OneWorld.net (U.S.)

The local youth in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh now have a platform to speak out on the issues close to their heart, thanks to the efforts of Young Power in Social Action (YPSA). With the support of the UNESCO, YPSA has set up a small ICT centre in the area, and is conducting research on poverty and potential ICT applications as part of a regional ethnographic action research network. The YPSA has also set up a Community Media Centre which combines new information and communication technologies like computers and Internet with traditional media like video and radio. The centre has trained 200 youth in computer applications so far. In addition to the training, the centre provides an opportunity for the youth to apply their skills in multimedia content development. As a part of the programme, 11 participants were selected for the four-month video training on the basis of a series of tests and home visits. Currently, they are working in small groups to make short videos on story ideas of their own. Youth participants have also come together to form an informal social network centred on the ICT facility and linked to YPSA's development programmes. In the coming months, they will start developing TV programmes, which will be telecast on the local cable networks and screened in public meeting areas. The centre also hopes to broadcast the radio programmes developed by the groups on FM radio. The objective of this programme is to demonstrate the feasibility of localised community-based media in Bangladesh, a country that currently has no provisions for community radio or television.