Since I was six months old, I was a fan of Michael Jackson. He was the best. I just can't describe how I felt when I heard the news of his death...............

All the teenage members out here, how many of you would like to write for a new online literary e-zine? Please reply back. I have got a plan....................and even those who write for teenagers but are adults themselves , please reply.

It has been a year I m in TIG. wow....................................................I m really happy . But I wish I could spend more time here. Anyways, from now on, I would try to do that.

It is a matter of great shame that all across Asia, about a million children are forced into sex trade. The story does not end here, however. There are also lots of children who are being sexually abused in the safe corner of their homes, girls as well boys. Unfortunately, in most cases, these innocent children are abused by their caregiver or relatives.

But less than a handful of initiatives are taken to prevent these crimes. We must step up to protect the children and provide the victims with proper counselling so that they recover from the trauma and get on with their lives.

I would again come up with this issue in TIG and have a brief discussion. Till then, adieu.

I am only 17, yet I am a school teacher now. I teach students of class 1 to 7 . Its fun, but sometimes pressure of checking copies, dealing with naughty students or annoying parents can get on your nerves sometimes. yet I love my job.

After I started doing this job, I have become more serious in my studies, which is really great...............................

My TIG, in a span of two months, forgot me?????????????????????????

Come on, I had exams so I remained absent, does it mean you have to forget me forever?

Not fair.

Anyways I will always love TIG.

And my friends here too forgot me.

SO BAD.

I am so so so.................happy...................................................................back to TIG........................my family

Peers provide an opportunity for teens to meet their needs, to feel capable, to belong, to be respected, and to have fun. While young people often experience these needs being met within the family, the peer group provides unique and different opportunities to meet these needs. The peer group encourages autonomy, mutuality, and experimentation with self guided roles. While many families assist teens to find out who they really are and to help teens feel proud and confident of their unique traits, backgrounds, and abilities, the peer group may often be more accepting of the feelings, thoughts, and actions associated with this search for self- identity.

Although there is a common perception that "peer pressure" is the reason for many negative behaviours of adolescents, in reality, peers are necessary and crucial in helping adolescents make successful transitions. Peers can and do act as positive role models. Peers can and do demonstrate appropriate social behaviours. Peers often listen to, accept, and understand the frustrations, challenges, and concerns associated with being a teenager.

Much research has shown that peer pressure has a much greater impact on adolescent behavior than any other factor. Think about it. Your teenager spends many more of his or her waking hours with peers than with family members. The interaction is direct, and much more powerful than the influence of teachers and other authority figures. Peer pressure tends to have more of an effect on children with low self-esteem. If a child feels compelled to fit in, the teen may do things that go against his or her beliefs simply to be part of the group.

Peer pressure can lead to experimentation with drugs and alcohol, sex, skipping school, and various high-risk behaviors. If you notice a sudden change in your child's appearance, clothing, and attitude, especially if accompanied by secretive behavior, he or she may be succumbing to the influences of peers. You should be especially alert to sudden changes in the friends who make up their core peer group. An unexplained change in the type of friends you child associates with would indicate that your child is vulnerable to new influences that may not be positive.

How can parents, who spend far less time with their children than do their peers, have an influence on their teens? Parents need to set clear expectations for behavior, establish rules about communicating where and with whom their teenagers are spending their time, and should pre-set consequences for lying about activities or where they are going. By communicating your expectations, your adolescent cannot claim they "did not know" that you would be upset.

One of the most difficult issues can be when a teen decides to hang out with the "wrong crowd." Parents often find it is difficult to control such behavior. They will lament that when they forbid their teen to hang out with certain people, those people become a virtual magnet for their teen. Often by simply setting the rules about communicating their whereabouts, you will limit the effects of any peer group. However, if you really believe that a particular peer group is negatively impacting your child, it is important to deal with the reasons your teen is being influenced in this direction. He or she may have problems with self-esteem and self-confidence and feel it is necessary to fit in anyway possible, even if it means fitting in with a negative peer group. Parents will not change the teen's attitude by forbidding access to these peers. They can only change the attitude by dealing with the primary issues that cause it in the first place. An adolescent is drawn to a particular group because it "feeds" them in some way. If they are choosing the wrong group, there is a fundamental core issue that needs to be addressed therapeutically before any significant change can occur.



Talk to your teen. State clearly that you do not have a problem with their friends as people. You understand that that your teen’s friends can make mistakes – just like your teen made a mistake. But you do have a problem with the risk-taking behavior and there needs to be a change on your teen’s part and on their friend’s part in order for you to be build an action plan with your teen. Address changing the behaviors that are concerning you in the plan and allow your teen to come up with different options to these behaviors. Learn more about the problem behavior and use your discipline skills as necessary. Limit your teens unsupervised time with the friends that were involved until you feel comfortable to slowly give back more of these privileges. You will need to be more involved with your teen at this time and offer more supervised activities with their friends.

Take caution: don’t allow your teen to place all of the blame at their friend’s feet. This is an easy out and may be the way to even bigger problems for your teenager down the road. Even if your teen’s friend was 90% accountable for the misbehavior, you still need to hold your teen accountable so that he can actively deal with the problem and move on. Part of learning how to make the right choices is learning how to deal with mistakes.



When Parents Don't Approve


You may not be comfortable about your son or daughter's choice of friends or peer group. This may be because of their image, negative attitudes, or serious behaviors (such as alcohol use, drug use, truancy, violence, sexual behaviors).



Here are some suggestions:



· Get to know the friends of your teen. Learn their names, invite them into your home so you can talk and listen to them, and introduce yourself to their parents.

· Do not attack your child's friends. Remember that criticizing your teen's choice of friends is like a personal attack.

· Help your teen understand the difference between image (expressions of youth culture) and identity (who he or she is).

· Keep the lines of communication open and find out why these friends are important to your teenager.

· Check whether your concerns about their friends are real and important.

· If you believe your concerns are serious, talk to your teenager about behavior and choices -- not the friends.

· Encourage your teen's independence by supporting decision-making based on principles and not other people

· Let your teen know of your concerns and feelings

· Encourage reflective thinking by helping your teen think about his or her actions in advance and discussing immediate and long-term consequences of risky behavior.

· Remember that we all learn valuable lessons from mistakes

It’s hard to fight drug use among teens, but it can be done. Young people are more intelligent than we often give them credit for being. If we talk with them about specific drugs and their negative effects, it will go a long way towards winning the battle against teen drug use
It’s also interesting and important to note that parental involvement plays a vital role. The strongest declines in drug use occurred during years when more parents and guardians were talking to their kids about the risks of drug use, and the kids were exposed to anti-drug messages in the media. Some statistics actually show an increase of drug use during years when parental involvement was down, even if anti-drug media exposure was up.

Factors associated with increased risk for any type of illicit drug use include at least one or more of the following:

Poor parent-child relations. Studies show that living in a stressful home environment with relatively little parental support and monitoring places adolescents at greater risk for drug use.
Family environments that model drug use. Adolescents are more likely to use drugs if someone in their home uses drugs. For example, parents who use drugs may practice poor parenting which may increase the risk of drug abuse for adolescents. Also, parental or sibling drug use sets a model of acceptable inappropriate behavior for teens, makes it seem like a normal part of life, and may encourage its acceptance by youth.
Peer drug use. During adolescence, peers become a major influence because of the increased time spent with them outside of the home. Some teens feel pressured to fit in and do what their friends are doing. Consequently, teens that have friends who use drugs are more likely to use drugs themselves.

High risk communities. Living in communities where drug use is widespread not only makes drug accessibility easier, but also normalizes the act of using drugs.
Low self-esteem. Adolescents who do not have positive views of themselves, or who lack support and encouragement from others are more likely to use drugs.
Poor school achievement. Teens who have negative attitudes toward school and low expectations of academic success are at increased risk of drug use. Also, teens who use drugs typically exhibit declines in grades, and inconsistent attendance at school.
What Are the Consequences
The effects of drug use vary by type of drug and frequency of use, however, some

consequences may include the following:

Mental and physical health problems. Teens who use drugs are at greater risk for developing a number of health problems including attention deficit disorder, anxiety disorders, phobias, and depression.

Increased likelihood of drug use later in life. Early drug use has been linked to positive attitudes toward drug use. Consequently, teens who begin drug use early are at risk for continued drug habits into and through adulthood.
Involvement in other illegal activities. Drug use has been linked to higher tolerance of deviant behavior among adolescents. This results in increased criminal activity for drug users compared to non-drug using peers.
Increased likelihood of death. Drug use increases the odds of death from accidental or intentional drug overdoses as well as engagement in other unsafe behaviors (e.g., driving under the influence).

What Can Parents Do

Communication is key in dealing with any type of risk taking behavior during the teen years. The hectic pace of work and school can sometimes estrange family members, especially parents and teens. But make the effort to keep in touch with your teen. Find out what's going on in his or her life. The best way to find out if your teen is using drugs is to just ask. During adolescence, parents may feel that their influence over their teen's life is waning, but in fact, you have more power than anyone to prevent your child from using drugs. Here are some things that you can do to encourage your child to "Just Say No."

Stay connected with your teen. Keeping up to date with your teen's interests and friends is an important step in creating a warm, communicative, and open environment. If your teen feels that you are available and easy to talk to, then he or she will be more likely to share concerns that might lead to risk taking behavior.

Begin an ongoing conversation with your teen (vs. giving a one time speech). Make it clear that drug use is not an acceptable behavior in your family and be sure to talk about the reasons why. Talk about the consequences of drug use. Help your teen visualize two futures, one that includes drug use and one that remains drug free. Where do these paths lead? Discuss your teen's life goals and how drug use can hinder them from reaching them.
Empower your teen. Teens tend to want to rebel against their parents' standards or advice. Rather than dictate what your child should or should not do, remind him or her that they have the power of choice and that you trust that they can and will make good decisions.
Teens sometimes abuse substances as a way of alleviating stress. Some experiences in life (e.g., not making the basketball team, breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend) are both stressful and painful. Drugs are often sought as a means of temporarily easing pain or stress. Talk to your teen about any stressful events that are going on in his or her life and ways they can effectively handle them.

Know your teen's friends. You can influence your teen's choice of peers by talking with them about the qualities that make a good friend.

Encourage your teen's self-esteem by praising their efforts and achievements. Help them to master the things that they are good at. Show them you care through your involvement in their lives/activities.
Take advantage of teachable moments. These include talking about scenes in movies or news headlines that deal with drug associated topics. Explain your position on these topics and ask your teen how they feel about what they are viewing.
Encourage healthy activities that promote the use of your teen's interests and talents. Most teens are curious and are eager to try something new and challenging. High school is the peak time for both beginning substance use and beginning lifetime habits that include using illegal substances. Your parental example, support, and monitoring has a great influence on your teen's behavior. Talk early and often about the consequences of and alternatives to using illicit drugs.

Even under stable family and societal conditions, an adolescent's passage into young adulthood is fraught with challenges. As adolescents move away from the prescribed moorings of family to stand on their own, they experience heightened vulnerability. Simultaneously, adolescents are bombarded by internal pressures and simulations. Under these pressures, they seek experiences and feelings of power, peer affiliation and certainty.

To reduce HIV&AIDS vulnerability among adolescents, there is a need to develop strategies and methods for effective curriculum focusing on sex education and life skills especially. Internalizing more participatory learning-teaching method, it is felt that a stronger integration of prevention education vis-à-vis sex & reproductive health approaches is essential for improving the high-quality HIV prevention & care. It is estimated that there are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world. Near about eighty seven percent of these adolescents live in the developing countries. More adolescents do not know what reproductive health is and how to practice safe sex. Most of them are not aware of how to undermine the vulnerability to HIV&AIDS. To make them free from such encumbrance as HIV&AIDS, we have to ensure a healthy and promising environment. It is believed that if the adolescents have qualitative reproductive health literacy ultimately HIV&AIDS prevention programs initiated by NGos will be successful.


Only effective education can ensure qualitative reproductive health literacy. This kind of literacy helps adolescents analyze thoroughly basic information, core messages, values and praxis related to HIV&AIDS prevention. Simultaneously they are able to inculcate caring and supportive attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). They possess the basic facts and information bringing about acquisition of knowledge and development of attitudes, values, skills and practices (KAVSP) as to undermining the spread of HIV&AIDS. Consequently they have profound awareness on practicing safe sex, use of condoms, gender equity, and harmful effect of early marriage, premarital sex and unplanned pregnancy.



Reducing HIV&AIDS vulnerability among adolescents may be promoted auspiciously through evaluating the attitudes and values within community based social norms/beliefs, cooperation and teamwork. From the salad days, adolescents have to be guided by active and participatory learning that they may analyze, study ideas, solve problems and apply what they learn. It is important to ensure that active learning would be fast-paced, enjoyable and personally engaging. In this regard, cooperative learning may play a vital role to make the adolescents aware of HIV&AIDS significantly. It is one kind of effective group approaches with a view to learning with common objectives, mutual rewards, shared resources and complementary roles. Through this approach, group members are stimulated to help each other to master the lesson or activity. Thus an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect are established. Eventually the learning environment is warm as well as adolescents are made to express their views, opinions, attitudes and behaviors freely.


Adolescence is the prime and sensitive period of so many physical, emotional and cognitive developments. So adolescents have to experience many changes unexpectedly. In most cases, they remain unaware of how to efficiently cope with these kinds of physical and psychological changes. Attitudes to sexuality are being developed gradually during puberty. In this time, if adolescents are misguided or deprived of acquiring reproductive health literacy they will suffer all the time in their lives. There is no doubt that sexual maturity leads to happiness and fulfillment in future personal and social relationships. So there is no alternative for adolescents to learn about issues related to reproductive health from parents, teachers and other elders for being able to understand and develop a healthy attitude.


Vulnerability to HIV&AIDS is skyrocketing in the developing countries jeopardized by lack of qualitative reproductive health literacy among the adolescents. But reproductive health literacy itself offers one of the key hopes against HIV/AIDS epidemic as well as its influential eventualities. In fighting the pandemic, reproductive health literacy comprising transfer of skills and attitudes to reduce adolescents’ vulnerabilities to HIV&AIDS is the most effective means. It is seriously necessary to reduce the fear of HIV&AIDS any how. Reproductive health literacy can do a lot to combat HIV&AIDS facilitating adolescents in attaining the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they need to delay sexual intercourse, reduce their number of sex partners, prevent illicit drug/substance use and avoid infection by using condoms.


The academic curriculum of the developing countries should provide adolescents with opportunities to learn and practice life skills, such as decision-making and communication skills, which can strengthen other important areas of early life development.

If you dont have any idea, have a look at my previous blog entry and you'll know. Many do not know that it is International Mother's Day. You should know about it> We are the only nation which lost many youths for our language.

Ekushey February now also called just Ekushey, 21 February, Shaheed Dibas (Martyrs' Day) and, since 2000, international mother language day. On 21 February 1952, corresponding to 8 Falgun 1359 in the Bangla calendar, a number of students campaigning for the recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of pakistan were killed when police fired upon them.

Even before the creation of Pakistan in 1947, there had been demands that Bangla be made the state language of Pakistan. In July 1947, Dr muhammad shahidullah suggested that, after the departure of the British, Bangla could be made the state language of the new state. Shortly after the creation of Pakistan, at the first session of the Pakistan Legislative Assembly on 23 February 1948, dhirendranath datta proposed that Bangla be made one of the languages of the Assembly along with English and urdu. The proposal was rejected.

In March 1948, Governor General mohammed ali jinnah arrived in East Pakistan. On 21 March 1948, at a public meeting in dhaka, he declared that Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan. Subsequently khwaja nazimuddin, who had become Prime Minister of Pakistan following the assassination of liaquat ali khan, visited East Pakistan in January 1952. On 27 January, at a public meeting at Paltan Maidan, he reiterated Jinnah's pronouncement that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. In protest, the Dhaka University National Language Committee called a token strike on January 30. A meeting was held on the day at Amtala, on the university campus, where students pledged to carry on the language movement. A decision was also taken to observe a strike in all educational institutions of the province on 4 February. The next day, an all-party meeting was held at the Dhaka Bar Library at which Maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani presided. At the meeting a 40-member All-Party National Language Action Committee was formed. The meeting supported the strike call on February 4.

Accordingly, a strike was observed in all educational institutions on February 4. A student meeting on the day called for a province-wide hartal on 21 February. The government, on its part, invoked Section 144 on 20 February, banning public meetings, rallies and processions. Opposition politicians were unwilling to get involved in a clash with the government just before a general election. The All-Party National Language Action Committee, which met that night, decided by a majority vote not to violate Section 144.

The student community, however, refused to accept this decision. At a meeting on the morning of 21 February on the campus of the arts faculty of the university (now dhaka medical college and hospital), the students unanimously agreed to stick to the earlier decision to defy Section 144. After the meeting, they started gathering on the premises of the Medical College hostel. From there they tried to proceed towards the Provincial Assembly where a session of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly was about to begin. The policemen on duty tried to disperse the students by firing blanks. When this failed, the police fired into the crowd. In the firing abul barkat, a university student, rafiq uddin ahmed, a student of Debendra College, manikganj, and abdul jabbar, a young farmer from gaffargaon, were killed. abdus salam, a bank employee, was injured in the firing and died in hospital later. At least two others are also believed to have been killed in the firing that day.

The reaction to the police killings was immediate. People began to gather on the premises of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. All over the country, schools and colleges held protest meetings, rallies and processions. To bring the situation under control, the government enforced a curfew and deployed the army in Dhaka. Defying the curfew, on 22 February, students alongside common people came out on city streets to protest the killings. They participated in a gayebi janaza (funeral prayer held without the dead body) on the Medical College campus. On the night of 23 February, the students constructed a shaheed minar (martyrs' memorial) on the spot where the students had been killed. Three days later, the police demolished the memorial.

Nevertheless, the movement for the recognition of Bangla as a state language gained momentum. After the resounding victory of the united front in 1954, Bangla was recognised as one of the state languages of Pakistan at a session of the National Assembly on 9 May 1954.

Till 1971, the day was observed spontaneously, and served as an occasion to revive the feelings of nationalism and Bengali nationhood. After liberation, the day became a national holiday and the university of dhaka took over the maintenance of the Shaheed Minar and the surrounding area and the responsibility of organising the commemoration. Colourful alpana designs are painted on the ground, and Bangla verses and prose passages about Bangla are written on the walls facing the Shaheed Minar.

At one minute past midnight on 21 February, the President of Bangladesh arrives at the Shaheed Minar to pay homage to the language martyrs. He is followed by the Prime Minister, members of the cabinet, staff of diplomatic missions in Dhaka, political leaders, representatives of various institutions and organisations etc. Throughout the day, people of all ages and from all walks of life visit the Shaheed Minar to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for Bangla. Walking slowly, they sing the mournful notes of the elegy, 'Amar bhaiyer rakte rangano ekushey february ami ki bhulite pari' (Can I forget 21 February reddened with the blood of my brothers?). Apart from this famous song, many poets have written poems on 21 February. In commemoration of the day, bangla academy holds a month-long book fair and organises literary and cultural events throughout the month.

Special programmes are broadcast and telecast highlighting the importance of the day. Different cultural organisations also arrange various functions. Newspapers publish special supplements.

Ekushey February played an important role in making Bengalis aware of their cultural and national heritage and ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Since 2000, 21 February is also being observed as International Mother Language Day in tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue

Source:http://search.com.bd/banglapedia/HT/E_0034.htm

Hello,

This is Airine from Bangladesh. I am getting interest in reading the issues at discussion board. I tried to contribute at discussion board. But couldn't. May I get suggestion about how can I create new issue at discussion board?
All the best
Airin

Now I can view my bulletin board. its fixed so if u want, u can send me msgs.

For the first time, there's a children's film festival in Dhaka. Initially, they held an essay competition in Bangla- "my favourite film". They chose 100 children from all across the country, and guess what? I am one of them. I never expected that , after all, I am an English medium student , don't go to school and my Bangla is not as good as Bangla medium students. But I did well and so I can watch hundreds of movies for free and will attend a workshop on filmmaking. I am so happy.

This seems to be my first step towards filmmaking. Maybe, it is not, but I would like to think this way.