Orange 2025: More than 1,500 students say "no" to gender stereotypes and online violence

The event was organized by the Vietnam Stature Foundation (VSF) in collaboration with the school and the Women's Union of Phuc Yen Ward to raise awareness and skills for students on gender issues and cyber safety.

Hung Vuong Secondary School yard is filled with orange. Photo: Linh Lan

Interactive Games: Opening the Door to Exploration and Dialogue

The communication session was moderated by Ms. Tran Hong Diep, Director of VSF, expert on gender and child protection, and artist Nguyen Hoang Tung, lecturer at Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema. The combination of expertise and art helps to bring the "Learning while playing - Playing while learning" method that is very attractive to all participating students.

Pantomime performance by artist Nguyen Hoang Tung. Photo: Linh Lan

From the very first moments, the pantomime performance of artist Nguyen Hoang Tung attracted the attention of thousands of curious eyes of teenagers. Without dialogue, without elaborate stage, just with physical movements, the artist subtly evoked the story of gender equality.

Immediately after that, the game “Agree - Disagree” stirred up the spirit of debate among the students. 20 “little promoters” representing the entire school took the stage to express their opinions on common prejudices and stereotypes such as: “Boys wearing pink clothes are weird”, “Only girls need to learn how to protect themselves”, or “Boys should be given priority as class monitors because they manage the class better”. The lively discussion atmosphere with the enthusiastic participation of the students turned the school yard into a youthful academic forum where all opinions were listened to and actively criticized. Under the guidance of Ms. Tran Hong Diep, the students affirmed together: Each person’s interests and abilities deserve respect and do not depend on that person’s gender.

Artist Hoang Tung continues to use body language to convey the message about the benefits and risks of participating in cyberspace, while "challenging" students' ability to speculate. Phrases related to benefits such as studying, connecting with friends, entertainment, or risks such as health effects, negative emotions, inciting violence... are quickly and accurately identified by students.

When students "role-play" and transform into people of action

One of the activities that left a deep impression was the “Human Statue” game - where groups of students quickly acted out situations related to online violence such as isolating friends in groups, bullying via social networks. The “living statues” simulated by the students were vivid and creative. From there, the students not only learned how to identify but also understood better the consequences of bullying behavior and the need to take action to protect themselves and their friends.

The two people who ran the media session were Ms. Tran Hong Diep and artist Nguyen Hoang Tung. Photo: Linh Lan

Meanwhile, the “Role-playing” activity in improvisational theater brings many new emotions and perceptions. Without a script or preparation, students are put into situations of online solicitation, fraud, and violence and have to find ways to handle them. These hypothetical conversations quickly become real lessons, helping students better understand the tricks of personal information theft and how to protect themselves.

Under the guidance of two moderators, students learned specific skills such as: Creating strong passwords, setting social media accounts to private, not sharing personal information, being wary of strange links, and seeking help when needed from adults or hotlines 111 and 113.

“The most special lesson since the beginning of the school year!”

That was the common feeling of many students after the program ended. TMH, a 7th grade student, excitedly said: “I really like the activity of sculpting statues. We had to think very quickly to describe the act of isolating a friend in the group by having them sit with their heads down and everyone pointing at that friend as an act of judgment, negatively affecting that friend. I also understood that this action taking place in cyberspace such as gossiping and shaming a friend in a chat group is also an act of online violence.”

Students mold “human statues” to simulate isolating friends in a group. Photo: Linh Lan

“Today’s lesson was very exciting. I was able to learn good knowledge and participate in interesting games. Most importantly, I learned the message about online violence and got gifts to bring home. The knowledge I remember most is not to share my personal photos and information to protect myself from the pitfalls on social networks,” added student D.MN, a 6th grader.

Not only students, the program also received special attention from local leaders. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Yen Ward, highly appreciated the practical effectiveness of the program, emphasizing: "The communication program at Hung Vuong Secondary School not only helps students understand gender equality and identify risks in cyberspace, but more importantly, equips them with skills to protect themselves, forming a culture of civilized behavior, respect and love for each other in both real life and online environment".

More than 1,500 students from Hung Vuong Secondary School not only listened but also actively shared, interacted and spread positive messages, contributing to creating a meaningful and inspiring communication session. Although it is not possible to grasp all the skills to protect oneself after just one extracurricular session, if each student starts with small changes, such as writing a positive comment, choosing a safe way to connect online or knowing how to protect personal information, then those habits will contribute to helping them grow up in a safer and more respectful environment.

The event at Hung Vuong Secondary School is part of the Orange 2025 campaign, implemented by VSF, TH Group, BAC A BANK and TH School system. The campaign takes place from November 10 to December 10 with the aim of promoting gender equality and enhancing safety for women and girls in the digital age.

Interactive Games: Opening the Door to Exploration and Dialogue

When students "role-play" and transform into people of action

“The most special lesson since the beginning of the school year!”

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