UNFPA under its Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in Asia (RHIYA) project and Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) jointly organised the camp at YPSA Human Resource Development Centre.

RHIYA was launched in 2003 to improve the reproductive health and wellbeing of adolescents and youth (10-24 years) in urban and peri-urban areas of the country.

Participants from 17 districts including Syedpur, Moulvibazar, Jhalakathi, Tangail, Panchgarh, Dhaka, Narshingdi, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong took part in the programme titled 'RHIYA Bangladesh Youth Camp'.

Talking to this correspondent on May 29, the participants said their knowledge about adolescent health would be enriched through interaction among the adolescents coming from different parts of the country.

"I have come to know more about changes in both physical and mental health of adolescents," said Shamim, 16, of Narshingdi who has been working as peer educator (counselling adolescents) at Marie Stopes Clinic, a partner of RHIYA project, for two and half years.

" I want to share my views on adapting the changes and problems that we encounter during adolescent period," said another participant Umme Aleya Sultana, 18, who has been working for a year at Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB), another partner of RHIYA project in Cox's Bazar.

The organisers said the youth and adolescents should be aware of their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs during the stages from 10 to 24 years of age.

They laid emphasis on Information Communication Technology (ICT) to raise the voice of adolescents across the world.

"If we do not keep contact with ICT we won't know the progress of healthcare management in the rest of the world, " said Debobroto Chakrabarti, an ICT programme officer of YPSA, at the working session titled 'Youth activism in 21st Century'.

He said the easy access to ICT might play a significant role in raising the voice of adolescents.

Resource persons in different areas conducted several working sessions with the participants.

Site seeing at Foy's lake, eco-park and botanical garden and cultural functions were included in the programme.

Jalal Uddin, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Sitakunda inaugurated the programme.

Among others Ruh Afza, programme officer of Monitoring and Evaluation unit of RHIYA, Arifur Rahman, chief executive of YPSA, Shakti Roy, a social service officer, and Babu Rishikesh Shil, education officer of Sitakunda, were present at the inaugural session.