Contributing to improving mental health for ethnic minority youth in Lai Chau

Overview of the project launching ceremony. (Photo: Plan International Vietnam)

On December 8, Plan International Vietnam in collaboration with Lai Chau Provincial Youth Union organized the launching ceremony of the project " Sports space to improve mental health" in Tan Phong ward, Lai Chau province.

The project "Sports Spaces for Mental Health" is supported by the “Being” Initiative initiated by Grand Challenges Canada and funded by the Fondation Botnar and Plan International Canada.

The project introduces an innovative approach to improving the mental health of ethnic minority youth aged 11-15 in Tuyen Quang and Lai Chau provinces through the Sports Space model. By combining team sports with mental health education, the model aims to reduce violence and conflict in the family, strengthen parent-child relationships, and improve mental health awareness among youth.

Unlike traditional sports models, Sports Space is developed based on the understanding that youth mental health is not only shaped by personal experiences but is also deeply influenced by family and community environments.

Ms. Be Thi Bang, Deputy Secretary of Lai Chau Provincial Youth Union, spoke at the project launching ceremony. (Photo: Plan International Vietnam)

The project not only focuses on physical fitness, but also uses team sports as a means to engage both adolescents and parents - thereby creating a positive environment to reduce violence and conflict, increase connection, and improve communication within the family. Therefore, the model is designed with many specific activities suitable for both main target groups: adolescents and their parents.

In the first phase, students will participate in Sports Club activities – where they will both exercise and be equipped with knowledge about mental health, communication skills and problem solving. In parallel, their parents will attend training sessions on positive discipline, parenting skills and raising awareness about mental health. Next, joint sporting events at school and in the community will create opportunities for parents and children to practice the knowledge they have learned. Through these joint activities, sports act as a bridge, helping to create an open space and support to strengthen the parent-child relationship in the family.

During the 15 months of implementation, the project aims to support 6,000 students and 5,700 parents to improve physical health, strengthen social connections and improve relationships between students, parents and teachers – contributing to early prevention of risks affecting the mental and physical health of adolescents.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Be Thi Bang, Deputy Secretary of Lai Chau Provincial Youth Union, emphasized: The project "Sports space to enhance mental health" is an important next step, promising to bring many positive impacts to children and families both physically and mentally. We hope that through the Sports Space model, we will build a network of sustainable, safe, friendly grassroots sports spaces, linked to schools, cultural houses of residential groups, villages and youth activity centers.

Ms. Phan Thu Hien, Project Manager of Funding Resources of Plan International Vietnam, spoke at the event. (Photo: Plan International Vietnam)

According to Ms. Phan Thu Hien, Project Manager of Plan International Vietnam, this project not only focuses on physical education but also has a greater meaning, which is to invest in the comprehensive physical and mental development of young people in Lai Chau province. Through a safe, friendly and accessible sports corner for children, parents and people living in the community, we will create a space to help them exercise, learn how to take care of their mental health and connect with friends. This comprehensive approach will support them to grow up healthy both physically and mentally, ready for the future.

The project "Sports Space for Mental Health" is not only a sports initiative but also a comprehensive social intervention to address challenges of mental health and family relationships in ethnic minority communities in the Northern mountainous region. With the strong commitment of Lai Chau Provincial Youth Union, Lai Chau Department of Education and Training and Plan International Vietnam, the project is expected to bring about positive and sustainable changes, contributing to creating a generation of healthy, confident and happy Vietnamese youth.

Khanh Lan

Source: https://nhandan.vn/gop-phan-cai-thien-suc-khoe-tam-than-cho-thanh-thieu-nien-dan-toc-thieu-so-o-lai-chau-post928872.html