‘Joy Bangla Youth Award a key inspiration to dream big’

International Children's Peace Prize 2020 winner Sadat Rahman credited Joy Bangla Youth Award (JBYA) for setting the stepping stones -- leading him from addressing social issues in a remote area to the countrywide recognition and networking that eventually earned him global honour.

He recounted his journey in the pretext of the fourth edition of Joy Bangla Youth Award set for this evening.

Prime Minister's ICT Adviser and CRI Chairperson Sajeeb Wazed Joy will announce the Joy Bangla Youth Award-2020 winners through a virtual ceremony.

"I set out on my mission to address social issues such as child marriage in Narail and carry out humanitarian activities such as creating a blood donors' database," he said.

He said there were some challenges and limitations that came his way.

"The suicide of a teenage girl due to cyberbullying moved me, and I started working to ensure no one takes his/her life because of someone else's crime," he said.

"Though law enforcers and local administration left no stone unturned to help me, I still had limited capacity to work on my goals. When the JBYA was conferred to me, I was endowed with limitless access to everything," Sadat recalled.

He said he did not imagine that he would meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Gono Bhaban.

"It was one of the best days of my life. As I shared the idea of the app to stop cyberbullying with Sajeeb Wazed Joy sir, he instantly showered praises on me, saying that youths must work hand in hand with the government to solve social problems," Sadat added.

"What I was deprived of before getting this award in 2018 was networking. This platform helped me unbelievably in this aspect. Owing to the networking with other awardees across the country, advice, and recommendations from them (since I was among the youngest), and direct interactions with policymakers worked as a springboard towards this global recognition," he said.

Talking about the award ceremony set to be held today, he said, "This award is not the end goal. Rather, this event is the beginning of carrying forward the dream they have poised themselves to realise, of enhancing the services they are already providing to their communities and working with a bigger impact."

Since its inception in November 2014, Joy Bangla Youth Award, named after the historical pro-liberation slogan "Joy Bangla", Young Bangla -- the youth front of CRI -- has been awarding youngsters whose visions and initiatives are bringing about positive change in society.