“Leaders of Change” Club helps girls gain confidence, take control of their dreams and lives

Please tell us about the necessity of establishing the “Leaders of Change” Club within the framework of Project 8 “Achieving gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children”? Nguyen Thi Hanh (Lao Cai).

Establishing and implementing the "Leaders of Change" Club model in schools and communities will create a new way of working in schools and communities in the field of gender equality, which is a comprehensive approach, focusing on children, the future generation of the country, as well as promoting the capacity of children, teachers, officials and communities in gender equality work.

The model will attract and mobilize the participation of students, adolescents, teachers, educational management staff, parents, youth unions, press agencies and the community to contribute to bringing about positive changes in the attitudes and behaviors of relevant individuals and building a gender-neutral environment in schools, thereby spreading to the community, contributing to creating an equal social environment, eliminating violence against children and women, and moving towards ending violence against women and children.

Child-centered. Boys and girls are centered in all CLB interventions. First, the model aims to ensure that children are kept safe from gender-based violence for both girls and boys.

Second, the active and proactive participation of children will be promoted by the Club members, supporting them to come up with communication initiatives, mobilizing their participation in school and extra-school activities related to Gender Equality.

The club helps equip children with knowledge and skills to protect themselves and solve problems related to themselves. Promote children's participation in children's issues, attract children to pioneer in changing themselves, speak up and communicate about children's rights and duties. You will have a deeper, more correct and clearer awareness, be trained in skills, be proactive, confident, actively support friends, criticize wrong phenomena in learning and training activities inside and outside school related to gender equality issues. When operating the club, children are proactive and creative in communicating about gender equality, preventing and responding to gender-based violence in schools. The number of cases of conflicts, conflicts, violence, and psychological problems will be reported more and resolved more promptly, thereby increasing the effectiveness of gender-based violence prevention. Children are the bridge between school members, between the school and parents and relevant mass organizations in the community to promote gender equality and respond to Gender-Based Violence.

A meeting of the "Leaders of Change" Club at Suoi Giang Primary and Secondary School (Van Chan Commune, Yen Bai Province)

Capacity building and proactive change from school teachers and local officials. School administrators, teachers, union officials and especially teachers who are school presenters or Women's Union officials who are community presenters will have their awareness and knowledge of gender equality and prevention and response to gender-based violence in schools and in the community raised through annual training activities.

Life skills education activities for students through club activities help teachers and the community apply the knowledge provided to their daily work and help them play an exemplary role in building safe, friendly and equal schools for students to follow. Support teachers to effectively implement educational programs that ensure gender equality principles and prevent violence and child abuse in schools...

Promote and strengthen the relationship between Family - School and Society. The activities of the Club model mobilize the participation of parents through consultation activities, organizing club activities for students, and parent-teacher meetings. Through raising awareness, providing

skills for parents and sharing the concerns and difficulties of students with parents, school units will create trust and support from parents both mentally and materially from the first stage and ensure contributions to maintain the activities of the model when the pilot period ends. Support parents to take good care of and raise children, build a safe environment for children at home, ensure equality between boys and girls, protect children and have appropriate career orientation for their children.

Thus, when implementing the model, children are the main beneficiaries, and at the same time, teachers, staff, and parents are also beneficiaries because they have new awareness and from there have appropriate behavior in their work and life.

The activities of the clubs help students build confidence, gain knowledge to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and in particular, help them develop life skills and be autonomous in making appropriate decisions in their lives. This contributes to enhancing the right to participate of children and adolescents, especially girls, in the process of building and criticizing policies and programs related to children and adolescents in the locality.

The goals and activities of the Club in schools as well as in the community will meet the needs of comprehensive development, promote children's capacity and participation in educational activities in and out of school, change the views, attitudes and behaviors of parents in supporting the comprehensive development of students, meet the wishes of families and students and be consistent with the goals of fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training today.

Building and operating the club helps girls learn knowledge, attitudes and skills based on their own life experiences to be confident, master their dreams and lives. Boys will go through a journey of personal development, overcoming gender stereotypes imposed on men's roles, challenging gender stereotypes and the root causes of gender discrimination. And above all, all "Change Leaders" girls and boys will become leaders in promoting gender equality in their schools and communities.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/cau-lac-bo-thu-linh-cua-su-thay-doi-giup-tre-em-gai-tu-tin-lam-chu-uoc-mo-va-cuoc-song-20250729111914781.htm