Feature

The next generation leaders

Tanzina Rahman

GREEN and yellow were the colours of the day. As the children in green coloured t-shirts gathered around the field in the cold morning, the golden rays of the sun glistened over their heads making them look like little elves. While the children in bright yellow t-shirts were busy welcoming the guest and making sure everything was going in order. It was their event, and they were the ones who organised it!

Part of the Youth Sport Leadership (YSL) trainings, around 150 students congregated at Dhanmondi Kamrunnessa Govt' Girls High School to exhibit their leadership abilities and introduce their special sport skills. The trainings started from 15 December to 23 December 2009, whereby number of participants and schools took part to develop their leadership skills through sports and arts.

Around eight teachers (two from each school) and 32 students (eight young leaders) from four schools participated in the programme. The participating schools were Kamrunnesa Govt Girls' High School, Dhanmondi, IET Govt High School, Narayanganj, Manikganj Govt High School, Manikganj and Natore Govt Girls' High School, Natore.

From estimating the budget for the programme to liaising with the media and organising activities for the children, the students managed every aspects of the event.

According to Nafiza Basher Popy, Assistant Teacher of Dhanmondi Kamrunnesa Govt Girls' High School, who also attended the training sessions, said that the guests were impressed by the leadership potential the students demonstrated through this programme.

“The training will surely assist them in future development and to become active and responsible citizens of our country,” she added.

Earlier British Council has also organised similar YSL trainings in Khulna. The mayor of Khulna attended the event as the chief guest. The participating schools in Khulna were Khulna Zilla School, Khulna, Jessore Govt Girls' High School, Jessore, Satkhira Govt Girls' High School, Satkhira and Kushtia Govt Girls' High School, Kushtia.

The YSL programme provides International Inspiration Local Tutors with the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to facilitate a high quality learning experience. Trainers from UK came to Bangladesh to conduct these trainings. Both students and teachers were introduced to the teaching and learning methods that are used to enable young leaders to enhance their leadership skills.

The training is a part of International Inspiration, a project that forms part of the legacy programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than one million children and adolescent across the country will benefit physically and mentally from quality sports activities, under the International Inspiration project implemented jointly by UNICEF and British Council together with the Ministry of Youth and sports, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Children and Women Affairs.

Furthermore through this project, two hundred thousand children, aged four to ten, will learn swimming, in a country where drowning is one of the biggest killer of children aged one to ten.

As physical education is a vital necessity in the development of children and their academic curriculum, programmes like YSL are playing a key role to enhance the current education system of Bangladesh.