IID’s youth network, Youth for Policy, has received the Youth-Led Innovative Campaign Award from UNESCO Dhaka and the National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM) for its youth-driven education campaign focused on reducing school dropout and strengthening equitable, inclusive, and resilient learning in vulnerable communities across Bangladesh.
UNESCO Dhaka and NAEM launched a national call inviting youth-led organizations to design innovative campaign ideas that promote quality and equitable education and contribute to Bangladesh’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). The initiative aimed to reduce dropout by strengthening collaboration among teachers, parents, and students, while encouraging youth-led action grounded in evidence and local realities.
Under this call, Youth for Policy designed and implemented “Resilient Education, Empowered Communities,” with the slogan “ঝরে পড়া কমায়, শিক্ষার আলো বাড়ায়.” The campaign focused on strengthening school–community engagement, improving teacher–parent coordination, and creating practical spaces for dialogue to identify dropout risks and support learners to remain in school. Over five months (including design and rollout), with on-ground activities conducted from September to November 2025, the campaign was implemented in Khagrachari, Satkhira, and Moulvibazar through partnerships with local youth-led organizations.
Across the three focal districts, the campaign reached 35 students through teachers’ workshops, 601 students through parents’ meetings, and 115 parents, students, and teachers through learning-sharing sessions. Building on this district-level implementation, the campaign expanded to 22 districts nationwide through local-level forums, reaching 680 parents, 127 teachers, 779 students, 142 youths, 12 NGO representatives, 8 journalists, and 9 School Management Committee members.
The campaign was implemented in partnership with UNESCO Dhaka, NAEM, and three local youth-led organizations from the targeted districts. Local partners received online training prior to implementation to ensure effective, context-sensitive delivery and consistent messaging across activities.
By centering teachers, parents, and youth as co-owners of education outcomes, the campaign reinforced IID’s commitment to education-focused, community-led solutions and evidence-informed advocacy. Insights and lessons generated through this initiative will inform IID’s ongoing work on foundational learning, youth-led social accountability, and policy engagement to help ensure that every child stays in school and has the opportunity to learn with dignity and purpose.
In recognition of this work, UNESCO Dhaka and NAEM presented the Youth-Led Innovative Campaign Award to Youth for Policy on 8 November 2025, underscoring the network’s continued commitment to translating education evidence into grassroots action and scaling youth-led models that reduce dropout and strengthen equitable learning opportunities across Bangladesh.