Netherlands (EKN) to Bangladesh signed an agreement on Tuesday, October 19, for phase 2 of BYLC's Building Bridges through Leadership Training (BBLT) and Building Bridges through Leadership Junior (BBLTJ) programmes. Under the partnership, BYLC will train 3,000 youths from diverse backgrounds, instill in them values of inclusiveness and pluralism, and engage them in active citizenship.

BBLT and BBLTJ participants will design and execute 375 community service projects in local communities and serve 37,500 community people. They will work to solve critical social issues such as women empowerment, gender equality, climate change, access to education for all, social cohesion and community building, and health and hygiene. Over the next five years, the most promising 60 community service projects will receive scale-up support.

Graduates of the program will have improved leadership skills, social and communication skills, higher-order thinking skills, emotional intelligence, moral understanding, ideological tolerance, public speaking, civic awareness, and project management skills.

"It is inspiring to see the huge impact of BYLC's leadership programs. The BBLT and BBLTJ programs are the most important initiatives I have witnessed in the short time that I've been in Bangladesh," said Dutch Ambassador Anne van Leeuwen during the agreement signing ceremony.

In his remarks, Ejaj Ahmad, founder and president of BYLC, said, "Through this project, BYLC aspires to train the next generation of courageous, compassionate, and competent leaders who will lead Bangladesh into the future and make meaningful contributions in different sectors."

BYLC's journey in Bangladesh began in summer of 2008 with the pilot Building Bridges through Leadership Training program which was funded by the Davis Projects for Peace Prize and MIT Public Service Center. Over the past thirteen years, the organization has grown from a small living room project to a thriving institute with 6,000+ alumni, many of whom have distinguished themselves as successful entrepreneurs and capable professionals in public, nonprofit, and private sectors.