Promoting gender equality starts with adolescents' awareness

Ho Thi Phuong Hue, member of the Executive Board of the "Leader of Change" Club of Xy Primary and Secondary School, leads the Club's regular activities - Photo: TAM

As one of the four basic intervention models of Project 8 “Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children”, the “Leaders of Change” Club promotes the role, voice and participation of people and students in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in activities to ensure the voice and role of women and children in socio-economic development in the community.

Established in December 2022, the "Leaders of Change" Club of A Doi Primary and Secondary School, Huong Hoa District attracted 30 students to participate, including 15 boys and 15 girls. Originating from the "Leaders of Change" Club established in 2020 when implementing the program "Building safe, friendly and equal schools" sponsored by Plan International Vietnam Project, when selected by the Provincial Women's Union to launch the point, the Club initially had a foundation to operate in a disciplined and effective manner.

Since its establishment, under the direction and guidance of the presenters, the "Leaders of Change" Club of A Doi Primary and Secondary School has organized regular activities once a month with the following topics: gender equality, prevention of child marriage, adolescent reproductive health care, child protection... With a variety of activities: debates, discussions, games, competitions, plays, skits..., the communication sessions and activities of the Club have attracted members to participate actively and effectively. The children have become bolder, more confident, and more proactive through each activity.

This is the premise for students to develop their abilities, strengths, knowledge and skills, stimulate their creativity and responsibility in specific roles and tasks such as: planning, hosting, script building, active communication... in school competitions and movements.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ha, presenter of the "Leaders of Change" Club at A Doi Primary and Secondary School, said that through extracurricular activities and propaganda sessions, students learned how to plan and prepare programs, proactively propose to the presenter issues and topics to discuss, and plans to organize club activities to be lively and attractive.

Currently, some members of the "Leaders of Change" Club at A Doi Primary and Secondary School have become the core "nucleus", regularly involved in propagating changes in awareness, eliminating bad habits and customs at school and in the locality.

Enthusiastic and confident in presenting before teachers and friends is the familiar image of Ho Thi Phuong Hue, a Van Kieu ethnic student in class 8A, a member of the Board of Directors of the "Leader of Change" Club of Xy Primary and Secondary School. Despite being the eldest sister in a poor family with many siblings, with only her mother and her sister shouldering all the household chores, Hue still tries hard, excels in her studies, actively participates in the club's activities, and fulfills the role of Vice President of the female student club.

For me, participating in the club is like a consolation, encouragement, forgetting the difficulties in life. Teacher Nguyen Dang Quan, teacher in charge of the Youth Union of Xy Primary and Secondary School, said that the "Leader of Change" club is a place for activities and propaganda, and also a playground for students to hone their courage, demonstrate the spirit of daring to think, daring to express, arousing pioneering in changing awareness, eliminating gender prejudice in each student. In fact, Xy commune is one of the particularly difficult communes of Huong Hoa district, the economic conditions of the people are still lacking, so the life and development of children are still not of concern to many families.

When promoting, the club's management board often focuses on the issues that the children themselves are facing such as: early marriage, school violence, adolescent reproductive health, while emphasizing the role of going to school, the rights that children enjoy and the role and responsibility of the family in the development of children. Hopefully, the "Leader of Change" club will change awareness and encourage the pioneering spirit of the young generation of ethnic minorities right from school.

Through Project 8, up to now, the Provincial Women's Union and 5 districts in the project area have established 29 "Leaders of Change" Clubs at primary and secondary schools in Huong Hoa, Dakrong, Vinh Linh, Gio Linh districts. In particular, Ban Chua, Cam Tuyen commune, Cam Lo district was established in residential areas with 870 participating members.

In particular, the Women's Union of Huong Hoa district has established 7 clubs in 7 primary schools in the area. At the same time, the Women's Union of the district has also organized 4 training courses to promote and improve knowledge about gender equality for students, organized training on leadership skills to manage the activities of the Leaders of Change Club for the Executive Committee of the Women's Union, and hosted the "Leaders of Change" Club of 7 schools with more than 250 delegates and students participating.

Vice President of the Women's Union of Huong Hoa District Le Hong Giang shared: "Through diverse and rich activities, the "Leader of Change" Club is both a useful playground and a place to share information, helping students in remote, isolated, and border areas gain more knowledge about age psychology, gender, and communication skills in family and school.

With the expectation of changing the awareness of the young generation right from school, in the coming time, the association will continue to coordinate to maintain and operate effectively, on that basis, establish new models of "Leaders of Change" Clubs in especially difficult communes, completing the targets assigned by superiors.

At the same time, organize training courses to improve skills, capacity, and update new knowledge for the team of presenters and propagandists at the grassroots level. They will become pioneering "nuclei" to change perceptions, eliminate gender stereotypes, and spread positive information and messages to the community so that we can develop together."

Tran Anh Minh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/thuc-day-binh-dang-gioi-bat-dau-tu-trong-nhan-thuc-cua-vi-thanh-nien-192782.htm