Leaders of Tomorrow
This item currently has no comments. Add your comment.
Adolescent Resource Centres Offer Services to Local Teens in Bangladesh
April 2007
 |
|
ARCs provide a space for girls to socialize
|
Although teenagers represent 25% of Bangladesh’s total population, they’re a neglected group, receiving little attention from government. USC is addressing this void with a project that provides opportunities for teens throughout Bangladesh.
As part of our innovative approach to adolescent programming, USC sponsors a set of Adolescent Resource Centres (ARCs). There are 32 in all; each one like a small community centre that is open to teenaged girls in the surrounding villages. The ARCs feature:
- Library services
- Health counseling services
- Skills training
- Group-based income generating activities
A Benefit to All
Sokina Khatun is an active proponent of the ARC in her community. She speaks to other parents, encouraging them to have their daughters take advantage of the service. Sokina explains, “There is no comparable place where girls can access and benefit from all of these services at the same time. It’s not just advantageous to the teens – the ARCs can improve the livelihoods of entire families.”
 |
| Girls also use the ARCs as a space to do paid work, as tailors for example |
Sokina’s two daughters, Shela and Rekha are now young women, but as teens, they regularly used the ARC in their village. Sokina describes the ARC as “a safe environment where girls are provided with the support and guidance they need to grow into strong, confident young women.”
Her daughters participated in literacy activities and made use of the library, which helped them retain the skills they acquired through USC’s LEAD Program (Lifeskills and Education for Adolecent Development). They attended a training course offered by a master tailor and went on to become well-paid tailors themselves.
Supporting Future Leaders
Now they share a portion of their earnings with their family and serve as role models, inspiring other young women to take advantage of the services offered at the ARCs
Shela and Rekha are just two young women whose lives have been changed because of the Adolescent Resource Centres. There are hundreds more just like them in villages throughout Bangladesh. Last year, about 5,700 young people and their families were able to use the ARCs, to help make a positive change in their lives.
Leave a Comment
USC Canada
was founded by
Dr Lotta Hitschmanova in 1945. Our award-winning Seeds of Survival program promotes vibrant family farms, strong rural communities, and healthy ecosystems around the world.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
