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Global Youth Service Day 2007 observed in Bangladesh |
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On 22 April, Relief International observed the Global Youth Service Day 2007 with the slogan ' Youth Changing the World' throughout its GCE school network in Bangladesh. The day was celebrated in several districts across Bangladesh including Chittagong, Comilla, Jessore, Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur. The schools organized a number of activities including youth led community service projects, student rally, and small discussion on role of youth in community development and civic education. This year the theme of the celebration in Bangladesh was 'education for all'. Most community service projects were focused on education. But the students also conducted projects focused on environment such as, tree plantation, school gardening, waste management etc. . The Chowara Girls High School in Comilla, one of the GCE schools, was awarded with a Disney Minnie Grant by the Youth Service America to host a literacy camp as part of GYSD celebration of the school. Relief International has been celebrating the Global Youth Service Day since 2005 as part of its Global Connections and Exchange Program Bangladesh.
More Pictures of GYSD 2007
Chowara Girls High School, Comilla:
Literacy Camp for Adult: This year Chowara Girls High School was awarded with a Disney Minnie Grant to implement a community service project under GYSD 2007. The girl students of the school designed a project to host several literacy camps in their community. The opening ceremony of the camp was attended by government and local NGO representatives, elected representatives, members of the School Management Body, teachers, students, community members and media representatives.
With the grant, the students purchased study materials for the literacy camps and invited about 100 community members who never had opportunity to go to school to attend the camps.About 100 persons were benefited from the camps. About 40 students contributed to the successful completion of the project. The event was widely covered by local print media .
GBP Central Gono Bidyalaya, Sonargoan, Narayanganj
Work for an Enlightened Society: The GBB Central Gono bidyalaya in Narayanganj mobilized their students and youth in the region to work towards making a society free from curse of illiteracy. The school hosted a seminar on youth volunteerism and 'education for all' highlighting the role of youth in eradicating illiteracy in Bangladesh. The seminar was attended by students, teachers, local youth entities and community members.
In order to raise awareness about the need for education for all the school also organized a rally. Each student was asked to identify one person in the community who never went to formal school and help the person to learn how to read and write. The students also visited parents and motivated them to send their children to schools. About 80 students and 4 teachers participated in various activities to observe GYSD 2007.
Badshah Faisal Islamic Institute, Jessore
Education for the Slum Children: The school students and teachers raised funds for running a literacy camp for the school age children in a slum in Jessore city. About 1800 people live in the slum. The students identified about 25 school-age children who never got opportunity to attend schools or dropped out from the school for financial hurdle. With the raised fund the GCE students purchased education materials for the literacy camp. At the opening ceremony of the camp, the headmaster of the school talked about the roles of youth in bringing positive change in community.
The school also observed the Earth Day as part of their GYSD celebrations. The students were provided with opportunity to learn about environment and how it impacts on their wellbeing. The students planted trees on their school campus and community places to celebrate the earth Day.
About 70 GCE students worked in the GYSD community service project and 150 students took part in the GYSD rally, which highlighted the importance of 'education for all'.
Halishahar Meher Afzal High School, Chittagong
One Student, One Tree: "One Student, One Tree" was the slogan for the GYSD activities at the Halishahar Meher Afzal School. The school observed the GYSD 2007 through a tree plantation program. The school encouraged each student to plant at least one tree on school campus, yard or in the community places. The teachers were very helpful to identify the places for plantation. The Headmaster provided funding support to purchase tree for plantation in the school campus. The students also organized a rally in their community to highlight the significance of tree plantation for a better environment.
Kalo Kakali High School, Chittagong
School Beatification Program through Gardening: The school did several activities such as cleaning the school campus and its adjacent areas, decorating the school with flower tress and a cultural event. However, the students put their most efforts in creating a school garden to enhance beauty of their campus. They collected funds from their family and friends to buy flower plants from the local vendors and spent several hours to prepare the garden.
Siraj Uddin Sarker Vidyaniketan, Tongi, Gazipur.
ICT Education for All: The school hosted a day long computer education training for the students from neighboring schools. The students from three partner schools participated in the training. Last year, the school was awarded with a Disney Minnie grant to lunch a ICT training program for partner schools and its students and teachers. This year's service project was part of their commitment to benefit the students and teachers in their neighborhood using the computer infrastructure at the ILC of the Siraj Uddin Sarker Vidyaniketan, Tongi, Gazipur..
The GCE students also invited some parents with their kids from their community to the ILC and tried to understand the reasons for not sending their kids to school.
Wireless Jhawtala School, Chittagong
Education for Street Children: More than one hundred students took part in a program aimed at bringing street children to school campus and teach them some basic life skills. The street children also learned benefits of education and how lack of education can cause multiple problems in their lives. The GCE students collected used education materials from their community and friends and later they distributed the materials among the street children. A class room of the school was used to teach the street children some Bengali letters and numbers so they can read and understand basic Bengali. The participating GCE students feel this event has again raised the issue that the street children would like to be literate but their economic standing in the community bar them from taking the advantage of education. They also pointed out that the government and philanthropic organizations should come forward to help these destitute street children. The students also visited the nearby houses and disseminated the information about Bangladesh government's initiative for the free primary education for all.
Halishahar Munshipara High school, Chittagong
Campaign for Education: The students at the school started a project to make parents of their community aware of the necessity of education. Many parents in Bangladesh do not send their kids to schools just because they are not completely aware of the value of education and how it can help them to get out of poverty. The GCE students at the Halishahar School with the support from their teachers made an organized campaign in their community to motivate parents to send their school age children to nearby schools.
About 70 students of the school participated in the activities to observe the event. Some students committed that they would continue to work to make the parents aware beyond the GYSD celebrations.
Nimtala High school, Chittagon
Tree plantation: The school with its community jointly conducted a tree plantation project. Students and youth community members planted trees on their school campus and raised their voice against deforestation. The participants argued that tree was not only the source of fruits but it also supplies valuable Oxygen for human life. They organized a rally with the slogan "Plant tree and save your life".
Garib-E-Newaz High School, Chittagong
Nutrition education for pregnant women: Malnutrition is one of the reasons for high rate of child mortality in Bangladesh. The students of the school prepared some information materials such as leaflet to disseminate information on various aspects of nutrition and its necessity for pregnant women. The students with the help of teachers organized a group discussion in a nearest suburb to make its population aware of the nutrition during pregnancy of women. About 30 students helped to organize the group discussion while 3 teachers headed by the GCE lead teacher worked as resource person in the event. They also invited a local doctor to talk about nutritional need for pregnant women.
Forest Colony Girls high school, Chittagong
Tree Plantation for Better Environment: The school conducted a survey for its students to learn about a project idea which could be implemented during GYSD. Most students supported a project which could improve environment on their campus. The students also showed lots of interest in environmental issue. Later, the school decided to host a tree plantation project on their campus. The community and school management committee helped them to raise necessary funds to purchase plants for the project. The headmaster was very enthusiastic in the project idea and he gladly joined the initiative. They also attended a rally to highlight the mission of GYSD.
Pathantoli Khan Shaheb City Corporation High School, Chittagong
Campaign to Stop Early Marriage: Early marriage is a social problem in Bangladesh and many girls became victim of the early marriage. In order to raise awareness about the issue 9th and 10th grade students organized a project on "Early Marriage". The students in association of the teachers and local commissioner convened a motivational meeting which was attended by students, teachers, community members and parents of many students.
At the opening of the campaign, the local council commissioner as a chief guest told that early marriage is one of the reasons for unsafe mothers hood. The girls who are victims of early marriage suffer from various physical and mental complications which sometime may lead to death. He stressed that due to early marriage a girl gets deprived of proper education. About 150 students including teachers and local distinguished members attended in the rally.
Chittagong Still Mills High School, Chittagong
Movement for a Clean Environment: On the occasion of the GYSD, the students at the Chittagong Steels Mills have lunched a student movement aimed at making people aware of the need for a clean environment. They have committed to work towards building a cleaner environment at least once in a month. They have already cleaned up some streets in their community and taken the waste to nearby trash bin. The students also talked to some pedestrians and requested them not to throw any trash on the streets.
Agrabad Govt Colony High School, Chittagong
Prevention of Child Labor: The school as well as the ILC community committee members organized a rally on the occasion of Global Youth Service Day. After completing the rally the school headmistress and the teachers arranged a meeting on the negative impacts of child labor in the society. The School Management Committee President moderated the session while students and teachers shared their ideas and thoughts in the issue.
Joydebppur Girls High School and Rani Bilashmoni High School, Gazipur:
Drawing for Future: The students participated in a drawing program which was attended by the GCE students from Rani Bilashmoni Boys School, Joydebpur Girls High School and US LINC exchange students who were visiting to Bangladesh in April. The students also raised fund to purchase education materials to be distributed among poor children in their community.
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