The three-day Young Scholars Workshop of ALO Society, held from 23–25 November, concluded successfully with inspiring activities, meaningful interactions, and strong participation from scholars and mentors representing the Chattogram Hill Tracts, Sylhet, and Dhaka. The entire workshop was designed to develop leadership, strengthen community understanding, and prepare scholars to independently organize similar exposure visits in their own regions.
This three-day workshop included community visits, safeguarding training, exposure trips, reflection sessions, and daily planning meetings—ensuring that each scholar not only learned but also practiced organizing, communicating, and coordinating a full three-day program.
Day 1: Community Visit to Trimohoni Federation – Hosted by Dhaka Scholar Bristi
The first day began with a warm gathering as visiting scholars and mentors joined the Trimohoni Federation. The Dhaka team facilitated the visit, where scholars:
· Held a discussion meeting with federation members
· Interacted with coaching students from ‘Education for empowerment project 1st phase 2nd year’ gifting school bags to young learners arranged by Trimohoni Federation and members.
· Met with adult education participants
· Spoke with federations members and leprosy affected individuals and came to know about self-employment initiatives
· Conducted a field visit to observe community-led development activities
This first day served as a model of community-based learning, demonstrating what each scholar will later organize in their own federation when it is their turn to host.
Throughout the day, participants admired the unity, teamwork, and resilience of federation members. They gained deep insights into local leadership, community ownership, and sustainable development practices.
Day 2: Exposure Visit to National Zoo & Botanical Garden – Learning in Nature
The second day was designed as a refreshing learning visit, giving the scholars space to reflect, bond, and broaden their perspectives and knowledge beyond their own communities, while also helping them build a stronger team.
Visit to the National Zoo, Mirpur: Scholars explored the main National Zoo of Bangladesh, viewing rare and endangered species. Seeing animals that are disappearing from many local areas helped them understand the urgent importance of:
-Wildlife protection for their won community
-Biodiversity conservation
-Community responsibility in protecting nature
Many participants shared that they had never seen some of these species before—making the experience both educational and eye-opening.
Visit to the Botanical Garden: After the zoo, the group visited the Botanical Garden, where they sat together in a calm natural setting for an open group discussion. Scholars exchanged ideas, shared their experiences from Day 1, and reflected on how nature connects to leprosy affected indidudulas and how climate changes is realted to nature. They also discussed the account policy for the program to ensure that everything runs smoothly, without any difficulties for scholars in receiving their individual skills development courses.
This outdoor session strengthened friendships, communication skills, and confidence among the young leaders.
Day 3: Safeguarding Training & Reflection Session – Building Responsible Leadership
The final day took place at the ALO Society office, starting with a focused Safeguarding Training. Scholars learned about:
-ALO’s Safeguarding Policy
-How to ensure safety, respect, and accountability in community work
-Practical ways to apply safeguarding principles in day-to-day activities
This training was essential, as every scholar will soon lead community visits and work directly with children, women, and vulnerable groups.
Reflection Session
The workshop concluded with a brief yet powerful reflection session. Participants:
-Reviewed their learnings from all three days
-Shared personal insights
– Expressed how the workshop strengthened their leadership, communication, and planning abilities
-Highlighted how the experience helped them understand each other’s communities and contexts
Although short, the session created a strong sense of unity among scholars from different regions of Bangladesh.
Leadership Development Through Real Practice
A key highlight of this three days workshop was its leadership-focused design. Every scholar:
-Observed how a three-day program is organized
-Practiced daily communication and coordination
-Learned how to host and guide visitors
-Understood Dhaka federation’s work and community initiatives
-Prepared themselves to later invite other scholars to their region and replicate the same model
-Other scholars inspired to learn from Bristy and her leadership in community
-Connection with fellow scholars from diverse regions
-This ensures that each scholar will grow into a confident young leader capable of promoting community development and strengthening LPO’s network across Bangladesh.
Over these three days, the scholars built a strong foundation for future collaboration and empowered themselves to take the lead in their own federations and communities. The workshop not only inspired them but also nurtured a vision of responsible leadership and collective growth within the community.