Youth empowerment program
At CSDS, we believe that youth power is the most important driving force contributing to the sustainable development of the community. We work, empower young people with experiential learning opportunities, promote positive civic morale, and encourage related policies.
Youth Leadership Development Program (I Commit)
The Youth Leadership Development Program I COMMIT was established in 2013, gravitating towards the training of youth leaders to make positive impacts on society. To date, I Commit has gone through 15 seasons with the birth of 42 social projects groups initiated and run by the youth.
I COMMIT creates a space for ideas of changing the community to come true through training providing knowledge, skills, and attitudes. I Commit aims to improve leadership, ability to act, commit, and inspire among young people when facing social problems.
NGO Traineeship Program
The NGO Traineeship Program is an important component of the Youth Drivers for Change project funded by the Irish Aid. The project aims to build the capacity of youth so that they can participate, contribute, lead voluntary organizations and communities, and participate in social development actions. Through the program, CSDS hopes that young people will have more opportunities to actively contribute to the general development of Vietnam.
“Youth Drivers for Change” Forum
“Youth Drivers for Change” Forum is an annual event, which has been organized by CSDS since 2015. To date, the forum has had the fortune to welcome nearly 500 young leaders from all over the country. Each year, the program holds 2 major activities, including Làng Kiến and Youth Forum.
Each season, Làng Kiến has a different theme related to the implementation and operation of youth social projects. Làng Kiến has become a playground where young people from all parts of the country can share about social projects that they are interested in, the challenges and difficulties in their journey to make positive impacts on the community.
The Youth Forums in different regions are organized with the aim of amplifying the impacts and inspiring-ness of social activities/projects to the community, creating a space for the youth to actively participate in social activities/projects to connect and exchange experiences, find solutions to increase the participation and support of local communities in their activities.
Youth Initiative Fund for the Sustainable Development Goals
The Youth Initiative Fund for the Sustainable Development Goals seeks youth initiatives from youth organizations across the country to receive funding of up to 30 million per project, with the desire to, through sponsorship, communication support, and professional assistance, strengthen the voice and role of the youth in the community, promote the youth’s contribution to community development. The Youth Initiative Fund has been implemented since 2017; each year about 10 projects in various topics receive the fund.
“Youth Drivers for Change” Awards
The ‘Youth Drivers for Change’ Awards is aimed at bringing the youth organizations closer to the community, recognizing their ideas, activities, and positive values, which they have been contributing to the development of the society. The ‘Youth Drivers for Change’ Awards was held for the first time in 2017.
Youth Project/ Organization auspices
Youth projects/organizations that do not have independent legal personalities are put under the auspices of CSDS to make it easier for them to work with partners and improve the quality and efficiency of operations after receiving consultancy from CSDS. There are over 60 projects put under the auspices of CSDS each year, in fields such as education, environment, gender equality, animal protection, etc., mainly in Hanoi and Northern provinces. Among these, CSDS works closely with 2030 Youth Force Vietnam connecting youth organizations across the country that are working towards sustainable development goals.
Community-Engaged Learning Alliance (CELA)
The model of Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) or Service Learning (SL) is a method of teaching and learning in combination with activities supporting the community, through teacher’s guidance and student’s reflection, which enriches learning experiences, builds civic responsibilities and strengthens the community. When applying the CEL/SL model at universities/colleges, students have the opportunity to use their learned knowledge in practice, directly contributing to the community, thereby improving working skills and social responsibilities.
With the desire to support and promote the application of the CEL (Community-Engaged Learning) model in teaching and researching at universities in Vietnam to improve the quality of teaching, learning, researching and enhance the spirit of acting in the cause of the community of faculty and students, CSDS is implementing communication activities, providing financial support for lecturers, disciplines and researches, organizing workshops to exchange experiences, organizing training courses enhancing faculty capacity, maintaining a network of schools and lecturers participating in CEL application, and connecting schools, faculty and the community.
