The lives of adolescents in the coastal areas of Teknaf and Ukhiya are marked by challenges. Growing up in these regions, young people often face limited opportunities, economic struggles, and social pressures that leave little space for play, creativity, or simply enjoying the freedom of being young.
Adolescence itself is a bridge between childhood and adulthood, a time when emotions, ambitions, and identities are constantly evolving. It is a time filled with curiosity and imagination, but also uncertainty and pressure. For adolescents in vulnerable or resource-limited communities, this stage of life can feel especially overwhelming.
The Creative Club of BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED) was designed out of the belief that adolescents deserve safe, joyful, and creative spaces to navigate these years. It’s more than an after-school program; it is a safe space where young people can explore who they are, build resilience, and learn skills that prepare them for the future.
A Safe and Playful Space for AdolescentsThe Creative Club provides adolescents with an inclusive, playful environment that celebrates this stage of life. Here, creativity and play are not treated as luxuries but as essential tools for growth. Through art, storytelling, music, games, and mindfulness practices, adolescents are encouraged to express themselves freely and without any judgment. This club offers a way for adolescents to process emotions, connect with peers, and build confidence. It becomes a safe ground where young people learn that their voices matter and that their ideas have value.
The Creative Club is built on human connection, and that connection is made possible by the Bondhu Apa. These are young women from the community, usually aged between 20 and 30, who receive special training to guide adolescents to process their hardship through the club’s activities. The role of Bondhu Apa is more than that of a facilitator. They are mentors, role models, and listeners who are there for these adolescents. In this age, when it feels nothing is working according to them, the adolescents find a person to share their thoughts with: their Bondhu Apa.
Their training includes not only facilitation skills but also short-term courses on psychosocial support. This equips them to respond empathetically to the challenges adolescents face, be it managing anxiety, navigating peer pressure, or coping with family struggles.
Adolescents often describe their Bondhu Apa as someone they can trust, someone who understands them in ways others might not. The Creative Club feels safe and empowering because of this relationship of trust.
The Creative Club rests on three main pillars that work together to support adolescents in every way, helping them grow academically, emotionally, socially, and in their relationship with the environment.
The adolescent phase is full of imagination, and the Creative Club provides an outlet for this energy. Sessions include drawing, painting, crafts, storytelling, drama, and other playful explorations. These fun activities are powerful tools for self-discovery.
Through art and play, adolescents learn to articulate their emotions, build critical thinking skills, and develop leadership. The joy of creating something with their own hands instills confidence and increases their ability to shape the world around them.
2. Environmental Consciousness: Building Climate Resilience
Many adolescents in Bangladesh, particularly those in coastal areas, are forced to face the harsh realities of environmental vulnerability. The Creative Club integrates environmental learning into its curriculum. Through hands-on and engaging methods, adolescents participate in gardening, recycling, and upcycling projects. They create crafts from discarded materials, learn the value of reducing waste, and develop a stronger connection with nature. These practices do not just teach sustainability; they empower adolescents to see themselves as part of the solution. They gain resilience and a sense of agency, knowing they can contribute to their community’s adaptation to climate challenges.
3. Well-being: Learning to Feel and Heal
The most important pillar of the Creative Club is its focus on well-being. Adolescence can be a turbulent time, filled with stress, identity struggles, and emotional ups and downs. Adolescents learn to identify and regulate their emotions through mindfulness practices, group discussions, and playful healing activities. They practice empathy, develop stronger interpersonal skills, and learn the importance of self-care. The activities help them to build resilience, which leaves adolescents with not only greater emotional balance but also stronger social bonds and a hopeful outlook on life.
The Creative Club runs on a six-month curriculum built around five thematic areas: co-creation, creative expression, connection with nature, communication and collaboration, and continuing curiosity.
Each week, adolescents gather for interactive one-hour sessions led by their Bondhu Apa. Activities might include designing their own creative projects, experimenting with new art forms, or exploring ways to sustainably reuse materials.
The sessions culminate in a community exhibition known as a mela. At this event, adolescents showcase their creations to parents, teachers, peers, and community members. For many, this is their first public recognition, a moment of pride that affirms their abilities and contributions.
The Creative Club is not just about what happens during the sessions. Its effects extend into adolescents’ homes, schools, and communities.
The Creative Club has helped adolescents find hope and belonging in places often marked by instability.
The story of the Creative Club underscores a larger truth: education goes beyond the classroom. For adolescents to truly thrive, they need environments that honour their creativity, nurture their well-being, and prepare them for the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Adolescents in host communities often lack a dedicated space to express and showcase their creativity. Having a Creative Club provides them with a much-needed platform where their voices, ideas, and talents are valued. Such spaces allow them to explore their potential, build confidence, and connect with peers through shared interests. Beyond recreation, a Creative club fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration; skills that are essential for their growth and future opportunities. This is why a creative space matters deeply to adolescents, giving them room not only to create but also to belong. Too often, adolescents are burdened with responsibilities beyond their years. They face societal stigma, disrupted schooling, and limited opportunities for play or self-expression. The Creative Club reclaims this lost space for them, reminding them that joy, creativity, and self-discovery are not optional extras but fundamental rights.
What makes the Creative Club so powerful is its adaptability. Rooted in local communities, it blends traditional crafts with modern problem-solving, environmental learning with cultural practices, and personal growth with collective responsibility.
This flexible model can be scaled to different contexts, whether urban schools, rural villages, or refugee camps. Its success lies in its participatory nature; adolescents co-create their own learning journeys, making the space truly theirs.
The vision of the Creative Club is bold yet simple: to help adolescents grow into confident, resilient, and compassionate citizens. By nurturing creativity, instilling environmental responsibility, and prioritizing well-being, the club is shaping a generation that is not only prepared for academic success but also equipped to tackle social and environmental challenges head-on.
In the words of one facilitator, “The Creative Club is not just about making art. It is about making meaning.” And in the smiles of adolescents who rediscover joy, in the hands that proudly showcase recycled crafts at the mela, in the quiet moments of mindfulness where a young person learns to breathe through anxiety—we see the essence of what this club is all about.
The Creative Club of BRAC IED is more than a program. It is a movement that recognises the power of play, creativity, and community in shaping young lives. It tells us that when adolescents are given the right environment, they do not just survive the challenges of adolescence; they thrive.
In every drawing, every recycled craft, every shared laugh, and every mindful pause, the Creative Club is cultivating resilience, sparking imagination, and building hope. And that is its true essence.
Tasnina Momo is a Senior Officer, Marketing and Communications of BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED), BRAC University.
