We work with young people, in–country stakeholders, and through UK partnerships, by enhancing young people’s capabilities to engage in mold–breaking change, build hope, and collaborate with their peers to address multiple 21st century crises – from climate change to employment and employability – securing meaningful solutions that address their demands. 

As part of our Youth Connect programme, the British Council in Viet Nam has been in partnership with the Research Institute for Climate Change, Can Tho University, to develop and deliver a project entitled ‘Youth Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta (VMD)’ – also known as Y–CoRe – from December 2022 to March 2025. Phase 1 of the project was implemented from December 2022 to November 2023, while Phase 2 is being implemented from November 2023 to March 2025 

Project Purposes: 

  • To empower the youth network to strengthen its leadership and capacity to influence climate change impact adaptation in the VMD. 
  • To develop space for knowledge and community–based engagement and ‘competence exchange’ among youth networks across the VMD. 
  • To amplify the voice and expand capacity opportunities of young people to include institutional lecturers in the VMD in policy advocacy for climate change adaptation, including gender equality. 

Project’s Phase 1 recap: 

During Phase 1, an inclusive platform was constructed to develop a network of young generation who are concerned and willing to act for the sustainability of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) under complex climate change impacts. 

The project has delivered the following activties:

28 March 2023: Project Launch

The opening ceremony of the project was hosted on 28 March 2023 to introduce the Y–CoRe, discuss solutions to promote youth participation in response to climate change, and build a network of young people with knowledge, skills, ambitions, and readiness in the Mekong Delta in particular and the region in general. The event attracted 150 participants. 

29 March–2 April 2023: Training the Trainers (ToT)

TOT included six–day interactive training sessions with two UK master trainers and two Vietnamese trainers for 27 students from Y-CoRe Network. Through this event, core youth leaders were equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their climate activities.

20–23 April 2023: Cascaded training on ‘Youth-led initiatives to respond to climate change in the Mekong Delta’

This cascaded training was organised to develop a cohesive and effective team of young leaders to lead and support change initiatives. 147 young people joined three–day training sessions to gain a better understanding of climate change and gender equality, as well as to develop ideas for collective social action projects. 

1 August 2023: Mid–term dissemination event

The mid–term dissemination event used a creative 'marketplace' concept under three lenses of approach – science, art, and communications – to showcase project progress, offering 28 social action projects the opportunity to share ideas and collect suggestions for their mid–term report. The meeting played an important role in inspiring, motivating and connecting members of the Y–CoRe network for the remaining one–month period of social action projects, mobilizing more human and material resources for efficient project completion. 

24 October 2023: Youth Forum on ‘Promoting youth engagement in climate actions in the Mekong Delta’ and Exhibition showcasing 15 social actions projects

This Forum not only created an open, direct discussion between youth participants and relevant stakeholders on how to engage youth activities and actions in response to climate change impacts, but also showcased 15 social activities projects in a public exhibition. There were also multiple presentations and a panel talk on the current state of climate change and how to improve youth capacity to respond to climate change impacts in the Mekong Delta. The Forum recognised 61 participants of Y–CoRe project, and attracted an audience of 800 and one KOL, Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, Miss Intercontinental 2022. 

24–25 October 2023: Media Training

A two–day media session was hosted for Y-CoRe members to provide an overview of the media system in Viet Nam and media trends on digital platforms, and to equip them with the necessary skills to work in the industry, including video filming and editing, presentation skills, and communication with the press. 

01 November 2023: Youth Dialogue on ‘Pathways to integrate youth capacity into climate change adaptation policy and action in the Mekong Delta’

The Youth Dialogue re–emphasised the important role of youth in response to climate change and summarized all the achievements obtained in Phase 1, as well as setting out the strategy for Phase 2, focusing on raising awareness and enhancing partnerships to expand the scale of the project. At the event, 150 young leaders and stakeholders also got the chance to share their experience and opinions relating to climate change. 

What’s next:

To continue and expand upon the success of Phase 1, the program intends to conduct Phase 2 to further generate inclusive impacts to foster community resilience towards climate change via various collaborative schemes and actions. Specifically, these include expanding the target audience of university lecturers, high school teachers, and youth union staff, alongside maintaining, developing and exchanging the youth network in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. 

For Phase 2, we are also partnering with VTV1 to feature the 15 social action projects of Phase 1 and the social action projects initiated in Phase 2 on television; and to provide Digital Media skills training for Y–CoRe participants. Stay tuned to watch a series of episodes in Vietnamese here.

(To be updated) 

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