Forty-five youths from Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban have joined a 3-day mobile storytelling workshop in Rangamati to document local communities, cultural practices and changing realities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
Titled “Voices from the Hills,” the workshop was inaugurated at 10am on Sunday at the Tourism Holiday Complex in Rangamati. Organized by the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication at Daffodil International University (DIU), the training will run from November 15 to 17 with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh's Ecosystem Restoration and Resilient Development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (ERRD-CHT) project.
Rangamati Hill District Council member Advocate Mamunur Rashid Mamun inaugurated the workshop. Addressing the participants, he encouraged them to move beyond tourism-focused narratives and highlight local realities, positive changes and development initiatives.
Biplob Chakma, representing UNDP, said digital storytelling would give young people an opportunity to express their creativity and bring stories from their communities to a wider audience.
The training is being facilitated by Dr Md Abdul Kabil Khan, associate professor and head of DIU's Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, along with lecturers Meherun Nahar and Md Tanvir Rahman.
Dr Khan said universities had responsibilities beyond classroom teaching, including contributing to community development. He also appreciated the initiative to bring untold stories from the CHT to a wider audience through the work of young people.
Participants are receiving practical training in mobile photography and videography, story development, interviewing techniques and video editing.
Working in groups, they will produce 9 short video stories focusing on education, livelihoods, climate change, women's participation, youth aspirations, culture and the environment.
The programme also emphasizes obtaining consent from people featured in the stories, respecting local cultures and upholding individual dignity.
Supported by the European Union, the ERRD-CHT project operates across the 3 hill districts, promoting inclusive education, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, good governance and social cohesion. It also encourages greater youth participation and supports the Sustainable Development Goals at the union level.
