Breaking Barriers on Girls' Higher Education
Bangladesh | Shifters Barishal | 2023
Assalamu Alaikum!
We are Shifters Barishal, a youth advocacy team on a mission to raise awareness of gender inequality by advocating for girls' higher education in Bangladesh.
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15 - 24 years old
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The Right-Sized Problem
In our home city of Barishal, many young girls don’t get to finish high school or go to university. It doesn’t matter if they want to study. They are forced to drop out, with some getting married early. And their parents? They don’t really see education as an important thing that girls need to accomplish.
What did we do?
We want to challenge this common belief in our city through our campaign, with the slogan, “Power of the Youth for Positive Change”. Kicking off with a vibrant rally, the opening ceremony set the tone for the activities that were about to take place.
At the heart of our campaign was empowering young girls to become leaders and problem-solvers, showing the importance of education. We did this through a series of awareness events across 8 schools, using different formats like videos, interactive games and sharing stories. We gave space for youth to talk about this issue and encouraged them to talk with their families about higher education.
We took our message to the streets and got loud with a roadshow that paraded through high-traffic areas of Barishal. Playing a song we made specifically for the campaign helped us engage with community members who were partying with us too. Some even took the time to share with us their experiences, which meant our message was spot on.
The journey continued with community gatherings in 8 villages, allowing for deeper discussions on empowering young girls. These were transformative sessions where people shared personal stories and understood the value of providing equal opportunities to girls.
Our campaign culminated in a community fair that saw key community figures, interactive booths, and a pledge wall come together in a vibrant display of support for girls’ higher education. This event was proof that there was power in unity, and that engaging activities can make our advocacy resonate with the rest of the community.
Campaign Impact
The impact of our efforts in 3 months was very inspiring. Young girls are now influencing their families to give importance to higher education. What’s more, parents and teachers have made commitments to support these young girls to get an education. People are now aware of the barriers that girls face, opening their minds to the possibilities if these limitations didn’t exist. Through the partnership with social media influencer Thoughts of Shams, our message found a new avenue, reaching 586,000 audiences through humor.
Our campaign may be over, but our journey is only beginning. We are driven to replicate this campaign outside Barishal, making sure that more young girls are empowered to pursue higher education.
Impact in Numbers
Reached 723,000 people on social media as of January 30
More than 6,5000 participants
586,000 views on Thoughts of Shams video about the campaign
Words from a Monisha’s mother
“I HAVE ALSO HEARD NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM OUR NEIGHBORS. THEY SLANDERED ME ALONG WITH MY DAUGHTER. WHY DID I LEAVE MY DAUGHTER IN THE FIELD? WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF DOING ALL THIS UNNECESSARILY? BUT I REALIZED THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS BENEFITING FROM THIS CAMPAIGN. SHE LEARNED A LOT OF NEW THINGS. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL BE USEFUL IN HER LIFE.”
Tonu
Mother
