Leaders speak on breaking stereotypes

To inspire youths of Bangladesh, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Bangladesh successfully organised "Be the Change: Redefining Stereotypes"-- a one-day symposium at Helmut Kutin Auditorium, SOS Hermann Gmeiner College, Dhaka on November 23, 2019.

This one-day symposium, where esteemed individuals who have redefined the stereotypical ideologies and shined in their lives, inspired the future of our country-- the youth community.

The youths of Bangladesh are playing a crucial role in advancing the socio-economic status of the country. They are taking new challenges and are being able to come up with new ideas and solutions that are making our lives easier. However, there are still some stereotypical ideologies that need to be redefined to ensure that today's young generation are motivated and inspired to do new things, bring about new changes and contribute towards the betterment of our society. Based on the concept, 14 renowned individuals who are role models to many in Bangladesh and experts in their fields shared their stories to inspire the young generation and create positive change in the society. The speakers are Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, MP, deputy minister, Ministry of Education, Imran Karim, vice chairman of Confidence Group, Amzad Hussain, director of FBCCI, Syed Tanvir Husain, CHRO of Grameenphone, Zara Mahbub, country director and CEO of KITC Limited, Rean Rahman, country head -Bangladesh - Sri Lanka of iflix, Professor Imran Rahman, dean of ULAB Business School, Ilmul Haque Sajib, co-founder of Sheba.xyz, Humaira Khan, international fashion designer, Farheen Hassan, director, BBA Programme, AIUB, Asraful Huque Sium, youngest cardiac surgeon in Asia, Md Enamul Haque, managing director, Commercial Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh, Tamanna Chowdhury, principal dietician of Apollo Hospitals and Priota Iftekhar, founder of Flag Girl.

All the leaders shared their journey towards excellence. Their stories of walking extra miles, coming out from comfort zone and making the nation proud by their extra ordinary achievements and contributions in their fields inspired the youths. They also shared how they have generated positive influence on the community and have established the application of creativity in solving problems and overcoming challenges. Most important part in their stories were how they demonstrated their commitments to the highest ethical standards and provided services as a mentor and as a trusted advisor to many. The strategic partner for this event was SOS Children's Villages Bangladesh.

Around 550 participants from different sectors of society were present. This was one of the most prominent yearly programmes of JCI Bangladesh. The convener of the programme was National Secretary General Erfan Haque and the co-convener was International Affairs Commissioner Ziaul Haque Bhuiyan. Irfan Islam, national president, Sarah Kamal, national executive vice president, Arman Ahmed Khan, Ismat Jahan and Salehin F Nahiyan-- national vice presidents were present along with national directors, local presidents and JCI members.