‘Youth Participation in Conservation’ (YPC) is an interactive workshop organized by the Department of Environmental Science, School of Environmental Science and Management (SESM) in collaboration with Outreach, Extension and Continuing Education (OECE) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). This program is being conducted in various places across Bangladesh aiming to create and raise awareness among the rural people, especially the youth, to save the environment.
This time YPC program’s focus was on conservation of biodiversity around us and make the youth of rural areas aware of its consequences. The workshop was conducted on September 13 and 14, 2018 by a group of students of SESM at ‘Ranso Ruhitpur High School’ of Katakhali, Munshiganj where the participants were 30 students of Class IX from different backgrounds. The primary objective was to educate the participants about nature, our environment, the balance of nature and its fragility in every parts of the rural areas.
Unlike conventional workshops, consisting of information loaded lectures, this workshop had interactive games and skits which enabled hands-on learning and inclusion. In the beginning of the workshop, IUB and its continuous contribution in raising environmental awareness was introduced to the participants through a video. Then the workshop continued with an introduction of our environment, dramas, games and other sessions. All the games and dramas had a learning platform. The workshop also taught the participants the basics of leadership skills and most importantly, self-development. The participants were engaged in all the sessions and gave positive feedback.
It was an enriching experience for everyone including the facilitators. The participants and school authorities are extremely enthusiastic of having these types of workshops in the future.
