Two youth activists from the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health Wellbeing, Tasnim Hasan Abir and Irteza Zaman, represented Bangladesh at the South Asian Regional Youth Conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event took place on December 6th and 7th at the prestigious Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo.
During the conference, the youth representatives highlighted their organization’s role, Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing, in raising public awareness of tobacco control in Bangladesh. They shared their experiences of overcoming limitations and challenges while leading initiatives on tobacco prevention. They also discussed data-driven approaches, social media strategies, and resistance to industry interference in addressing the serious issue of tobacco use.
Tasnim Hasan discussed Bangladesh’s challenges and successes in tobacco control and emphasized innovative approaches to policy advocacy and public health campaigns. The two-day conference concluded with a certificate presentation ceremony to recognize the participants’ efforts.
Irteza Zaman mentioned, “Participating in this international conference and traveling to the South Asian island nations, along with gaining insights into the tobacco control efforts of these countries, was a significant experience for me. I believe I will be able to leverage this important experience for future tobacco control campaigns.”
Tasnim, a student at Dhaka University, currently works as a Youth Advocate for the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing. Previously, she wrote regular columns for leading national newspapers and highlighted the harmful effects of e-cigarettes in an article. She is also actively involved in social activities through various volunteer organizations. On the other hand, Irteza Zaman, a current student at Dhaka University, is an active member of the Youth Forum and participates in various service-oriented initiatives.
The conference, organized by the global tobacco control organization Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), saw the participation of 10 young representatives from Bangladesh.
