On the momentous final day of the Policy Camp, 26 July 2023, the young leaders gathered with great enthusiasm at the “HelloMP” event. This special occasion presented them with an amazing opportunity to put their advocacy skills and ideas on display before the esteemed Member of Parliament, Ahsan Adelur Rahman MP.
Throughout the Policy Camp, young leaders had been engaged in various activities aimed at empowering them to conduct evidence-based policy advocacy. As part of their journey, the participants engaged in intensive fieldwork, conducting a comprehensive survey at Kanchanpur village, Savar. The survey’s focus was to gauge citizens’ involvement in education financing, with a specific emphasis on parents of students attending government schools. The primary goal was to comprehend the extent of citizens’ awareness regarding school and union parishad budget processes and the potential for their active participation.
With the findings from their fieldwork, they then worked in groups to brainstorm and come up with unique ideas to address the identified problems. To facilitate this process, they used mind maps while formulating policy recommendations.
Each group’s policy recommendations aimed to address various issues, such as access to budget information, citizen participation in decision-making, feedback mechanisms and accountability in budgetary Process, etc.
At the final stage, with review and feedbacks from the facilitators, teams presented their innovative ideas to distinguished guests, Ahsan Adelur Rahman, the honorable member of parliament of Nilphamari-4 constituency; Mahjabeen Khaled, honourable member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and convenor of the Parliamentary Caucus on Social Justice, and Syeed Ahamed, CEO, IID. The audience’s response was filled with admiration and encouragement, further igniting the passion and determination of these youthful advocates.
The uplifting event concluded on a high note with a heartwarming certificate distribution ceremony and the inspiring concluding remarks of the honorable MP. The learnings from the Policy Camp have undoubtedly equipped these young leaders to spearhead empathetic and effective solutions to critical public policy issues, setting them on a transformative path to build a better and more inclusive future for Bangladesh.
