Following the mantra – by youth and for youth – in 2020, UNESCO established We are ABLE student core groups in Ha Giang, Ninh Thuan and Soc Trang Provinces in Viet Nam to ensure that it is the students themselves who lead awareness-raising efforts on barriers hindering ethnic minority students, especially girls, to access quality education. Supported through a series of soft skills and communication training in in September and October 2020, they are empowered to act upon their dreams, hopes, and aspirations for a better future.
Creating an ideal education environment
With a view to create an education environment that enjoys the full support of parents, teachers and friends and one free from violence and discrimination, students mapped out what they see and experience now. This allowed students to express their views on the physical school environment as well as problems they perceive in their relationships with teachers, peers and parents, while helping them to visualise a preferred vision of how educational spaces can be transformed to become more youth-friendly and safe. We could see in particular that students long for more quality time with their hard-working parents, in which they could benefit from more parental interest in their schoolwork, their life and their dreams.
Dreaming big!
But what are their dreams? Under the motto – “Dream Big” – students painted a vision for the future for themselves, their families and their communities. First and foremost, students desire a secure life which allows them to subsidise their families and pursue their dreams. After this, they wish to see more roads, more bridges, and more health care and educational facilities to enable a more harmonious community, where poverty and hunger are concerns of the past. Alongside the vision of a more prosperous community, environmental protection is a strong priority with a green and clean environment fostered by forest restoration and even better waste management.
Facing Obstacles
The room’s atmosphere changed once students were asked to note the challenges they perceived on mountain-shaped papers. Many noted the financial difficulties that stem from low-income families struggling financially to support their children, and the geographical barriers they face in the long distance from home to school or university. Further, students flagged that parental support does often not include approving their dreams or allowing them to continue education. To overcome the obstacles and trust in one’s dreams, students symbolically jumped over their “mountains”, releasing anxiety and concern and replacing them with energy for action.
Being the force for change
Energised to create a safe, green, and youth-friendly school environment, students moved quickly to map out the issues they want to address, such as raising awareness of the importance of education, gender equality, and environmental protection. How? Students were full of ideas ranging from (cultural) performances like school plays, comedy shows, cultural music festivals, or producing multimedia content for YouTube, TikTok or traditional media. Fuelled by their pride in their culture, students voiced the ambition to raise awareness and protect and preserve their heritage through a variety of activities. Recognising the need to raise awareness amongst parents, students anticipate engaging their parents with talk shows and exchanges to share their messages on gender equality or quality education and address SRGBV. Hands-on activities were envisioned to promote environmental protection, such as creating self-made trash bins using reusable plastic bottles or planting trees in the community.
The ideas are rich, filled with hope, passion, and confidence, knowing they are trusted, respected, and treated as partners in setting the stepping stones for a better future.
We are ABLE – indeed! In the next story, we will discuss the empowerment of the We are ABLE Student core groups.