Illustrative image (Source: VNA) The local Southern Youth Center (SYC) has resumed its life skills courses for kids since June, attracting the participationof more than 1,000 pupils. Some 100 learners were scheduled to join the first eight-daycourse starting June 12 and taking place in Dong Nai,Binh Duong, Vung Tau and HCM City. They are set to be trained to developdisciplinary habits as well as independent and adaptive living skills so thatthey can take care of themselves and know how to deal with dangerous everydaysituations.
Also in June, the An Nhien center for life skills andexperiential tourism kicked off its first summer programme title ‘Canh dong battan’ (the endless field). Located in the neighbouring province ofLong An, it offers a series of enticing activities such as hunting fireflies,picking water lily, cycling, swimming, canoeing, exploring the film set, and visitingan essential oil processing factory.
A representative of the centre, Nguyen Quoc Viet, said theestablishment aims to help children experience the nature in rural areas,thereby having a richer and more diverse view of life.
Meanwhile, since the middle of May, the municipal children’shouse opened classes in martial arts, painting, music, modern dance, handicrafts,robotics, and modeling. Their fees range from 400,000 to 1 million VND (17.23 –43.08 USD), which are affordable for most urban families.
English language classes are a key activity of many childrenduring summer, with popular organisations in the city like the Vietnam-USASociety English Centers (VUS) and ILA offering myriad activities aiming atchildren aged between 4 and 16.
In addition to life skills, English language, and military courses,those teaching children how to swim are also on parents’ radar. Vietnam hasdecreased the number of child drowning cases by 100 each year since 2016. Whilethis may seem like an encouraging outcome initially, the fact remains thatdrowning is still among the leading causes of death for children in thecountry.
Nguyen Manh Ha, a resident from Thu Duc city, has registeredfor his son a two-month swimming course, expecting the eighth grader to swimproperly and know how to handle others’ drowning at sight.
Ha said as children see their friends being swept away, manyjump immediately in the water for rescue and end up getting themselves introuble. Therefore, rescuing a drowning person also requires skills, he noted.
Nguyen Kien Toan, a division head at the center for fitnessand sports in Phu Nhuan district, said that swimming is a sport for health asit boosts breathing effectiveness, which can solve some post-COVID-19 problems inchildren.
According to Toan, his centre is running classes on drowningprevention for kids and plans to work with a number of local schools to hold a swimmingfestival in August.
From the professional perspective, Le Minh Huan, lecturer atthe Ho Chi Minh City University of Education (HCMUE)’s Department ofPsychology, said the summer holiday is important for children to learn newskills, refresh their energy, and prepare their mind for the upcoming academicyear.
Outdoor activities and exposure to the nature stimulate thedevelopment of their thinking, emotions, knowledge, and skills, Huan added.
Safety is a top priority in choosing summer camps, recommendedTieu Minh Son, communications lecturer of the city’s Van Lang University, whohas taught many life skills classes for children.
Health care conditions are also important, particularly forkids who have yet to receive COVID-19 vaccination, he advised./.
VNA
