Empowering skills for school leaders

Lieutenant Colonel Le Thi Ai Ngoc talks with students from Son Hoi commune - members of the Leaders of Change Club about self-protection skills and preventing the risk of abuse. Photo: NGOC QUYNH

Empower children to protect themselves

Within the framework of Project 8 under the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas, the Provincial Women's Union has continuously organized communication conferences to enhance the capacity of students who are members of the Leaders of Change Club in Ea Trol commune (Song Hinh district), Xuan Lanh commune (Dong Xuan district) and Son Hoi commune (Son Hoa district). These are mountainous communes with a large population of ethnic minorities, where many bad customs and gender stereotypes still exist that negatively affect children's development.

At the conference, Lieutenant Colonel Le Thi Ai Ngoc (Head of the Provincial Police Women's Committee) shared practical knowledge in preventing child abuse, helping children identify risks and equipping them with self-protection skills. With a lively communication method, integrating interactive games, the reporter guided students to remember the "6 petals" rule - a visual tool to help children identify the safe limits of the body, thereby knowing how to react appropriately when encountering dangerous situations. At the same time, sharing real-life situations so that children have the opportunity to exchange, interact, raise awareness and skills to speak up when facing the risk of abuse. According to Major Ngoc, the most important thing is to help children understand that children have the right to be protected and to speak up when they feel unsafe. These skills are the first shield, helping them to be proactive in protecting themselves and avoiding the risk of abuse.

The Leaders of Change Club was established in 2023, implemented by the Provincial Women's Union in coordination with localities and schools. This is one of the models under Project 8 "Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children" in the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period. The diverse activities from this model aim to equip students in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent school violence, abuse, and child marriage, thereby promoting the role of an active core in propagating to friends, family and the community to contribute to building a progressive and civilized society.
Head of Propaganda and Legal Policy Department of Provincial Women's Union Pham Thi Thu Huyen

At the communication session, the reporter also focused on promoting the issue of child marriage along with the contents of the Law on Children, children's rights, preventing school violence, how to use social networks safely... Because this is one of the bad customs that still exists in ethnic minority areas. The consequences of child marriage cause population quality to decline, race degradation, affect the quality of human resources and are one of the obstacles to social progress as well as socio-economic development of ethnic minority areas today.

Tran Khanh An, a student at Chu Van An Secondary and High School (Xuan Lanh Commune, Dong Xuan District) shared: “As a core member of the Club, I want to contribute to mobilizing friends to speak up to protect children's rights, fight against violence, abuse, child marriage and spread the message of gender equality in the community”. Khanh An also added that recently, the school and the Club regularly organize propaganda, coordinate with organizations to visit people's homes to campaign and explain the Law on Marriage and Family to local youth.

Spread good values in the community

From these communication sessions, students are not only equipped with knowledge and life skills, but also have more confidence and motivation to become leaders spreading good values in the community. That is also the reason why the model of the Leader of Change Club has been built and developed by the Provincial Women's Union since 2023.

Ms. Phan Thi Hong Chinh, teacher in charge of the club at Son Hoi Primary and Secondary School (Son Hoa district), said that with this model, in addition to knowledge in class, students also participate in flag-raising activities, perform skits and discuss in groups, thereby raising awareness and spreading positive messages to friends, family and the community.

Not only at the school level, these young leaders are also a bridge between schools, families and communities in implementing gender equality and child protection goals. "The Leaders of Change Club has contributed to supporting the government, schools and parents in child care andeducation ," affirmed Ms. Le Thi Bich Hau, President of the Women's Union of Son Hoa district.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/xa-hoi/202505/chap-canh-ky-nang-cho-cacthu-linh-hoc-duong-bfe161b/