Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), the country’s first leadership institute, organized a three-day workshop titled Leadership Development for the Next Generation of Media Professionals at BYLC Headquarters in Dhaka on March 15-17. The Canadian High Commission in Bangladesh supported the workshop. The workshop competitively selected 30 university and recent graduates in the field of media and journalism from a large pool of applicants. The workshop was designed to instill values of leadership, courage and ethical standards of journalism in the participants.
During the workshop, participants also developed strong teamwork, critical thinking, presentation, and leadership skills. At the end of the workshop, the Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Heather Cruden, hosted a graduation reception and networking event at her official residence where the participants received their certificates and got an opportunity to network and share ideas with some of the leading
professionals in the media industry.
In her remarks, the High Commissioner said, “Canada values freedom of expression, which calls for a robust and independent media. Quality journalism has made major contributions to countries around the world and particularly to the growth of democracy and freedom. Impartial and independent media are critical to ensure that in times of volatility, common values such as human rights, rule of law, pluralism and respect for democracy are reinforced.”
Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star, was the chief guest at the graduation ceremony at the high commission.
Founder and President of BYLC, Ejaj Ahmad, said “I encourage you to reframe the facts that you hold as truth as assumptions because conflict in society often happens when we hold monopoly on truth. This can blind us to the possibility of alternative interpretation of facts and stories. Given the current reality in Bangladesh, if we can be open to multiple interpretations and be a little more curious to understand viewpoints held by diverse groups then making progress on tough challenges through dialogue would perhaps be easier.”
(Source: BYLC press release)
