YCC 3rd cohort graduation ceremony held in Cox's Bazar

The graduation ceremony of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) 3rd cohort was held on February 5, 2023, at La Bella Resort, Cox’s Bazar. Total 36 youth graduates of USAID’s Compass Program’s YCC training received their graduation certificate recently through this festive ceremony. These youths come from the underserved communities of Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts.

Ms. Zakia Afroz, hon’ble Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC), attended the event in Cox’s Bazar as Chief Guest. USAID’s Economic Growth Office Deputy Director Joseph Lessard, Environment Team Lead Keith Metzner, and Compass Project Lead Abu Mostafa Kamal Uddin also attended the event as Special Guests. Zakia Khanom, in her speech, praised YCC for instilling moral values and ethics among the youths and not just training them on vocational skills.

“Speaking in front of a hundred people was one of my biggest fears. I am now standing on a stage, speaking to you all attending our graduation ceremony. My Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) training made this possible,” Maswe Saing Marma said in her graduation speech. Maswe comes from Rowangchori, Bandarban. She is one of the YCC 3rd cohort graduates. 

YCC of Compass, being implemented by US Forest Service International programs, offers 5-months of residential training and one-month internship opportunities to 40 youths in every cohort. The 5-month residential training includes theoretical and practical sessions on youth leadership, active citizenship, natural resource management, and vocational training of the trainees’ choice from driving, tailoring, electric house wiring, and agriculture training. So far, more than 100 trainees have completed this training, most of which are contributing to their communities by conserving natural resources while making a sustainable livelihood for themselves.