In other words, it's no use using this generation of parents' experiences to deal with the experiences of our children.

In the latest issue of Bridge, published by the Population Reference Bureau, the difference in experiences can be attributed to "the effects of globalization, technological advances, and widespread economic development."

Young people today "spend a longer time in school, begin work at a later age, and get married and have children later than their counterparts did 20 years ago." In general, wrote Rachel Nugent in the article "Youth in a Global World," "modern youth spend (a) longer (time) preparing for adulthood than their parents."

Among the challenges that young people face as they make their way to adulthood are numerous health risks, "many of which will affect the length and quality of their lives." Foremost among these risks is HIV/AIDS, which is increasingly afflicting young people, especially young women, in the developing world. Other potential risks to health to which young people are especially vulnerable are alcohol, tobacco and road accidents. "Early sexual activity and early childbearing also have long-term effects on quality of life," writes Nugent.

How are these health risks and challenges best addressed? Nugent says the best approach would be "through multisectoral strategies that respond to the varying social and economic circumstances that different youth experience today."

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PART of the vulnerability of young people is their penchant for risk taking, which is part and parcel of growing up, with "experimentation and exploration" playing a big role in a young person's voyage to maturity.

The problem is, notes Nugent, "youth commonly underestimate the risk of disease, accident, or vulnerability, and they often lack knowledge about the consequences of their actions -- thereby exposing themselves to serious health problems."

In particular, "the impact of HIV/AIDS on youth cannot be underestimated." The disease "affects their family situation, their economic circumstances and prospects, their health and well-being, and even their social behavior as they negotiate sexual and intimate behavior in the age of AIDS." Sadly, comprehensive knowledge of HIV risk remains low among young people, as borne out in surveys worldwide, including in the Philippines.

A high-risk group especially vulnerable to delivery complications and long-term health problems due to early pregnancy and childbirth are young women ages 15-19, who are far less likely to use modern contraceptives than women in the early 20s, even if increasing numbers of them are becoming sexually active. "Lack of access to desired family planning methods remains especially high among the poorer and less-educated segment of the population in developing countries," writes Nugent. And with Filipino Catholic bishops insisting on their prerogative to censor the content of sex education modules for public schools, we can count on even more poor young women ending up barefoot and pregnant and minimally educated.

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TOGETHER with other members of the media, I was privileged to be invited last Monday to a dinner for seven government officials from the Bangladesh Ministry of Information as well as from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Bangladesh who are here for a five-day study tour.

Hosted by outgoing UNFPA Country Director Zahidul Huque, the dinner was actually meant to be a discussion and sharing of experiences between the Bangladeshi delegation and the local media. True enough, we found many things in common, not just as media practitioners but also as Bangladeshis and Filipinos. When I mentioned that they had just missed a typhoon, Nikesh Amit, communications officer of UNFPA Bangladesh, replied that it was fine by them since they were used not just to typhoons but even to tornadoes in their country!

About half the time, though, was spent with us Filipinos giving the visitors a guided "tour" through the shopping meccas of Metro Manila, with Cheche Lazaro of "The Probe Team" TV program as team leader. The visitors seemed most interested in the Greenhills flea market, especially after we mentioned the great bargains to be found in the stalls of the pearl vendors. We lobbied vigorously with the UNFPA staff to make sure to give our Bangladeshi friends some time for shopping and sight-seeing - not only for their own pleasure, but also to perk up the local economy!

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HOSTING the dinner for the Bangladeshi delegation, held at the Museum Café of the Ayala Museum, was one of the last activities in the Philippines of Dr. Huque, who is ending his four-year assignment in the country this month.

Last Friday, the UNFPA hosted a farewell dinner for him, a dinner marked by, in typical Filipino fashion, lots of singing, testimonials and dancing. Testimony to the fondness with which Filipinos hold Dr. Huque was the number of people in attendance, among them government officials (including Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romy Neri who delivered a heartfelt song number), representatives of the United Nations community in Manila, members of the diplomatic corps, the media, civil society and academe.

Pretty obvious was the closeness between the staff of the local UNFPA office and Dr. Huque, whom the staffers fondly called "Tatay Zahid." Hopefully, even after he takes up his new posting in Indonesia, the ties between Huque and the Philippines will prove enduring and fruitful.