Listening to children’s voices

The simulated "Children's Parliament" session, organized by the Central Youth Union Secretariat in collaboration with the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education and the National Assembly Office, took place from September 27 to 29 in Hanoi. The session has absorbed 306 delegates, including five from Binh Duong, who are exemplary students from 63 provinces and cities across Vietnam. All five representatives from Binh Duong are outstanding individuals who excelled in the Young Pioneer Organization Central Committee interviews to officially participate in the session. This year, the session focuses on two key topics: preventing school violence and combating the harmful effects of tobacco and stimulants, especially in the school environment. Before the session, five delegates from Binh Duong shared their thoughts and aspirations on behalf of children to be presented at the session.

Representatives from provincial National Assembly deputy delegation, People's Council and Youth Union presented gifts to delegates participating in the simulated "Children's Parliament" session

*Pham Vo Linh Dan, Head of Nguyen Van Cu secondary school’s Young Pioneer Organization (YPO): “It is necessary to establish a children's voice council at the local level”

Linh Dan is an outstanding individual with many excellent achievements in study and YPO activities, with the title of the 2023 Binh Duong provincial “Outstanding Young Historian”; the Kim Dong Award for the 2023-2024 school year; the certificates of merit from provincial Youth Union and People's Committee for provincial YPO work and children's team activities from 2020-2023; the title of the 2023 provincial “Uncle Ho's Obedient Children'”…

Sharing her dream, Linh Đan said:  "I hope to become a female lawyer in the future so that I can protect the legal rights and interests of disadvantaged children”. At the simulated "Children's Parliament" session, Linh Dan will propose the establishment of a Children's Voice Council at the local level as well as creating joint programs with various ministries and sectors to fully implement children's participation right. She also suggested regularly organizing forums and meetings between local leaders, ministries,  sectors and children to listen to their thoughts and proposals on issues related to children.

Five representatives of Binh Duong province participate in the 2nd simulated "Children's Parliament" session 2024

*Nguyen Vi Khanh, Head of Binh My primary school’s YPO in North Tan Uyen district: "It is necessary to promote a program playing while collecting opinions”

Vi Khanh has achieved several accomplishments, including the third place in the 13th provincial "Children telling book-based stories" competition 2023, the second place in the 2023 provincial "Young Historian" competition, the first place in the district-level "Young Broadcaster" competition for the 2022-2023 school year, the first place in the 2024 "Children telling book-based stories" competition of North Tan Uyen district…

Attending the simulated session, Vi Khanh expressed: "I see many children with their own opinions, but in gatherings or activities where children's opinions are sought, most are too shy to speak up. I think we should promote a program playing while collecting opinions. In the fun atmosphere, children will feel more comfortable to contribute their ideas”.

*Nguyen Ngoc Mai An, Member of My Phuoc secondary school’s YPO in Ben Cat city: “Increasing dialogues between leaders and children"

Mai An has been an outstanding student for eight consecutive years and was the top entrance scorer for My Phuoc secondary school's specialized class in the 2021-2022 school year. She has also received achievements, including the first place in the 2023 provincial "School MC Talent Search" competition, the first prize in the 2021 contest of "YPO  Etiquette - YPO Commander – Good person in charge of YPO members and group dancing"; the third prize in the 2021 "Reading Culture Ambassador" contest...

“My dream is to become a bilingual MC. For me, using different languages as an MC can help becoming a bridge for different, fostering understanding and mutual respect. Besides, my passion for standing on stage and spreading positive messages is also one of the important reasons why I am becoming more and more enthusiastic about this dream”, said Mai Anh.

To contribute to improving the quality of activities promoting children's right to participate in their issues, she proposed to regularly organize forums, meetings and dialogues between leaders and children to hear children's thoughts and contributions on issues related to them. She also emphasized the need for strong collaboration among families, schools and society in protecting, caring for, and educating children for a healthy developmental environment.

*Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, Head of Phu Chanh secondary school’s YPO in Tan Uyen city: "Children must be protected in the online space"

Kim Chi has gained achievements, including the third place in the city's "Science and Technology for Secondary School Students" competition for the 2023-2024 academic year and provincial-level "Young Historian" for the 2023-2024 academic year and 2024 "Young Dien Bien Soldier" awards. She has also received the certificates of merit from provincial Youth Union for her contributions to provincial YPO activities and children's movements…Chi dreams of becoming a teacher to help shape future generations into useful citizens who will contribute to the nation's prosperity.

She said: "Children today face many dangers, especially in the online space. How to properly use social media without being negatively affected by bad contents is still a big question. I hope that contents on social media will be more tightly monitored so that children are not affected when receiving them. I also hope there will be more useful activities and playgrounds to give children many opportunities to grow and mature”.

*Nguyen Thai Thanh, class 9A4, Hoa Loi secondary school in Ben Cat city: “Stronger form of deterrence against school violence needed”

With a passion for music, Thanh has taught herself to play guitar since the early years of secondary school. She is a member of the KMC Band, a group of young music enthusiasts and has composed more than 25 songs. Thanh hopes that one day, she can stand on a big stage to perform her songs and will be welcomed by everyone.

"When witnessing many cases of school violence, I feel that measures handling them have been too lenient. There needs to be a stronger form of deterrence in the matter of punishment and increased responsibility of those involved to limit the problem of school violence”, which is Thanh's opinion sent to this session.

Reported by Vuong Pham-Translated by Kim Tin