Asif Mahmood Abbas
“I know it looks so odd! But look at me; do I give the impression of being insane? No! For me, this venture is the coolest one, I’ve ever participated. That’s why; today I’m over here – picking up those cigarette butts from there”. This was the similar line, that Adnan Khan, Vice President of Mastermind CSC, whispered to Sabbir, when he asked him the motive behind the bunking of imperative Physics Practical class and instead he came to ‘The December Initiative’.‘The December Initiative’, a minute initiative, a petite project; on the great month of December, 38 years back, we achieved our victory. The foremost grounds behind the project were to dirt free and pick up the scrap from the Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka. It was a boulevard cleaning drive, which was made possible by a hefty team of more than 70 youth leaders mainly from different English Medium Schools and other Universities. The entire project was premeditated by MNA, a Law firm, and was well thought-out by YOUTHWAVE Student Society (YWSS). The event was sponsored by Pizza Inn.
“Zubair, Faiza, Ahnaf indisputably they will sense very bad, when they will have the sense of hearing that I came and they missed today’s episode” said by Rian Azam, a student of BIT. While everyone was working, Shimu told me, “Thanks a lot bhaia, I’m really indebted and I can’t put in plain words how much costly time I had shattered on other activities up to now. One thing is true; Community Service is at least a million times better than attending a Concert.
Students from different school such as Scholastica, Aga Khan, Maple Leaf, Cephalon, BIT, Mastermind, Uni World, Manarat, IISC participated in the event as volunteers. A gigantic awareness campaign was done beforehand on the Facebook where the preliminary response was fabulous. Each volunteer was provided with T-shirts, hand gloves and a garbage bag. The volunteers were divided into two squads. The first team was lead by Abdullah Al Mashud, President of YWSS. Barrister Naser Alam was in attendance there, while 30 other coupled them. Starting from Gulshan 1, they marched to the fore and covered Standard Chartard, Agora, Grameen Phone Center, Azad Mosque and recessed near Gulshan 2. The other lineup of 40 members, mainly O’ and A’ level students were showed the way by Asif Mahmood Abbas, Executive Member of YWSS. That team stirred South towards Niketon from Gulshan 1 and covered Siemens, Pizza Hut, KFC, Banglalink Tower and then returned to Gulshan 2, all by on foot and collecting road-side trashes. An awareness operation was also done among the enthusiastic spectators on various traffic signals. At the closing stages, delicacy of luscious pizza and soft drinks were served from Pizza Inn.
“The initiative will hang about as a noteworthy one and will definitely be of assistance to compel different corporate houses, to give a knick-knack to them, about their Corporate Social Response (CSR). At least they are supposed to maintain their own office premises sparkling”, addressed by Barrister Naser Alam, CEO of MNA Group. “While comparing to any supplementary project or event, this inventiveness may give the impression like an ordinary one; but another mission of this initiative is to instill that accountability of cleanliness among our volunteers too. So that one day, when they will grow up and will establish their own business house – they will unquestionably abide by their CSR”, Abdullah Al Mashud alleged in his concluding tongue.
An uncomplicated project, a straightforward plan finished for appealing people to become skilled at how to be a first-class and responsible citizen of Bangladesh. Our fathers had participated in the liberation war, left us nothing but a quantity of documentaries, pictures and a number of immortal memories of the war. Then what about us? We are the citizen of the ‘To Be Digital Bangladesh’, a diplomat of the Youth Society, a change maker; we also yearn for to carry out something for my country. We do have a war further on, may be the toughest than any new. That is the battle of implementing the dream of Digital Bangladesh, the war against corruption, poverty and violating the human rights. Then this is our means to exchange blows for our Motherland Bangladesh and that mode is by doing Active Community Service. Be a soldier of this war and make a difference.
the writer is an A’ level student and a Strategic Consultant, Project Designer and Online Executive of several Voluntary and Charity Organizations for the English Medium Students of Bangladesh.