Pollinators of our society -Khadiza Binte Mostafiz

One might think that it takes a lot of hard work, good fertilizer, nice soil, lots of sunshine as well as rain and of course effective seeds to make a good garden. Although it is partly true, the idea is missing one vital point. Which is pollinator such as bees and butterflies. Bees and butterflies are so important to our ecosystem that without them more than 70% of our ecosystem would simply collapse. Undoubtedly, youths are like those bees and butterflies when you envision the garden as our society.

What are the duties of our youths in society? Though it is important for our youths to have a sound relationship with their study table and in refining their various skills, they also have significant roles to play in our society. Now, if you are wondering, what can be done by you for the betterment of our society, take a peek at the ideas below.

Joining a youth organization just might be the answer which you are looking for. There are enormous amounts of youth volunteering organizations in Bangladesh. Almost every college and university has one. They take part in volunteering activities such as literacy camp, mass cleaning, donations collecting, charity activities, helping the homeless, feeding the orphans and so on. Since these kinds of activities are run by young students, they sometimes fail to help a large number. Nevertheless, always remember,

“Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land. ”
Julia Carny

There are so many well-known youth organizations in Bangladesh that if I were to mention all of their names, my cheap keyboard would surely lose one or two of its keys. This is actually quite inspiring that many of our youths, our pollinators, are thinking about their society and feeling the pain of the helpless. Not only that, their works are motivating hundreds to take the initiative as well.

Let’s talk about Swapna Dekho Social Welfare Organization, since 2013 this organization has so far conducted quite a few humanitarian projects in addition to supporting 21 physically challenged children and organizing debate competitions in 87 educational institutions. Around 90% of the stray kids living around Comilla station, Comilla city and Laksam Railway Junction are receiving support from Durbar Foundation. 99% of them stopped drug intake. Another organization named Prottoy has been working for uplifting the lives of neglected tea workers, helpless people in Sylhet and their children. Teachers and students of Chandpur and nearby areas are receiving audiovisual and ICT training from the organization named BRAVE. Believing in the spirit, this organization has so far trained more than 1000 people. Since 2014 My School is taking dropouts back to the school and raising social awareness.

Another amazing organization named Iccha Puron aims to eliminate the concept of ‘stray kid’. Apart from blood donation, an organization of Bagerhat named Alokbortika provides poor children with educational supports and healthcare facilities. WE DOT foundation has established two schools in Dhaka and Bogra for underprivileged children that can accommodate around 130 students. Besides that, this spectacular organization has also arranged health service campaigns treating nearly 4,500 people and offering them medicine for free. Purbashar Alo has so far offered educational support to nearly 5000 students. Moreover, around 500 families received medical support from the medical camps they organize.

If you fail to find a suitable organization, then there’s another way to work for your community. Make a small organization with your friends and start working for the betterment of your community. To make a small organization and to work towards your estimated goal, you need to make a proper plan. You can collect funds from the rich families residing in the area or by creating an online Facebook page. Mention your cause and start seeking others help. You can also ask for advice from the helpful adults around you. And always remember, the first step will always be the hardest, as you start walking towards your goal it’ll become easier.

Let’s assume that you couldn’t join a reputed youth organization because there’s none in your neighbourhood. You couldn’t even make an organization with a couple of your friends from the community because none of them would want to join it and they are pretty ignorant about helping others live a better life. Or they just don’t have any interest in it. Yeah, it sounds pretty bad. So, what can you do? Start spending hours on your friends trying to make them understand their duties towards the community? No! you just have to become a One Man Army. Let’s start brainstorming. What does your community need the most and what is it that you can do for the people of the community. Make a plan, discuss it with a supportive adult and start the execution process. Your effort might not bring a big change but don’t lose hope because you did your best. At the end of the day, that is what counts. Even if you manage to help only one person, hold your head high. Cause you made a Change! If every capable person on this earth tried to make only one person live a better life, every single human in this whole planet would’ve lived a happy life.

If you are a Muslim then there’s all the more reason why you should include yourself into these kinds of helpful activities. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to the people.” (Al-Mu`jam Al-Awsat) This is a wide gate open to us to earn immense rewards from Allah. Throughout history, Muslims have always understood the value of giving, of serving others, and expending themselves and their wealth for the benefit of their communities. It was a common practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to rally the Muslims in Madinah to work together to support a noble cause, to help the poor, and to donate generously.

It is high time our youth started pollinating our community. Even if bees and butterflies miss any flower, I’m one hundred per cent sure that our youths will not miss a single cry out for the help of a person in need.