By Jermyn Chow

WHILE sex seems to dominate the thoughts and conversations of young people, many are actually quite clueless when it comes to the birds and the bees.

Worse yet, some have latched onto misinformation from the Internet, putting them at risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Now, 16-year-old Chester Tan wants to 'fight fire with fire' and banish those misconceptions. The Raffles Junior College student, with the help of counsellors and doctors, has set up a website with information on everything from underage sex to HIV/Aids.

He was among 100 participants at the bi-annual National Youth Forum, a three-month session that saw youth get hands-on experience in policy-making.

The forum, which was initiated by the National Youth Council in 2004 to better engage students, wrapped up yesterday.

Chester and his team are roping in volunteers to help run their website and have approached the Health Ministry for help in publicising the portal.

'The untruths and misinformation are so rampant on the Internet,' said Chester. For instance, many young people believe that exercising after intercourse could prevent pregnancy, he said.

Sex aside, eight other groups involved in the youth forum have tackled hot-button topics such as sports, education and how to promote volunteerism.

Their ideas range from publishing a guidebook on early childhood education to introducing niche sports to the public.

The teams showcased their final plans to their peers at the Suntec City Convention Centre.

Also present was Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan who, in his closing address, said he was heartened by the slew of ideas.

At the same time, he tempered the ambitions of these young people.

He said: 'You must also have an open mind and not lose your sense of reality. Sometimes, things do not go according to plan, you've got to accept less and compromise.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 10, 2008.