Today marked the opening of the Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Center’s new facility in the city’s Gulshan neighborhood by US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas.
The EMK Center is a collaborative endeavor between the US Embassy and the JAAGO Foundation, with the goals of fostering knowledge exchange, promoting people-to-people contacts, and strengthening the relationship between the US and Bangladesh, according to a press statement from the US Embassy.
“To the young Bangladeshis who will come through these doors – this is a call to action just like those who came before you – to learn, lead, engage, and connect,” U.S. Embassy’s Public Engagement Director, Sharlina Hussain-Morgan said.
Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Counselor Stephen Ibelli moderated the inaugural ceremony.
The EMK Center serves as a center for intellectual interaction among young people in Bangladesh by giving them access to a variety of resources, such as books, digital materials, contemporary multimedia content, and online databases.
The EMK Center also houses one of Dhaka’s biggest 3D printers and a state-of-the-art recording studio equipped with AR and VR technologies.
Aspiring artists’ photos, paintings, and art works are on display at the facility.
According to the announcement, it provides a venue for scholars, artists, students, and enthusiasts to come together, broaden their perspectives, have conversations, and work together on initiatives that advance social and educational advancement.
The EMK Center doubles as an Education US advising center, with four knowledgeable advisers on staff who offer free assistance to students with the application procedures for academic study in the US.
English language study, entrepreneurship, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), cultural performances, exhibitions, and American literature and history are just a few of the topics covered by the many courses, events, and activities that the EMK Center offers.These exercises improve participants’ abilities and cultivate an awareness of the variety of viewpoints and concepts.
Attendees at the inaugural ceremony included former exchange students, government representatives, educators, students, and representatives of the arts, civic society, and cultural communities.
The American Embassy and its local partners work closely together to foster academic excellence and intercultural discussion, as seen by the establishment of the EMK Center.