American Corner Chattogram: A skill development pathway for the students

Skill development organizations are gaining popularity among the youth, especially college and university-going students, either for gaining real-life experience in the job sector or amplifying the advancement of wisdom. 

The propensity to enable pupils with technical and soft skills is one of the prime intents of those organizations, which are friendly to professional enrichment and decision-making competency. American Corner Chattogram is one of the non-profit organizations of Bangladesh that works for skill development and cross-cultural engagement for the youths, as well as creating social awareness among the people through their diversified activities.

Under the guidance of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, American Corner Chattogram has been a catalyst for change since its inception. Its activities, previously held at Chittagong Independent University and now at Premier University in Chattogram, are not limited to youth. Professionals from various fields can also benefit from the multi-dimensional learning opportunities offered by American Corner Chattogram.

English Language Club is one of the apex sections of the American Corner Chattogram, where the participants get free entry to practice English through professional mentors. It arranges sessions one day every week, which plays a vital role in outgrowing the dread of English and expediting fluency.

The organization executes its activities through mottos called the Six Pillars of American Spaces Program. These include information about the United States, alum engagement, educational advice, English language teaching and learning, skills building, and strategic cultural programs. Under these pillars, it has arranged several programs in the last one-year period in which a large number of enthusiasts actively participated in developing their technical and soft skills.

As the world rapidly advances in information technology, American Corner Chattogram is at the forefront, offering workshops on graphic design. It also promotes research by training students in research methodology—the organization's contributions to the science arena include

• The Robo Matrix workshop.
• The Bangabandhu Innovation Fair.
• Pedagogical innovation and technology integration training for teachers.

American Corner Chattogram regularly arranges webinars and sessions to provide Bangladeshi students with the necessary information regarding studying at top-ranked universities. Some social events are also held to make people aware of their rights and how to exercise them in real life. 

Awareness about female rights, inspiring youth about their voting rights, motivating the green environment concept, and encouraging youth innovation are fundamental issues on which the American Corner Chattogram focuses on making a positive change in society.

The organization is also looking forward to arranging several sessions in the upcoming days. Some of them are 'Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Leaders, 'Journalism for Social Justice Workshop,' Cycling for Carbon Reduction Challenge, 'Green Strides; Walk for a Sustainable Future, 'Panel Discussion on Sustainable Environment, 'Stand Up, Speak Out: Taking Action for Safer Communities,' and 'Transforming Brands into Profit: Women's Empowerment Strategy'.

Md. Iqbal Hossain, Coordinator of American Corner Chattogram, said, "We are delighted with the students' response. In the last one-year period, we have continuously arranged sessions and workshops for the students. All of our sessions and workshops are free for the participants. We are committed to arranging some educative sessions in the upcoming days. The students can enrich their skills by engaging with our diversified work."

The writer is an MBA student at the Department of Banking and Insurance at the University of Chittagong.

tanjimhasan001@gmail.com