberbullying mobile app named Cyber Teens.
Reflecting on the method of selecting entries, former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman said, “Following a particular methodology and a fair selection process, the team presented information about the applicants. Young change makers from all walks of life from across the country took part in it. Youths are our power. This award corroborates that idea. Bangladesh will ride on the initiatives of these youths.”
“We have got applications from diverse groups from across the country. We spent the entire day selecting the best ones to be awarded by the CRI-organized event,” Tashnuva Shishir, said the country’s first TV Anchor from the transgender background.
Read: Joy Bangla Youth Award winners eye wider contributions to communities
“It was difficult to select the top 10 projects as we received applications from all corners of the country and all of them had been doing great jobs braving all limitations and challenges. Heartiest congratulations to the Joy Bangla 2021 awardees,” said Conservationist Shahriar Caesar Rahman.
“Congratulations to the young champions! But other applicants shouldn’t lose hope either as they too have a long way to go,” said Entrepreneur Zara Mahbub.
“We have got so many different projects and our youths are so much active in serving their communities that they made our job difficult to select the best ones. Wishing all the best for those who couldn’t make it this time. But there is an expectation burden on those who are going to be awarded. They will keep serving more,” said Tech Entrepreneur Achia Nila.