Youth School for Social Entrepreneurs successfully ended its flagship event Bangladesh Youth Symposium 2021. This time the event was held virtually through the videocall platform Zoom, in association with Northern University on Friday 12^th February, 2021.

Youth School for Social Entrepreneurs (YSSE) is a youth-led non-profit organization that has been successfully working to empowering youth, constantly guiding them on the endless opportunities towards building a poverty-free, innovative, gender-equal, and sustainable environment. After 9 successful events, YSSE has virtually conducted its most-awaited session- Bangladesh Youth Symposium this year.

The event kicked off featuring speeches of Atiur Rahman, renowned development economist, writer, and former governor of Bangladesh Bank who was invited as the chief guest of the session. He said, "Bangladesh is doing better than many other developing countries because of early digitalization. E-commerce sites have nearly doubled in the last few years, thanks to the entrepreneurs. Our youth is our backbone. They are facilitating more than 50% of employment in our country".

He added, "The pandemic has come as an opportunity. Our youths are not waiting for jobs anymore, they are dedicated to creating one".  He also emphasized the importance of startups, the contribution of freelancers, and how Bangladesh Bank is dedicated to easing the financial services around the country.

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, chief executive officer and managing director, Robi Axiata Limited dignified the event as the special guest.

During the event, he said, "Today's generation is extremely talented and God-gifted. Though the pandemic has eroded 60% of the job opportunities, another 60% would definitely arise. It is up to the younger generation to seek opportunity and come with great ideas to sustain in the new normal".

Bangladesh Youth Symposium was then graced by the presence of Ghulam Sumdany Don, chief inspirational officer, Don Sumdany Facilitation, and Md. Rashedur Rahman, executive director of ICE, associate professor, OSL-University of Dhaka.

Ghulam Sumdany Don said, "90% of people get rejected in interviews due to their problems of English speaking, inadequate MS Office, presentation, and communication skills". He addressed it is important to be tech-savvy, learning how to learn quickly, be adaptive and flexible, think critically, and leverage emotional intelligence in communication.

Md. Rashedur Rahman addressed some myths and taboos prevailing regarding entrepreneurship. His constructive discussion included what it takes to be an entrepreneur and why a person should be an entrepreneur.

"Start with respect. Both entrepreneurs and jobholders need to respect their profession. Self-assessment can be taken to find your entrepreneurial DNA. Youths should consider their dream and passion in life, evaluate which problems can be solved successfully, and look for ways that bring inner peace", he added.

As the panelist, Deepal Jain, Director of Business Consulting & Analytics, and Sadaf Taimur, Research Fellow at Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) had presented their discussion on the effects of Covid-19 on entrepreneurs and students as well as how the problems can be mitigated in time.

The event highlighted how youths can contribute to change the economy of a country as a whole. They need to be flexible and be smart, open-minded, and confident in changing environments.

Dr. Anwar Hossain, vice-chancellor, Northern University Bangladesh, and Benazir Rahman, assistant professor, Faculty of Business, Northern University Bangladesh had shared their valuable opinions on entrepreneurship and how students can nurture themselves accordingly.

To make the session intriguing, BYS tested the participants' caliber on how they can pitch their innovative business idea. A total of seven participants took part in the Elevator Pitch Challenge who were judged by Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf Hossain founder and president, Youth School for Social Entrepreneurs, and Tisha Farhana, digital marketing executive, Northern University Bangladesh.

In the end, Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf Hossain thanked everyone for attending the ceremony and announced the winners of the Elevator Pitch Challenge. The title winner of the challenge was Rokaiya Akter, Northern University Bangladesh and the runner-up position went to Ondrila Jaman, Northern University Bangladesh.

The convener of Bangladesh Youth Symposium 2021 Mr. A. H. Akib put the official end of the program with his valuable ending remark.

The e-learning partner of Bangladesh Youth Symposium of 2021 was Shikhbe Shobai, strategic partner Rokomari, education partner Interactive Cares, media partner The Daily Star, digital media partner Cable News International, radio partner DhakaFM.