The Youth Leaders urged for an inclusive eco-friendly workplace. They asked for a sustainable economy that will ensure meaningful employment, bring work-life balance, and ensure inclusivity in an eco-friendly manner. They also highlighted the areas where we need to address social taboos and mindsets on work and dignity.
The ‘Youth Policy Conclave: Future of Work’, held on 23rd-24th February 2020. The conclave was hosted by IID and Youth for Policy in partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and PROKAS project of British Council. 25 young leaders from 18 districts of Bangladesh joined the event to develop the Youth Manifesto focusing Future of Work. Youth Manifesto is an initiative by IID, to bring youth voices in the public policy that originated in 2013.
The two day-long conclave inaugurated with a panel discussion that helped opening up the issues. After the panel, a day-long workshop of future of work started where participants set a target where they want to see the world in 2041. Participants went through step by step methods, for example mapping the future, where they fleshed out their preferred images of the future in 2041, the pushes of the present toward that future and the weights of the past that are holding them back. After the mapping, they went deeper into the future, using a causal layered analysis. And in the last step, based on their preferred futures, participants back-casted from 2041 to 2020, providing indications of what work needs to happen now to achieve our preferred futures.
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Through the workshop, youth leaders drafted the Youth Manifesto that focuses on an inclusive sustainable future economy that is corruption free. They also identified that to meaningfully contribute to that economy, proper skill and education will be needed and for that youths also urged the policymakers to focus on eliminating traditional mindset and stereotypes around work-dignity and inclusivity. Last but not the least, ensuring eco-friendly work environment should be another priority, given the increasing climate vulnerability. They presented the Youth Manifesto to the government representatives and development partners in a closing panel on 24th February.
Other than the 25 young leaders of IID’s ‘Youth for Policy’ network, honourable MP (Cumilla 2) Selima Ahmad, Founder & CEO of Bdjobs.com Ltd. A.K.M Fahim Mashroor, Head of ASER Bangladesh Gopal Kumar Dey, Educationist and Futurist Shakil Ahmed of Acumen Academy Bangladesh, Monsurul Aziz, Head of Brand Marketing of Nagad, Jennifer Anderson from CIPE, Md. Ziaul Huq, Deputy Secreatry of government’s Skills for Employement Investment Program, Shah Ali Farhad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Tina Marie Blohm, Resident Represntative of FES Bangladesh, Gerry Fox, Team Lead of PROKAS and S M Mahbub Alam, Director, National Skill Development Authority joined the conclave. CEO of IID, Syeed Ahamed moderated both the panel discussions.
