The Kindness Touchpoint: Young People Redefine Success

TPO - Is a nine-figure income, rapid career advancement, or owning vast assets before the age of 30 the true measure of success? In an era where Gen Z's success is often defined by flashy numbers, another group of young people is quietly building a unique kind of wealth: social wealth. They connect through the links of perseverance, sharing, and creation to prove that kindness isn't a trend, but a responsible choice of living.

Some journeys begin with just a stroke of "fate," but to continue and take deep root requires unconditional "dedication." For Pham Thi Thuong (2003) - a young girl from the countryside of Thanh Hoa , a student at the Foreign Trade University, her connection with volunteering blossomed from the very first days she entered university.

A senior student's story about the SOS Children's Village in Hanoi awakened a deep empathy in the new university student for the disadvantaged lives of these children. Looking back on her own beginnings, Thuong considers herself fortunate to have received abundant support, both material and spiritual, from her family and society throughout her studies. This motivation led her to join the Bright Tomorrow Club - ACE, officially beginning her regular evenings at the Village to teach. Without a blackboard or podium, Thuong and the volunteers' classes take place in each small house within the Village, where they sit beside the children at old desks, tutoring them. It is in these learning spaces that she realizes her love of teaching and her dream of imparting knowledge to children with special circumstances.

This journey of dedication was not a smooth, easy path. For four years, Thuong persevered under the roof of SOS Hanoi, starting as a member of the communications team, she successively shouldered greater responsibilities, first as Head of Communications and then as Vice-Chair of the Club. Her leadership role presented her with harsh realities: the organization was facing a personnel crisis, and the pressure of managing all activities weighed heavily on her, even though she wasn't fully prepared physically or mentally. There were times when she was exhausted, but the trust of her teammates and the timely support from her seniors kept her going. And then, having overcome those ups and downs with understanding, the burdens of the past suddenly became lighter, giving way to simpler things that touched her emotions far more deeply. For Thuong, the priceless reward after years of quietly sowing seeds is simply the moment a shy child suddenly runs out to hug her from the doorway, the nod of understanding from the children after many patient explanations, or the warm greetings from the aunts in the village who treat her like family.

Looking back after a long journey, Thuong realized that the most precious thing she received from the children was the presence of immense love: "As long as there is still love, everything will be resolved." Now, even though her teaching time has been reduced since she started working full-time, she still chooses to maintain her "compassion" by using her financial resources to sponsor and support society.

Leaving the peaceful classroom at the SOS Children's Village in Hanoi, we embark on the fiery volunteer journey of Nguyen Quynh Anh, a young woman born in 2004, currently the Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Blood Donation Movement. Self-portraited with a concise motto: "As a young person, I always want to live a meaningful youth," Quynh Anh's journey began in her early days at university when she decided to join the Blood Donation Team. Among countless forms of social activity, Quynh Anh chose to dedicate herself to blood donation mobilization because she recognized it as a practical action that directly provides a chance of survival for patients in need of blood. Starting as a volunteer blood donation advocate, Quynh Anh has honed many skills in planning, organizing blood donations, coordinating personnel, and gradually shouldering the responsibility of organizing large-scale campaigns such as the Spring Blood Donation Festival and the Red Journey.

That journey was woven together by sleepless nights preparing for programs until almost dawn with her teammates, as well as the pressure of managing and raising funds for volunteer programs. Quỳnh Anh's most memorable experience was the Bemind 2024 project, when she and her teammates overcame many obstacles to organize an education and environmental program in the highlands. After more than three months of persistent fundraising, the project became a reality and was successfully organized in Mù Cang Chải. The moment she saw the children in the highlands living in difficult conditions, yet with innocent eyes receiving small gifts, completely changed Quỳnh Anh's thinking, helping her deeply understand that the core spirit of social activism is sharing.

There were also periods when the overwhelming workload left the young woman feeling exhausted and doubting her own abilities. But the solidarity of a group of like-minded volunteers became the support that kept her going. Instead of pursuing personal hobbies, Quynh Anh dedicated her holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year) to community blood donation campaigns because she believed that the most beautiful time of youth is when one doesn't live selfishly for oneself. Every day, witnessing young people who, despite being afraid of needles and trembling with anxiety, bravely sat down to donate their blood to strangers, she realized that the empathy and kindness of her generation are always present in the simplest way. Through years of challenging dedication, she has come to a conclusion: "The world has no limits, only the limits we set for ourselves in our minds."

If Thuong and Quynh Anh represent the sharing of time and life, Tran Huy Hoang - a young man born in 2003 from Hai Phong, the founder and chairman of the Little Hearts Community Volunteer Club ecosystem - represents the creative "Intelligence" with a scientifically-based philanthropic mindset.

Having been a student at the Diplomatic Academy and deeply imbued with the philosophy of "Learning to serve and lead," Hoang understood that leadership isn't about standing above others, but about leading with responsibility and commitment. Hoang's first steps didn't stem from a grand ideal, but from a deep concern and a sense of belonging from his time as a 10th-grade student participating in activities like distributing free porridge and cleaning cemeteries in Vinh Bao. Recognizing that many young people possess great enthusiasm but lack a sustainable, professional, and long-term environment for their work, Hoang and his colleagues laid the first bricks in building Little Hearts.

To change the stereotype that young people's charitable work is only temporary, Hoang decided to choose a bold path: operating community activities with a passionate heart but managing them with a cool, organized mind. He built the Little Hearts ecosystem focusing on areas such as welfare, education, environment, and health to address long-term problems instead of just short-term ones. The clearest evidence is the HH Books Zero-Cost Library project in Vinh Bao, bringing knowledge to children in the suburbs through the goal of donating 10,000 books between 2025 and 2027. Simultaneously, the GOM Project was created to collect and recycle plastic waste, both promoting green living habits for everyone and transforming waste into a sustainable fund for the organization's activities.

Recalling the early days, Hoang likened Little Hearts to facing a "three no's" crisis: No funding, no experience, and no procedures, and most frighteningly, "No trust" from the public. Faced with skepticism about transparency from high school students who questioned, "What can these kids do? Will the donors' money be used properly?", Hoang chose to remain silent, focusing on the project and responding with results. After seven years, the group of students has grown into members of the National Volunteer Network in the Northern region. Their perseverance isn't measured by superficial movements, but by compelling numbers: six annual projects, 55 programs, over 20,000 beneficiaries, and four consecutive years of receiving commendations from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union. More specifically, the spirit of professionalism was thoroughly digitized when Hoang personally applied digital technology, wrote Google Apps Script code, set up an automated book borrowing and returning system via QR Code, and digitized volunteer certificates with electronic signatures.

For Huy Hoang, contributing to society and personal development has never been a trade-off. Managing a large and thriving social organization is the most rigorous practical training ground, honing his core competencies: from critical thinking and external negotiation skills to automating management processes. “When you view volunteering as a springboard for character development, you realize that every act of ‘sharing’ is an invaluable investment in becoming the best version of yourself.”

The common ground between Thuong, Quynh Anh, and Huy Hoang lies in transforming social organizations into a humane "touch station"—a place where the cycle of kindness and self-healing unfolds. Amidst the pressures of modern life, the classes at the SOS Children's Village Hanoi, the voluntary blood donation drive, and the intellectual space of Little Hearts provide young people with a place to slow down, meet different lives, and learn to love and share more. The greatest healing here is the "loop of love," where the children who received gifts years ago now, as adults, don the blue volunteer uniform to lead the next generation. Volunteering, therefore, is no longer a one-way giving, but a journey of sowing a seed of sincerity to grow into a sturdy tree that shelters life.

From these experiences of dedication and commitment, they have together redefined a completely new perspective on the success and wealth of a generation. Success is no longer measured by how far one has traveled or how many digits are in their bank account, but by what they have contributed to the community and how many people they have helped to rise up. The most valuable asset they have accumulated after their youth is not glamorous titles, but a network of kind friends, long-term livelihood support projects for the disadvantaged, and the trust of the community. Through concrete actions and a systematic, transparent approach, they prove that young people doing volunteer work are not driven by emotion, but are always responsible and organized.

Their kindness has instilled a proud identity in Vietnamese youth. Amidst the bustling city, these "touch points" remain open, reminding us that we don't need to wait until we're wealthy to start sharing, and that kindness is the most magnificent adornment that makes the youth of each person more radiant and worth living than ever before.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tram-cham-tu-te-nguoi-tre-dinh-nghia-lai-thanh-cong-post1844491.tpo