Youth Development: A promising strategy for economic resilience in Bangladesh Dec. 2009-Jan. 2010

1. Youth
Development:
A
Promising
Strategy
for
the
Economic
Resilience
of
Bangladesh
Presented
By:
Kimberly
D.
York,
MSSA,
LSW,
CNM
Fall
2009,
Case
Western
Reserve
University

2. BeauIful
Bangladesh
Popula:on
150
Million
>7th
Most
populated
country
in
world
>Most
densely
populated
country
in
world
(1090
people
per
sq
km)
>Growth
Rate-­‐
1.34%
per
year
(esImated
to
be
181.5
mil
by
2015)
Primary
Language
Bangla
aka
Bengali
Currency
Taka
(US
exchange
rate
USS1:
Tk
68.55)
Major
Religions
Muslim-­‐
83%
Hindu-­‐16%
ChrisIan
&
Buddhism-­‐
1%

3. Humble
Beginnings
• Formerly
part
of
East
Bengal
then
East
Pakistan
• Secured
its
independence
from
Pakistan
in
1971
in
Libera:on
War
• Former
Leadership
slaughtered
• Current
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
of
Awami
League

4. People’s
Republic
of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Coat
of
Arms
Bangladesh
NaIonal
Flag
Capital
City:
Dhaka

5. Major
Geographical
Divisions
• Dhaka
• Khuluna
• Barisal
• Rajshahi
• Chibagong
• Sylhet

6. Historical
Risk
Factors
• War
• Natural
Disasters
• Arsenic
Poisoning
• Poverty
• Corrupt
PoliIcs
• Poor
Healthcare
• Underground
violence

7. The
Comeback
Kids:
Protec:ve
Factors
• Leapfrog
Technology
• Family
• Perseverance
• Strategic
poverty
reducIon
plans:
Microcredit
• CollaboraIve
Efforts

8. Looking
Up:
Resiliency
Paradigm
• Resiliency
research
provides
solid
evidence
for
the
emphasis
on
human
development
among
high-­‐risk
populaIons.
According
to
Maston
(1994),
“…nature
has
provided
powerful
protecIve
mechanisms
for
human
development”
that
“appear
to
transcend
ethnic,
social
class,
geographical,
and
historical
boundaries”(Werner
&
Smith,
1992).
Henderson
(1999)
further
suggests
that
resiliency
addresses
universal
human
condiIons
from
a
strengths
based
perspecIve.

9. From
Risk
to
Resilience
RecommendaIons
from
Dr.
Muhammad
Yunus
• The
need
to
think
strategically
about
development,
analyzing
a
country’s
potenIal
role
in
its
region
and
the
world
in
search
of
opportuniIes
for
growth
• The
need
to
get
past
myths,
stereotypes,
and
assumpIons
about
poor
countries
and
their
relaIons
to
their
neighbors
• The
need
to
find
fresh,
posiIve
approaches
to
development
that
emphasize
the
potenIal
strengths
of
a
country
and
its
people,
not
just
their
problems,
and
• The
need
to
think
about
how
social
business
can
address
social
and
economic
problems
that
are
usually
lej
to
be
resolved
by
governments.
Source:
CreaIng
a
World
Without
Poverty,
Dr.
Muhammad
Yunus
(2008).
Pg
109

10. Current
Economic
Resiliency
Strategies
Mission
Possible:
Alleviate
Poverty
• Microcredit
Lending
• EducaIon
• Family
Mabers
• Leapfrog
Technology

11. Microcredit
Lending
Microcredit
(mI-­‐[*]Kro'kre-­‐dit);
noun;
programs
extend
small
loans
to
very
poor
people
for
self-­‐employment
projects
that
generate
income,
allowing
them
to
care
for
themselves
and
their
families.

12. EducaIon
• NaIonal
literacy
rate
has
significantly
improved
from
twenty
six
(26)
percent
in
1981
to
forty
one
(41)
percent
in
2002
(Yunus,
2009).
• Number
of
children
abending
school
increased
• More
girls
abend
secondary
school
than
boys

13. Leapfrog
Technology
• The
need
for
faster
technological
development
is
increasingly
felt
in
Bangladesh.
Development
plans
of
Bangladesh
have
emphasized
science
and
technological
research
to
develop
technologies
through
adopIon
of
imported
technology
as
well
as
development
of
indigenous
technologies.
Source:
hbp://www.discoverybangladesh.com/meetbangladesh/science_technology.html

14. Family
Mabers
Social
&
Economic
Strategies
Include:
• Improved
Access
to
Health
Care
Prenatal
Care
STD
PrevenIon
• Improved
Water
SanitaIon
• Adequate
Housing
• Childhood
NutriIon
Programs
• Community
EducaIon
Sessions

15. Growing
a
Na:on:
Youth
As
Resources
• Historical
Role
of
Youth
• Youth
StaIsIcs
• Youth
Development
• Department
of
Youth
Development
• Youth
Outcomes

16. Historical
ContribuIons
of
Bangladeshi
Youth
• 1952-­‐
Language
Development
Movement
• 1969-­‐
Mass
Upsurge
• 1971-­‐
LiberaIon
War
• 1970’s
&
beyond-­‐
Youth
voter
campaigns
-­‐
AnI
Tobacco
protest
-­‐
InjusIce
protests

17. A
Closer
Look:
Bangladeshi
Youth
 Account
for
1
/3
of
en:re
po
 Comprised
o pula:on
f
all
people
age
18-­‐35

18. Youth
Development
in
Bangladesh
DefiniIon:
American
definiIon
from
Center
for
Youth
Development
and
Policy
Research
will
be
adopted
for
this
project.
It
describes
youth
development
as,
“the
ongoing
growth
process
in
which
all
youth
are
engaged
in
a3emp5ng
to
(1)
meet
their
basic
personal
and
social
needs
to
be
safe,
feel
cared
for,
be
valued,
be
useful,
and
be
spiritually
grounded,
and
(2)
to
build
skills
and
competencies
that
allow
them
to
func5on
and
contribute
in
their
daily
lives."
hbp://cyd.aed.org/whaIs.html

19. Bangladesh
Department
of
Youth
Development
• Vision
of
the
Department
of
Youth
Development:
• To
organize
the
undisciplined
and
unproducIve
youth
into
an
organized,
disciplined
and
producIve
youth
force
by
providing
vocaIonal
/skill
development
training
for
their
gainful
employment/self-­‐employment.
• To
involve
the
youth
in
the
main
stream
of
naIonal
development
process.
• Aim
&
Objec:ves:
• To
encourage
the
youth
for
self-­‐development
and
gainful
employment
through
moIvaIon,
training
and
other
necessary
support
including
micro-­‐credit.
• To
organize
the
youth
through
voluntary
youth
organizaIons
and
moIvate
them
to
take
part
in
community
development
acIviIes.
• PromoIng
formaIon
of
youth
organizaIons
at
the
grass
root
levels
and
ensuring
their
involvement
in
parIcipatory
development.
• To
involve
the
youth
in
socio-­‐economic
development
acIviIes
like
literacy
program,
disaster
management,
environment
conservaIon,
primary
health
care
such
as
advocacy
on
protecIon
of
HIV/AIDS/drug
abuse
etc.
• To
take
necessary
steps
for
empowerment
of
youth
through
mainstreaming
them
in
naIonal
development
process.
Source:
The
Department
of
Youth
Development
retrieved
from
hbp://www.dyd.gov.bd/nyp.php

20. Youth
Workforce
Outcomes:
At
A
Glance
Progress
of
Department
of
Youth
Development
since
its
incep:on
1981
to
June
2005
• Number
of
Youth
Trained:
25,68,292
• Total
number
of
self-­‐employed
youth
:
14,55,200
• Average
monthly
income
of
self-­‐employed
youths
:
Tk.
1500/-­‐
to
Tk.
50,000
• Total
number
of
youth
received
microcredit
loans
:
6,55,011
• Total
amount
of
loans
disbursed
to
youth
:
Tk.599,24.11akh
• Total
amount
of
grants
disbursed
from
Youth
Welfare
Fund
:
Tk.
356.31
• Total
no.
of
youth
organiza:ons
received
grant-­‐
in-­‐
aid
from
Youth
Welfare
Fund
:
3361
• Total
number
of
youth
organiza:ons
received
grant-­‐in-­‐aid
from
revenue
budget
:
1525
• Total
number
of
youth
workers
received
Diploma
in
Youth
Works
&
Development
from
Common
Wealth
Youth
Programme
:
128
Source: Ministry
of
Youth
&
Sports
hbp://www.moysports.gov.bd/youth_development_04.html

21. Youth
Workforce

22. Bangladesh
&
Beyond
How
Bangladesh
is
ImpacIng
the
World
Grameen
Bank
in
the
Big
Apple
hbp://ediIon.cnn.com/2008/US/05/22/
grameen.bank/index.html

23. Bridging
the
Gap
How
students
can
support
Bangladesh
• Consider
extensive
study
abroad/volunteer
opportuniIes
• Become
a
Bangladesh
Ambassador
by
spreading
the
news
about
their
good
work
• Buy
US
products
made
in
Bangladesh
(I
recently
bought
a
pair
of
pants
from
Gap)
• Host
a
Bangladeshi
Exchange
Student

25. Southern
Illinois
University
Carbondale
Independent
University
of
Bangladesh
D’oh-­‐noh-­‐baad!