ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Bootcamp brings together youth to develop solutions to climate issues 

ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Bootcamp in Bangladesh concluded its first camp in the Dhaka division on 1 October at the capital's Hotel Bengal Blueberry.

Five more Bootcamps are scheduled to take place in five other divisions (Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Chittagong) of the country throughout October, reads a press release.

The event was organised by Generation Unlimited, UNICEF Bangladesh, JAAGO Foundation Trust, Bangladesh Brand Forum, SIYB Bangladesh, International Labour Organization (ILO) & Technovation.

ImaGen Venture Youth Challenge Boot Camp Bangladesh 2022 aims to encourage 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.

Photo: Courtesy

Following an online assessment by the expert judge panel, some 10 -12 shortlisted 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.

Five 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 six 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." 

Generation Unlimited (GenU) President Md Abul Kalam Azad said, "Generation Unlimited is a global public-private youth partnership initiative. GenU was launched in Bangladesh in 2019 to support and empower young people with future work skills and employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Gen U believes youth must be equipped and empowered to lead positive change. Thank you to all the young people who applied for climate change boot camps. As I listened to their innovative solutions for climate change in Dhaka today, I was filled with confidence and hope. The youth will lead the way to make Bangladesh a developed nation by 2041 with the help of public and private sector partners."

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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." 

Shariful Islam, founder and managing director of Bangladesh Brand Forum said, "Bangladesh must embrace sustainability and innovation to be an inclusive developed nation by 2041. Initiatives like Imagen Ventures and GenU Boot camps will harness our future generations with the appropriate mindset and skills to become future ready." 

ILO Country Director (Bangladesh) Tuomo Poutiainen 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 toward 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." 

Photo: Courtesy

Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation said, "Technovation is so excited to work on GenU ImaGen Ventures Youth Challenge Bootcamp! Technology and an entrepreneurial mindset are two of the most powerful tools we have today to tackle big problems that we see all around us. it is very exciting that programs such as the ImaGen Ventures Youth Challenge Bootcamp are giving young people the opportunity to make a change in their world; to build the world they want to live in. And what is even more special about this launch is that we are bringing these tools to groups that have not been part of the global innovation conversations. The potential of this initiative is powerful."

Chairman of JAAGO Foundation Trust Korvi Rakshand 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.