Staff Reporter, Dhaka : ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Boot Camp in Bangladesh, organised by Generation Unlimited, UNICEF Bangladesh, JAAGO Foundation Trust, Bangladesh Brand Forum, SIYB Bangladesh, International Labour Organization (ILO) & Technovation, concluded the first boot camp in the Dhaka division on 1 October 2022 at the Hotel Bengal Blueberry in Dhaka.

Six more Bootcamps will take place in 5 other divisions (Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Chittagong) of Bangladesh throughout October. Following an online assessment by the expert judge panel, shortlisted 10 -12 teams of youth aged 15 – 24 with prototype solutions related to climate change challenges participated in the Bootcamp.

Over three days, participating teams worked to develop their ideas further and turn them into projects that can be implemented to tackle climate issues in their concerned communities. ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Boot Camp Bangladesh 2022 encouraged youth entrepreneurship skills and opportunities. It engages youth to identify key impacts of climate change and environmental issues in their communities and to ideate and design youth-led socially impactful solutions. 5 winning teams from the Dhaka division received seed money to develop their solution. A similar approach will be taken for the other Bootcamp winners from other divisions. In total, 20 Teams will receive seed funds and be selected for the global challenge in 6 divisions of Bangladesh.

One of the participants said, “Even though it seems like a western problem, I knew from the first day I entered this workshop that Climate Change is a global problem, and unless we find solutions for our communities, no one else will.”

UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Sheldon Yett said, “It was an incredible experience meeting eleven climate champion teams in Dhaka today. Together, they are developing meaningful solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change. Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Despite being aware of climate change, few adolescents and young people believe they can make a difference.”

Mr. Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director of ILO in Bangladesh said, “Comprising more than 30% of the population, young people in Bangladesh need to be placed in the driving seat to ensure sustainable economic growth and development. Furthermore, in the context of LDC Graduation and emerging challenges such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution and climate change, it is imperative to prepare them for the future of work and construct viable pathways towards productive labour market engagement. I am happy to see that the Generation Unlimited Programme is working to enhance the entrepreneurial mindsets and problem-solving capacities of young people through the ImaGen Ventures Youth Challenge, enabling them to work in teams to define problems, think critically, build impactful business models, and address local climatic vulnerabilities through entrepreneurial solutions.”

Korvi Rakshand, Chairman, JAAGO Foundation Trust shared, “Our future depends on how we address climate change today. As part of the ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Boot Camp Bangladesh 2022, youth will be united and supported in designing climate-smart enterprise solutions to address the most pressing environmental challenges in their communities.” This will inspire them to think of ways to contribute to the world and their communities.”

ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Boot Camp will serve as an opportunity to come together and support young men and women to design climate-smart enterprise solutions to address the most pressing environmental challenges in their own communities.