Hanoi (VNA) – Ninety aspirational young people from 45 countries, including Vietnam, have gathered in the UK to attend the “90 Youth Voices for the Future” event, as part of activities to mark the 90th anniversary of the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for educational and cultural cooperation.
Three Vietnamese representatives are Phan Ky Trung, Nguyen Tran Mai Chi, and Tran Nguyen Hoang Long.
Trung is currently working as a senior researcher at the Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON-Mekong) at the Can Tho University. Being a Chevening Alumnus 2019/20, he has been taking leading roles in the Y-CoRe Viet Nam, Rivers of Life, Youth Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta (Y-CoRe), and Climate Skills projects funded by the British Embassy and the British Council, since 2020.
Chi was one of the first two Vietnamese selected to join student journalists and reporters from across the globe with the organisation's Future News Worldwide project, in 2019 in London. Her project ‘Death of the River’ helped to raise awareness of climate change for young people in the Mekong River Delta.
Meanwhile, Long is a final-year student at the Can Tho University and a young leader in the field of climate change. He has taken part in many projects of the British Council, including “Rivers of Life” and “Youth Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta” since 2020.
The young leaders will spend a week (July 1-5) discussing the role of young people in shaping the future of their communities.
The young leaders will focus on building inclusive communities and spaces, using digital technology for good, and introducing green spaces to cities. They will hear presentations from policymakers and youth organisations across the UK while experiencing an alternative history tour of the city they visit.
On their final day, they will reconvene online to share experiences, before traveling home to put their experiences into practice in their communities.
“We are proud to have three young Vietnamese leaders joining one of the global special events marking our 90th anniversary" said Donna McGowan, Director of the British Council in Vietnam.
The British Council’s commitment is to equip the next generation with the skills they need to understand, mitigate, and adapt to climate change in Vietnam, particularly in the Mekong Delta, through the Youth Connect programme.
“Climate change is a truly global challenge that reveals how interconnected we are, and that requires all of us to come together to address its consequences,” she said.
She went on to say that the British Council can make a real difference. It brings diverse groups of young leaders together across the world, including three brilliant Vietnamese young leaders, to share, learn, and collaborate for action in contributing to Vietnam’s ambitions for sustainable socio-economic growth and development.
After the first stop in London, Trung, Chi, and Long will travel to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, where they will take part in learning activities, study visits, discussions, and shared experiences. They will join other participants including young activists, journalists and content creators, artists, technology experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs who have been involved in the British Council’s programmes around the world.
The initiative is organised within the framework of Youth Connect, a British Council global programme that supports young people and future leaders to reach outside of the formal education system by sharing skills and providing platforms for them to come together with peers from the UK, their communities, and internationally.
Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE, Deputy Chief Executive of the British Council, said the programme offers an opportunity for the 90 aspirational young people from around the world to gather together and focus on the positive changes that they can make in the world and their communities.
She noted that it is important for us to learn from these young activists, journalists, creators, and entrepreneurs, break down barriers, and come together to act positively on the big global challenges that affect all of our lives./.
