Promoting equality through the voices of ethnic minority youths

Van Ho is a highland district, located in Son La. There are six ethnic groups living in this area, with most of them being Thai, Muong, and Mong. The project is initiated when there are existing gender-based stereotypes and discrimination at an individual, family, or community level, as previously, the voice and participation of young people in promoting gender equality has not really been utilised to help them become drivers of changes.

Twenty young journalists and 40 ethnic minority youths will be the beneficiaries of the project

To implement this project, the VSF has coordinated with Van Ho district Department of Education and Training and other stakeholders. The VSF is connecting young journalists from press agencies with ethnic minority youths to ensure the voices and stories of young people can be heard. It has also been developing a network of journalists to focus on gender equality and environmental protection.

The team has received technical advice from three alumni members of academic and professional exchange programmes funded by the US government. Tran Hong Diep, deputy director of the VSF, Nguyen Phuong Chi, deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation and Scientific Management under the Vietnam Women’s Academy, and Hoang Thi Huong, gender activist and founder of Toha Coffee, all have many years of experience in promoting equality.

Tran Hong Diep giving her remarks

Diep said, “Strengthening the voice and participation of young people, especially ethnic minority youths and young journalists, is a strategic solution from the VSF to promote gender equality in relation to other equality issues. As an alumni member of academic and professional exchange programmes funded by the US government, I found that the intellectual resource connection from alumni members will not only help the No voice - No equal future project achieve the expected goals, but also spread values in the community.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US, which is why the US embassy has provided grant funding for projects to allow the alumni to contribute to the community in Vietnam.

Kate Bartlett, cultural attaché at the US Embassy in Hanoi, said, “The US embassy is proud to support the active alumni of our exchange programmes, who represent a key part of the flourishing US-Vietnam relationship. The project No voice - No equal future supports ethnic minority youths in Son La province by providing capacity building and partnerships in the areas of journalism and communication. We look forward to seeing them continue to invest in the lives of young people across Vietnam.”

Journalists participating in the training session on February 18

Last month, the VSF organised a training session for nearly 30 young journalists in Hanoi to share knowledge and perspectives on storytelling, which has helped them to increase the quality of their reports and articles.

From now until June, the project will organise five more activities, including gender equality training for ethnic minority youths in Van Ho, a seminar on the role of youth in reducing gender inequality and building a network of companionship, a field trip for journalists to find and spread the best practices and lessons learned in promoting equality in the community, the provision of small grants to seek and support youth-group initiatives, and the online media campaign No voice - No equal future.

The direct beneficiaries of the project are 40 ethnic minority youths in Son La province and 20 young journalists from the nation's press agencies. The indirect beneficiaries are 200 ethnic minority youths and the large audience of press agencies where young journalists are working.

For Vietnamese Stature Foundation promotes gender equality in education The For Vietnamese Stature Foundation and related parties conducted a training course on gender-sensitive education for nearly 30 teachers in Muong Khuong district of the northern province of Lao Cai at the end of July.

For Vietnamese Stature encourages ethnic minority students to pioneer gender equality On October 1, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF) organised the Autumn Camp – Breaking the Prejudice Circle programme at Ban Lau primary school in Muong Khuong district of the northern province of Lao Cai. Forty ethnic minority students had a memorable day with seven experiential activities.