Bangladesh: National Leadership Training Empowers Youth Across Seven Dioceses

The Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement (BCSM) conducted a four-day Christian Leadership and Capacity-Building Training from March 20 to 24, bringing together youth from seven dioceses: Dhaka, Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Rajshahi, and Dinajpur.

An annual initiative, this year’s program was held at the Caritas Development Institute, Shantibagh, Dhaka, and included 35 youth participants along with several animators. The sessions were facilitated by experts from the institute.

In addition to leadership formation, the training covered soft skills, career guidance, self-development, and ways to engage more constructively with society. It also addressed key issues such as gender equality, team-based collaboration, and inclusive values rooted in participation and service rather than authority.

Fr. Bikash James Rebeiro, CSC, Secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Youth (ECY) and National Youth Coordinator for the Catholic Church in Bangladesh, noted that the program has contributed to positive changes within families. He observed that young women are increasingly taking part in joint decision-making alongside their fathers, reflecting a broader cultural shift inspired by the values promoted through the training.

Reflecting on her experience, Shopa Jashinta Gomes told RVA that the program reshaped her understanding of Christian leadership. She said leadership is not about giving orders from above, but about journeying with others, listening to diverse perspectives, and making decisions grounded in the common good. She added that the sessions strengthened her communication skills and boosted her confidence in expressing her ideas, abilities she considers essential for both faith formation and career growth. Gomes is a member of the BCSM unit at Pagar Parish in Tongi, under the Archdiocese of Dhaka.

Another participant, Aditto Nokrek of Notre Dame College in Mymensingh and an active member of the BCSM unit of Biroidakuni Parish, said the training positively transformed his daily habits. He shared that he had previously struggled with time management and discipline, but the program helped him develop healthier routines, complete tasks on time, and approach responsibilities with renewed commitment.

Through initiatives like this, the Episcopal Commission for Youth seeks to strengthen the Christian faith of young people, deepen their awareness of social, economic, and political realities, form them into responsible citizens, foster unity and fraternity, and guide them in resisting the pressures of consumerism, materialism, and excessive individualism.