Editor’s Note

Dear Readers,

In the past year, as the coronavirus spread rapidly across populations around the world, jobs, social interactions and personal goals were all brought to a standstill. Despite these hurdles, Bangladesh's young population worked tirelessly to respond to the issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

When domestic and gender-based violence skyrocketed, youth activists spoke out through their campaigns and protests. When employment dwindled, young entrepreneurs offered innovative initiatives. Closure of educational institutions saw students in distant pockets of the country adapting to virtual learning, and the massive blow to social life saw the youth creating an explosion of artwork, intellectual discourse, and community building through online platforms.

Recovering from the Covid-19's blows will not be easy for our nation, particularly because they revealed more than they created our most pressing issues including an insufficient healthcare system, lack of disaster preparedness plans, deep-seated misogyny, and a shrinking space for freedom of expression.

Yet the stories compiled in this segment of The Daily Star's 30th anniversary supplement series demonstrate how this country's youth spoke truth to power through their words and actions in this unusually debilitating year. It is to them that we should look for inspiration as we try to forge a path forward. Discovering their work made us want to do better as journalists and citizens, and I hope it will do the same for our readers, leaders and policy makers.

Mahfuz Anam

Editor & Publisher