High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Canada Nahida Sobhan has underscored the vital role of young people in nation-building.
During a panel discussion at the Youth Festival in Toronto, she commended the commitment and unity exhibited by Bangladeshi-origin youth in Canada during the 2024 movement.
The envoy highlighted the critical role of young voices in driving sustainable nation-building efforts.
“The High Commission remains fully committed to engaging with Bangladeshi-origin youth in Canada, empowering them to be catalysts for progress and representing Bangladesh’s dynamic potential,” said the high commissioner, according to a message here.
The High Commission of Bangladesh in Ottawa, in collaboration with Progressive Action for Community Empowerment (PACE), hosted an event at the Albert Campbell Public Library in Toronto on January 18 as part of the ongoing Youth Festival 2025, an initiative by the government of Bangladesh.
The event, themed “Let’s Change the Country, Let’s Change the World,” served as a platform for Bangladeshi-origin youth in Canada to explore their role in shaping a progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.
A diverse group of students and young professionals who actively supported and organized protest events in Toronto during the historic July–August 2024 movement in Bangladesh attended the gathering.
A Davos-style panel discussion was the key highlight of the event, where participants shared innovative ideas and solutions to address critical challenges facing Bangladesh’s future.
Srijoni Rahman, one of the young panelists, emphasised the transformative potential of the Bangladeshi diaspora in driving positive change.
While thanking the High Commission of Bangladesh in Canada, she said Bangladeshi foreign missions should encourage youth engagement and foster a positive mindset so that the youth of the Bangladeshi diaspora can meaningfully contribute to Bangladesh’s transformation.
She also said Bangladesh has always been a model and an inspiration for youth-led movements, and youths have always been catalysts for bringing about change.
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"We should draw lessons from our values – the values derived from our War of Independence in 1971 and the July-August movement – to ensure social justice and equity.”
Another panelist Urbi Khan, a youth representative from the Bangladeshi community and a journalist at the Toronto Star, reminded the audience that the youth have always been the vanguard of change in Bangladesh’s storied history, including during the recent July-August movement.
She maintained that Bangladesh itself is the cherished fruit of revolutionary struggles, nurtured by the sacrifices and indomitable spirit of its people.