Youth Human Rights and Journalism Camp 2008

Relief International is an International NGO (Non Government Organization) working in Bangladesh to promote, use and integrate the Information and Communication Technologies in education and development. Recently, they have implemented a project titled “Media Access and Education for Human Rights: Bangladesh”. To get more information visit: www.media-humanrights.org. The project targets the Rural and Semi-urban Youths, Local Journalists, Media Professionals and the Public at large, and implements enabling Technologies appropriate to the existing infrastructure. They arranged a residential Youth Human Rights and Journalism Camp 2008 with secondary school students from 14 July to 16 July, 2008 at BRAC TARC in Savar.

They had invited several journalists from different sectors to conduct the session on role of Journalism, Rights to Information, Freedom of Speech, Interviewing Technique, Writing for Newspaper, Blogging, etc. So that students be encouraged to choose the Journalism as a noble profession to build up their career. They invited me to attend this camp as a resource person. There I discussed “Use of ICT in journalism online media and role of Blogging in raising awareness”.

In 3 days long camp my session was held on 15th July, 2008 at 2pm to 3pm. Participants came from four different districts:- Khulna, Comilla, Chittagong and Dhaka of Bangladesh and there were more than 22 students with teachers joined in my session. I presented how to start Blog, different blogging software, facilities of Blogging, photo Blogging, video Blogging, etc. So that students can start Blog and express their self as a Blogger. All the Students were very much enthusiastic to know about Blog as a new thing.

After my presentation I had taken a short test on my discussion. Most of the students answered very quickly and their answers were praiseworthy.

There was another resource person Mr. Kawsar Uddin, ICT reporter, “The Daily Sangbad”. His topic was “Citizen Journalism in Bangladesh”. I got lots of unknown information about citizen journalism from his discussion.