Young leader fosters volunteer connections, new hopes

Nguyen Xuan Truong (R) at an inauguration ceremony for the "warm house" No.1 project (Photo courtesy of Truong)

Hanoi (VNA) - A founder of various volunteer groups and programmes, Nguyen Xuan Truong also coordinates the work of around 70 volunteer clubs and more than 300 charity trips.

More than 300 charity trips have been organized each year by around 70 volunteer clubs and groups across the country, along with various projects on building classrooms and houses in mountainous areas, but few knew that the person behind such impressive work is a young man who has a passion for connecting and fostering volunteer activities.

Passion for volunteer activities began with…oversleeping in university exam

Born in the mining province of Quang Ninh, Nguyen Xuan Truong (born 1996 and a graduate from the Agriculture University) has become a capable youth leader after more than five years enthusiastically engaging in youth union activities.

Asked about why he got involved in volunteer activities, Truong humorously recalled the day he took university entrance exam. He almost missed the exam due to oversleeping. It was thanks to some youth volunteers who worked to support examinees that he managed to arrive at the exam site on time.

“It was then when the blue shirt of youth volunteers became a symbol of good deeds and kindled the voluntary spirit in me,” Truong said.

Since the first year in university, Truong actively joined in the youth union’s activities. When noticing that students from other provinces formed fellow countrymen’s clubs while those from Quang Ninh had not, he himself established the Quang Ninh volunteer student team in 2014, pinning a lot of hopes on it. The work was a springboard for him.

Recalling the difficulties that the team faced in its first days, Truong said he particularly remembered the days he followed other voluntary organisations to learn the way to organize activities and maintain its operation. Entering its fifth year now, the team of Truong are doing well with regular activities.

In addition, Truong has always sought new and useful activities to attract more young people. In mid-2018, Truong set up another volunteer group called “For Your Dreams” to work for the building of new classrooms and houses in remote and isolated areas.

Asked about how to mobilise and arrange financial resources, Truong confidently said, “If you are proactive and keep your words, there will be few difficulties.” To prove it, he showed us a table assigning work in a very specific and detailed manner. He added that when organizing voluntary programmes, most of the organizational tasks are similar, so after getting used to it, there are few difficulties.

Also thanks to his rich experience and scientific working style, Truong is trusted by the voluntary community and officials in localities where his teams work. Whenever asked for help and consultation, Truong is always ready, particularly in helping connecting voluntary groups with local officials.

To improve the effectiveness of their work, Truong and the “For Your Dreams” group is building a project named “Volunteers Map.” When success, it will be a useful tool for voluntary groups in studying the situation of localities in need and connecting officials of their target locality. “Only then will young volunteers’ activities become effective,” according to Truong.

Truong is honoured for his contributions to the society.
(Photo courtesy of Truong)

“Connectivity means development”

The youth leader said connectivity is the practical and modern motto of voluntary activities. Therefore, he does not limit his work in a team or group, but looks to expand ties among the community of volunteers across the country.

It is thanks to connectivity that the resources for voluntary programmes grow. Just a new graduate from university, Truong is able to mobilise and allocate resources to many charity projects, including the building of eight small schools in remote and isolated areas, six houses for poor families, and several bridges in mountainous communes.

Aware that voluntary activities also provide young people with an environment to learn knowledge and skills that are hard to find in books, Truong regularly introduce scholarships to members of volunteer teams to attend various training courses. 

Connectivity is also a way for Truong to continue engaging in voluntary activities after graduating and getting a job. With experiences and relations that he has accumulated during the past five years, he is ready to support any voluntary groups using modern technology. He does most consultation work on line, through social media.

“I try to spare as much time as possible to join students’ voluntary activities, I want to sit in a circle with them, discussing upcoming programmes, sharing my experience, and it is even more great to play the guitar and sing with them,” he said.

His biggest concern at present is how to maintain a healthy and sustainable youth voluntary movement. The voluntary buds should be carefully fostered when small in order for them to grow strong and become useful for society, Truong said./.