Youth Resilience and Inclusion – Skills for Future

The S4F project was officially launched at the British Council office on 10 September 2025. The event introduced the project’s objectives, implementation approach, and partnership framework under the Youth Connect programme. It also served as a platform for partners and stakeholders to discuss strategies to strengthen youth resilience and inclusion, particularly by enhancing digital and employability skills among marginalised young people. The meeting brought together around 20 participants, including representatives from the delivery partner, lead trainers from the UK and Viet Nam, and the British Council team.

The project team conducted scoping visits with the Viet Nam Women’s Academy and the Nghe An Association of People with Disabilities to introduce the project and explore potential collaboration opportunities. During the meeting in Nghe An, the team worked with local partners to jointly develop a detailed implementation plan for delivering the cascade training in the coming months.

An online meeting was held to share and discuss the results of the baseline needs‑assessment survey conducted under the project. The session aimed to present key findings on the learning needs and expectations of young women from lower socio-economic backgrounds and young people with disabilities in strengthening their digital skills. The analysis examined participants’ current capacities across four key pillars: access to devices and digital connectivity, ability to use digital tools, digital safety practices, and opportunities to engage in the digital economy.

The Training of Instructors included a five‑day interactive workshop led by three Vietnamese Lead Trainers for 30 local instructors from Hanoi and Nghe An province. The workshop equipped participants with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver the S4F project effectively. Participants deepened their understanding of the curriculum, explored learner‑centred teaching methodology and strengthened their facilitation techniques. They engaged with core modules on core skills and digital skills and employability and practiced delivering sessions through group activities and mock facilitation. The training successfully developed a pool of trained instructors ready to cascade the training to their communities at selected locations.

123 young women from lower socio-economic backgrounds and young people with disabilities took part in three four‑day training sessions in Nghe An province and Hanoi, including: 

• 18–21 December 2025 in Nghe An province
•  11–14 January 2026 in Hanoi
• 16–19 January 2026 in Hanoi

The cascaded training aimed to equip young participants with greater self‑awareness, confidence, and readiness for their future pathways. Through three core modules, My Life/Our World, Digital Skills, and Moving Towards the Future, participants explored personal development, the safe and responsible use of digital technologies, and pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and social action. Interactive activities and group discussions helped strengthen communication, collaboration, and digital citizenship skills. 

Overall, the training meaningfully engaged youth participants and supported them to become proactive learners and positive contributors to their communities. After the training, learners were open to future pathways by applying for social action project seed fundings, advanced digital training scholarships or internships with local businesses.

S4F supported young women from lower socio-economic backgrounds and young people with disabilities to gain real‑world experience and mentorship from experts through Social Action Projects (SAPs), internship and short term  scholarships: 

• 'Deadline Cam xuc' – A communication initiative promoting mental‑health awareness and supporting people with disabilities who face peer‑comparison pressure on social media.
• 'Mang sach – Song lanh' – A digital‑safety campaign providing vulnerable groups with essential knowledge to protect themselves online.
• Cascade training for the Nam Dan Self‑Reliance Club for People with Disabilities in Nghe An.
• Advanced digital skills scholarship.
• Vocational internship at Will to Live.

Together, these initiatives promote practical learning, community engagement, and improved employability for young people facing barriers to opportunity.

The S4F Community of Practice (S4F CoP) brings together lead trainers, trained instructors, and learners who are interested in teaching the S4F Toolkit. It serves as a platform for members to connect, strengthen and align their knowledge of the Toolkit, and build a strong network of core facilitators who can continue delivering cascade trainings in local communities. Through this, the S4F project can be implemented consistently, effectively, and sustainably.

Objectives of the S4F CoP

• Connect members who share a professional interest in training with the S4F Toolkit, helping build a network of capable core facilitators for the project.
• Exchange knowledge and practical experiences related to the Toolkit, including core skills, digital skills, training programme design, inclusive practices, and more.
• Strengthen professional capacity through continuous learning opportunities.
• Promote innovation in training, encouraging members to work together to address real-life challenges.

The S4F CoP will hold regular sessions featuring activities such as knowledge sharing, case study discussions, reflections on lessons learned, supplementary training to strengthen members’ expertise, and the sharing of reference materials, templates, and supporting tools.

At the Stakeholder Meeting, local and international partners discussed collaboration models to strengthen support for young women from lower socio-economic backgrounds and young people with disabilities. A key highlight of the session was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the British Council and the Viet Nam Young Entrepreneurs’ Association to jointly implement S4F over the next two years. This partnership marks an important step in advancing economic inclusion by helping young women from lower socio-economic backgrounds and young people with disabilities build entrepreneurial skills, strengthen economic resilience, and access more sustainable livelihood opportunities. 

The Dissemination Workshop was held with the participation of more than 120 delegates from government agencies, development organisations, enterprises, learners, and the media. The event celebrated the project’s first-year achievements in empowering young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

In its first year, the S4F project has:  

• Trained 123 learners – including 58 per cent women, 64 per cent people with disabilities, and per cent from low-income households – achieving a 90 per cent graduation rate (114 learners)  
• Delivered four Training-of-Instructors and cascading trainings  
• Developed a scalable training toolkit for wider adoption in other localities  
• Supported five experiential learning pathways (one internship at Will to Live, one advanced digital skills scholarship, one cascading training initiative, two social action project)