A total of 60 students from the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Chittagong (CU) participated in a dialogue on digital citizenship, misinformation and responsible online behaviour under the British Council’s Youth Connect programme.

The dialogue, titled “Think Critically, Connect Responsively”, was held at the department’s Seminar Library on 2 November.

Fourth-year undergraduate and master’s students took part in the event, with Maria Rehman, deputy director of the British Council Bangladesh, attending as the invited guest.

Shahab Uddin (Nipu), chairman of the department, delivered the welcome address and outlined the background of the dialogue. He highlighted the changing nature of journalism and stressed the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and organisations such as the British Council in preparing skilled graduates for the evolving media landscape.

Maria Rehman said the British Council had long been working to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.

She said the Youth Connect programme was part of this ongoing effort, providing young people with opportunities to develop skills related to digital citizenship, awareness and responsible online behaviour.

She expressed hope that students would use their knowledge and skills to bring positive changes to society. She also stressed the importance of identifying misinformation and disinformation and using digital platforms responsibly to build an informed society.

Two Community Action Project (CAP) groups from CU presented their activities at the event. Mahbub Farhad and Nadratun Naim Chowdhury presented the activities of the first group, while Rabby Hossain and Sristy Sharma represented the second group.

An open discussion followed the presentations, moderated by Naznin Akter, a lecturer at the department.

Participants shared their experiences of applying the knowledge and skills gained through the training in online and offline settings. They also discussed plans for future community action projects and the support needed to implement the initiatives.

The event was organised with support from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Earlier, a British Council delegation paid a courtesy visit to CU Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Al-Forkan. Md Abdur Rahman Khan, programme manager at the British Council Bangladesh, was also present at the meeting.