Yuba Khulduli (Youth Curiosity) is built on the strategy of youth participation, and involves use of community radio as well as interactive interpersonal activities based on the broadcasts. The initiative was launched in response to the primary beneficiaries (young women) and the secondary group being addressed (young men) of a project called "Improving the Sexual and Reproductive Health Status of Young Women in Nepal" in 2005. FPAN's youth volunteers suggested that a participatory project centred around a radio programme would be a very fruitful and effective use of media to increase young people's access to SRH information by disseminating messages to a large mass of youth at one time.

To foster this youth engagement, before launching the programme, FPAN organised a 5-day-long training programme in Surkhet for 14 young people. This training was focused on building the skills of youth volunteers to collect information, to design and develop the radio programmes (e.g., scriptwriting), and to anchor/broadcast the show. In addition, the training sought to increase SRH knowledge among the volunteers in such areas of SRH as family planning, unsafe and safe abortion, sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/HIV/AIDS, trafficking of girls, infertility, and safe motherhood.

Following this training, participating youth were mobilised to collect information from the young audience they hoped to reach. Specifically, a survey was conducted in 3 adjoining districts (Banke, Bardiya, and Surkhey) to learn about factors such as preferred type of programme, the radio channel(s) and programme(s) they found most interesting, at what time they tended to tune into the radio, radio listening habits, and ideas for an appropriate name of the radio programme to be developed. These young people have continued to conduct regular interactive sessions with listeners to seek their input about effectiveness of radio programme, to learn about which specific SRH issues are of concern, and so on.

As of May 2007, more than 100 youth listeners' clubs had been formed; it is young people themselves who stimulate the creation of these groups. The members of these clubs meet to interact about the radio programme, discuss various SRH topics, ask questions of the young broadcasters (as well of each other) - questions they might hesitate to ask otherwise. The idea is that, through this process, listeners can connect with other young people who have similar experiences and/or problems.

Yuba Khulduli has also developed an award programme which involves sparking the interest of listeners clubs by selecting "the best" club, by creating on-air competition programmes involving question-and-answer (Q&A), and by hosting essay contests. The purpose of such activities is to increase participation of youth in Yuba Khulduli.

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Youth.