Renovating Youth Union’s activities amid new challenges

Officers and soldiers patrol on Truong Sa Island. (Photo: Minh Duc – VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – In the context of rapid and complicated developments in the world, how to develop activities of the youth union and further promote the role of youth in the cause of national construction is an important issue that draws a special attention from the Party and State.

This is also one of the key contents set by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to determine the direction for the union's activities in the coming time.

According to Professor Nguyen Tat Dong, Vice President of the Vietnam Study Promotion Association, in his generation, the only goal and ideal of young people was national liberation and construction. However, today's youth have many issues of interest and are strongly influenced by the market mechanism and international integration.

“Therefore, youth union work today faces more difficulties and challenges. But because of that, the work of educating morals, political thoughts, and life ideals for young people is becoming more important than ever and it needs to be implemented seriously,” said Professor Nguyen Tat Dong.

Ideal education for young people is also an issue set out at the 13th National Party Congress (term 2021-2026), which is “Strengthening ideal education, revolutionary ethics, cultural lifestyles, raising patriotism and national pride, nurturing ambitions and aspirations to rise; and upholding the sense of responsibility towards the country and society.”

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong has requested the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to urgently study, master, popularize the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, and then concretize it in the youth union’s policies and activities.

The General Secretary emphasized that the education of young people must be carried out through practices during movements and must have the right method for each age group. Each young man himself must always cultivate revolutionary morality, cultivate a clear mind, train a bright mind, and have great ambitions.

Youth Union members from grassroots and Quang Tri Provincial Youth Union visit Vietnamese Heroic Mother Dao Thi Vui in Hai Thuong commune, Hai Lang district (2021). (Photo: Nguyen Ly/VNA)

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Nguyen Anh Tuan said that educating young people on revolutionary ideals, morality and lifestyle is one of the important tasks that the Youth Union Central Committee will carry out in the coming time. The committee will build a specific program on this issue.

“The focus is to educate young people on patriotism, national pride, uphold the sense of responsibility and the ideal of serving the country and people; and encourage the desire to build a prosperous and happy country among young people and children," said Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Along with the moral and revolutionary ideal education for young people, General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong requested the Youth Union Central Committee to build a suitable environment and create favorable conditions for young people to learn, work and enjoy entertainment activities, aimed at helping them to develop healthily, comprehensively and harmoniously both physically and spiritually, while having great love and high responsibility for their families, homeland and country.

Young people in Thu Dau Mot city (Binh Duong) enthusiastically go to join the army in 2021. (Photo: Chi Tuong/VNA)

Vu Trong Kim, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Chairman of the Association of Former Vietnamese Youth Volunteers, and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of terms VI and VII, said that young people’s ideals are always associated with the nation’s goals and ideals, and the youth union should build ideal role models for young people to follow. 

“When the country was still at war, the Uncle Ho soldier was the ideal image among young people. During this peaceful time, ideal image for young people should be the image of a young man, who is creative and takes spearheads in life and social activities. A happy family must be associated with the image of a developed and prosperous country. Towards that image, young people need to have the will to realize their goals all the time,” Kim said.

Talking about the role model that young people should aim for in the new period, former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan said that today's young generation must have realistic aspirations, a will to advance, an intelligent mind, and skills and must be a kind person.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, in order to educate young people, the Youth Union must first attract them. To do this, the Youth Union must grasp the thoughts and aspirations of young people, thereby bringing them into an interesting and attractive playground. And the union should also build practical movements, which are close to the youth's life.

Admitting shortcomings and limitations, Secretary Nguyen Anh Tuan said that the Youth Union Central Committee will continue to study and innovate Youth Union’s activities to meet the requirements in the new circumstance./.