Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The “Youth Led Initiative” (YLI) announced the successful completion of the first day of its four-day journalism workshop titled “Explore Today to Tell Tomorrow” in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The workshop brought together 55 Rohingya youth interested in journalism, photography, and storytelling.
The first day focused on empowering participants with the skills and knowledge needed to tell impactful stories from their own communities. Sessions were led by prominent Rohingya journalists and storytellers, including Sa Hat Zia Hero, the 2023 Nansen Refugee Award winner, Roh Yasin Abdul Manaf, a reporter for Al Jazeera, and Atram Shin, a writer and co-founder of Rohingyatographer.
The interactive lectures inspired participants to explore the power of journalism as a tool for truth, voice, and change, emphasizing the importance of telling stories that reflect the realities of their communities and inspire others.
The workshop is organized by YLI, in collaboration with Rohingyatographer, and supported by the United Council of the Rohingya (UCR) and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s Office (RRRC). Its goal is to nurture a new generation of Rohingya storytellers who will “explore today to tell tomorrow,” sharing stories that educate, inspire, and empower their communities and the world.
Participants are looking forward to the upcoming sessions, which will deepen their understanding of ethical journalism, photography, and creative storytelling, while enhancing their ability to amplify their community’s voice effectively.
Organizers emphasized that the workshop aims to build a future where every story matters and every voice has value, empowering youth to express their realities and tell their stories with confidence and professionalism.
Bangladesh currently hosts over one million Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps, recognized by the United Nations as the world’s largest refugee settlement. The refugees have been living in difficult humanitarian conditions since fleeing Myanmar in 2017, following the military’s genocidal campaign against them. Renewed displacement to Bangladesh has continued since fighting reignited in Rakhine State between the Myanmar military and the Buddhist Arakan Army (AA) in November 2023.
