People across the world are more linked than ever before because of the internet and technology. It is now much simpler to connect with individuals from all around the world without leaving the house. In reality, teens are engaging with individuals from various and foreign countries via social media platforms, online gaming, various forums, and so on. It would be an understatement to say that this culture of cultural awareness and acceptance is a miracle. The key to eliminating racism, stereotyped attitudes, and xenophobia lie behind the layers of interaction and collaboration.
“Bridges, Not Borders” is more than simply a strong program for bringing together different nationalities; it is also a method of forming new connections and maybe even acquaintances. As the name implies, the program allows a group of people from two different countries to take a three-week course. Each week brings a new set of values to the table for both countries, allowing them to know each other better. Our most recent class had ten enthusiastic young souls from Bangladesh and Bhutan.
“Bridges, Not Borders” greatly values diversity acceptance and, as a result, offered a chance for Bangladeshis and Bhutanese to build relationships. The event lasts for three weeks with a plethora of various activities. In the first week, the participants broke their ice by introducing themselves to each other, having a casual chat about their interests and hobbies, and having an interactive discussion about Diversity, Acceptance, and Creating Bonds. The second week allowed the participants to get to know other cultures in a more detailed fashion. The participants gave a brief presentation about their and the collaborating country’s history, culture, attire, and others with the help of vivid imagery and narration. Besides representing their own countries, they experienced a session by Sir Mong Mong Sho, a visual artist, Lecturer at Yunnan Arts University who presented some of his paintings and encouraged the participants to enhance their creativity.
The closing ceremony of the event was even more thrilling as we got the opportunity to have His Excellency Mr. Rinchen Kuentsyl, the Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh as our Chief Guest and Mrs. Eeshita Azad, Chair of Board, RT, and Mr. Yusuf Munna, Founder and Executive Director, RT as our Special Guest. His Excellency Mr. Rinchen Kuentsyl reflected on the bonding and friendship of Bangladesh and Bhutan through his valuable speech. We also had Mr. Rigsar Wangchuk, Program Officer, BCMD, Bhutan, who took a fifteen minutes session for our participants focusing on the meaning of Reflective Teens and Bhutanese culture.
The one-month-long Cross-Culture Exchange Event was concluded with valuable words from our Chair of Board, Mrs. Eeshita Azad, and Founder and Executive Director of Reflective Teens, Mr. Yusuf Munna.
Author: Asif Zubayer, Executive member & Ruthmila Haider Chy, Program Coordinator, Bridges, Not Borders; RT
