Diversity Youth Parliament
An alternative democratic platform, built by youth
Diversity Youth Parliament is a youth-led civic engagement initiative creating an alternative participatory democratic platform for marginalised, excluded, and underrepresented youth in the Rangpur Division. Through the project, the voices of Indigenous youth, gender-diverse youth, young women, rural youth, and economically disadvantaged youth are brought forward in an organised way — so they can present their problems, demands, and priorities at the local and regional levels.
Many young people in the Rangpur Division are deprived of opportunities for civic participation. There are very few safe and inclusive spaces where they can practise leadership, raise community issues, or engage in local governance processes. Because of this absence, inequality becomes permanent, communities remain unrepresented in decision-making spaces, and opportunities for policy influence stay limited. Diversity Youth Parliament has been created to fill this gap.
The project does not stop at awareness. It provides practical experience in leadership, democratic practice, advocacy, public speaking, and community mobilisation — a youth platform where young people discuss the problems of their communities, prepare proposals for solutions, and present them to local government, civil society, and other stakeholders.
What the project sets out to do
Build inclusive youth parliaments. Establish inclusive shadow youth parliaments across the Rangpur Division, ensuring representation of Indigenous, gender-diverse, rural, young women, and economically disadvantaged youth.
Strengthen capacities. Equip young people with skills in human rights, democracy, public speaking, civic education, gender equality, and community advocacy.
Amplify youth voices. Bring community issues into policy discussion through parliamentary sessions, awareness campaigns, and engagement with local governance stakeholders.
Who the project reaches
Planned direct reach of 888 people during the project period.
How the work happens on the ground
Youth Senate & Shadow Parliaments
A Youth Senate of selected youth leaders coordinates with district youth representatives to form shadow youth parliaments — built on diversity and inclusion, bringing in young people who are usually left out of formal decision-making.
Capacity-Building Workshops
Hands-on learning in leadership, civic participation, human rights, gender equality, democracy, public speaking, and advocacy — building both knowledge and the confidence to act as community representatives.
Parliamentary Sessions
Structured youth-led sessions on issues that matter locally — inequality, rights, access to services, safety, inclusion, and youth opportunity — where participants draft resolutions and present them to decision-makers, civil society, and community leaders.
Community Awareness Campaigns
Parliaments take their message public through street drama, poster campaigns, community dialogue, art-based action, and public meetings — raising Indigenous rights, gender equality, democratic values, and inclusion.
Stakeholder Engagement
Youth representatives connect with local government, civil society organisations, media, and community leadership — so that youth resolutions become part of real local discussion and advocacy, not symbolic documents.
The change we expect to see
- ✓Marginalised youth grow in leadership and advocacy skills, and become more active in democratic participation and civic engagement.
- ✓Awareness of human rights, gender equality, inclusion, and local governance increases across participating communities.
- ✓An organised, youth-led platform exists to raise community issues in the Rangpur Division.
- ✓Relationships between young people, local authorities, and stakeholders become stronger and more constructive.
- ✓A sustainable youth-led structure remains after the project ends — the foundation for future advocacy and engagement.
Not a training programme — a participatory democratic model where young people build the structure, set the agenda, and speak for their communities.