Author: sunwahAdmin

On Sunday, October 10th, 2021, nearly 60 members of Sunwah Foundation Global Young Leaders Network from 11 Chapters around the globe have successfully celebrated the first online workshop on leadership with Dr. Cristina Stasia, Director of Instruction – Peter Lougheed Leadership, University of Alberta. The workshop also received great attention and participation from Sunwah Group leaders and associates, namely Ms Betty Chan, Executive Director of Sunwah Foundation, Director of International Relations of Sunwah Group, and Ms Janice Le, Manager of Sunwah Foundation.

The virtual event was packed with contentment and enthusiasm. Initially, all members had the opportunity to meet renowned guest speakers as well as leading individuals from Sunwah Foundation. It was such an honor for the whole network to welcome these charismatic speakers on screen, especially Dr. Cristina Stasia.

Throughout the 2-hour workshop, exchanges between GYLN members and teachers were encouraged through breakout rooms for small group discussions, active question posing, and personal experience sharing. During the workshop, Dr Stasia clarified the distinction between leadership and authority, as well as the relationship between the two.

We then learned about formal and informal authority. The lively discussions in the breakout rooms proved that the topic is certainly new and exciting for all GYLN members. We all shared personal experiences with and implementation of authority, both formal and informal.

Dr Stasia later clarified the distinction between previously assumed and adaptive leadership. Dr Stasia also praised GYLN’s spirit and effort in contributing to the community and making the world a better place. GYLN members are unquestionably the young leaders who practice adaptive leadership in their projects and activities on a daily basis.

After all, the workshop was encased in the feeling of passion and surrounded by so many inquisitive stakeholders. It was a precious chance for all GYLN members to widen our social network and develop knowledge about the mechanism of leadership. We would like to express our utmost gratitude and appreciation towards Dr Cristina Stasia, many professors as well as international GYLN members, and specifically, Sunwah Foundation, for giving us the opportunity to interact with many professional individuals worldwide. The workshop must be a motivational contributor in our progress of becoming an all-around leader, sparking our aspiration to keep moving forward and devote ourselves to the blossoming of Global Young Leaders Network in general and Global Young Leaders Network Hanoi in particular.

We really look forward to the second workshop on well-being and mental health, which will take place in late November or early December 2021.

— Reported by GYLN Hanoi Chapter members

The Global Young Leaders Network (GYLN) at MSU kicked off the school year with an initiative to renovate a local park and teach children about leadership and community service. GYLN students dedicated significant service hours through the spring and summer toward planning the project, funded by the Sunwah Foundation.

On August 21, GYLN invited members of the community to a three-hour event at Risdale Park to present their renovations to the community. Risdale Park was selected after consultation with the Lansing Refugee Development Center (RDC), in large part because of its proximity to a large population of refugee families that settled in the area. “We chose to do a local project centered on soccer because it is an international sport played all around the world, and we wanted something to bring people together no matter where they come from,” said Peyton Naragon, student president of GYLN MSU chapter. The scope of activities quickly expanded beyond soccer to include basketball, jump rope, and other activities. Peyton also noted, “in a community, it’s important to have spaces where people can gather and interact. How are you supposed to feel at home in your community, not to mention improve it, if you don’t know it?”

Starting in the February, students collectively contributed approximately 130 hours to plan the event and coordinate logistics, which included weekly student-led sessions and meetings with the RDC, officials from the City of Lansing, and MSU advisors. They also volunteered more than 30 hours at the park to repaint lines on two basketball courts and a soccer field, hang new nets on the hoops and goal posts, and pack gift bags, among other tasks. Srijith Venkateshwaran and Isaiah Daik, both members of the chapter’s executive board, also spent time in the community to get to know residents and spread the word. “We took 50-75 flyers to the neighborhood to hang up and pass out to people. It was fun to see people approach us to talk and learn what we were planning.” Venkateshwaran added, “kids were asking us if they could have a flyer to take back to their apartment and share with their families. We were able to talk to some of their parents while we were there, which was great.” 

Many children from the neighborhood responded to the campaign and came by to enjoy basketball and soccer games at the renovated park. GYLN Vice President, Tomas Keck, took the opportunity to talk to the kids about taking leadership in their community. “One of the best ways to help kids learn leadership is to show them real-life opportunities and examples. We put the idea into practice by working together to clean the park. I started a timer to make it fun, and within minutes, the park went from looking bad to being clean. We talked about how, even though they weren’t personally responsible for the trash, they can take initiative to help their community.” Keck also shared some of his background having grown up in Lansing and attending the same schools that these young people currently attend. He hoped to inspire them and let them know that with commitment and leadership qualities, they can accomplish anything they set out to do. When asked who wanted to be a leader, every hand in the crowd shot up!

One of the best ways to help kids learn leadership is to show them real-life opportunities and examples

After three hours of outdoor activities and the leadership talk, all attendees received a meal and gift bag that included school supplies, snacks, and some fun items such as jump ropes. Everyone also entered into a raffle, and some kids took home prizes such as sports equipment and school supplies. A few lucky winners had earned extra raffle tickets for displaying leadership qualities during the event! 

Even as the event started to wrap up, some unexpected benefits continued to roll in. Naragon noted, “One cool outcome was meeting a group at the park called ‘Love the City’. They are similarly community focused and host block parties around Lansing to help neighborhoods unite. They noticed the work we were doing, and we talked with them and exchanged information to discuss joining efforts on projects in the future.”  

While the students are looking forward to continuing work in the local community, they also hope this project will be a springboard into even larger projects that can expand to international contexts. With support from the Sunwah Foundation and their network of GYLN chapters across the globe, the MSU chapter is aiming high to make a positive impact in Lansing and well beyond. 

— Reported by GYLN MSU Chapter members

In November 2020, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Sunwah Group in Vietnam, Sunwah Foundation has cooperated with Vietnam National University, Hanoi to launch the “50 Young Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam in 2020” in Hanoi, with the participation of 50 students from various universities across Vietnam. After a five-day training course conducted by environmental experts in Vietnam and overseas, these students returned to their university and community to prepare and implement various environmental projects.

On 17 April 2021, the Final Pitching Session of the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” project was successfully held virtually, with the participation of the students and the board of judges, including Ms Betty Chan – Executive Director of Sunwah Foundation, Ms Do Van Nguyet – Director of Live&Learn Vietnam, and Dr Truong Ngoc Kiem – Vietnam National University Hanoi (VNUHN) Youth Union’s Secretary. Fifty Student Ambassadors have implemented their projects, funded by Sunwah Foundation, over three months from December 2020 to March 2021. The projects covered a wide range of fields including environmental workshops, social media campaigns, educational activities, business and scientific research to raise awareness in the public as well as find new solutions regarding environmental protection.

The board of judges was impressed by the excellence in launching the projects. Many of them have created impactful events with exceptional growth in social media and public engagement. The Student Environmental Ambassadors also proved the effects of their projects through successfully fundraising and attracting attention and support from local government and other environmental NGOs in Vietnam.

All of the presented projects are set to be continued and scaled up in the coming time, even after the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” project is completed. Sunwah Foundation will continue to support and act as a bridge to connect these meaningful projects with related partners, institutions of the Sunwah Foundation network, not only in Vietnam but worldwide.

At the end of the Final Pitching Session, the board of judges announced the team of Sunwah Global Young Leaders Network (GYLN), Ho Chi Minh City Chapter with their project namely I CAN as the Winner of the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” Project Competition. The “I CAN” project is a biodiversity education project, which aims to raise awareness of students about biodiversity and ecosystem conservation in Kon Plông – Kontum (central highland of Vietnam), encouraging school administration to apply biodiversity learning activity into the education program for all applied secondary school in Kon Plông through the instructional guideline developed by the project team and experts.

Besides, 4 other projects were given the Outstanding Project Awards including “Green Closet” by Sunwah GYLN Hanoi Chapter members; “Use-less Plastic” by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City students; “Purple Petal” by Hue University students, and “GASED” by University of Sciences, Vietnam National University Hanoi students (a new initiative of converting agriculture residues to sustainable energy). All of the 5 above-mentioned projects will continue to receive special support from Sunwah Foundation and Sunwah’s worldwide network of partners. The Winning team also received sponsorship for a training and exchange program at the University of Alberta in Canada.

The Final Pitching Session concluded the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” started in November 2020. The project received numerous positive feedbacks and thank-you notes from all stakeholders, achieving its mission of connecting like-minded young people and encouraging them to inspire other people to protect our environment together.

In 2020, Sunwah GYLN PLLC Chapter has launched the “Turning the Spotlight to Local Businesses and Non-Profits” Project in Edmonton to promote local businesses and feature non-profits who are struggling during these unprecedented times, in accordance with the City of Edmonton’s recommendations on supporting the community during COVID-19. Their goal is to raise awareness on the importance of shopping local at this time to help small businesses cope through this hardship and to recognize the tireless efforts of unsung heroes in non-profits who are working especially hard to support vulnerable populations.

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the way we lead our day-to-day lives. Even more so for everyday people running local businesses in Edmonton who had to quickly creatively adapt to changes and make tough decisions for their businesses to survive amidst a pandemic.

According to Statistics Canada, small business makes up 98% of all employer business in Canada and has a major impact on our economy. Unlike large corporate businesses, local businesses are run by people, not stockholders or algorithms that drive supply and demand chain. Local businesses share the fruits of their passion and are owned by individuals who are invested in the growth and wellbeing of our community.

For the Jo Family, this is the first time in 18 years that they opted to work with delivery services since opening Gaya Korean Restaurant in 2003.

The Jo Family has put so much time and work into welcoming many in the University of Alberta campus community to their warm and loved restaurant home. But with university closing and students going online, they’ve taken a huge hit. By stepping out of their comfort zone, they hope they can reach out beyond their normal customer base.

Meanwhile, for Meghann and Karine, who started Re:Plenish in January 2020 as a pop-up refillery and zero waste store in the back of a manufacturing warehouse, COVID-19 forced them to close their weekend shop just a couple months later in March. Their solution: they created an online store and pivoted to local deliveries.

Meghann and Karine’s dedication to serving their customers’ needs allowed them to see past closed doors and reframe them into an opportunity to grow their business. Now, they are looking around for a brick and mortar store that they can move into to commit to Re:Plenish full-time.

It’s a similar story for Alyssia and Megan who founded their candle company Alpine Ember Co. in 2019. Their markets were cancelled leaving them with no outlets to sell directly to customers. And as a two person team separated by restrictions, they had to navigate how to work together from separate homes.

Which they did. They launched their website and made a concentrated effort to reach out to local retailers, expanding both their wholesale and consignment locations.

Going through a pandemic is hard enough but launching a business amidst one is an even more remarkable feat, made possible by leaders with a strong vision and immense community support.

Just ask Reika and Mavi, who set out with the intent to create safe spaces within the local queer community and to build a better future for people in coffee. They opened Intent Coffee in September 2020.

Still, that doesn’t stop Reika and Mavi. They adapted quickly to built a website, set up curbside pick-up, and are working on delivery and shipping. They’re looking forward to Intent Coffee’s next steps: build a coffee training academy for youth in marginalized communities.

More Than A Fad, a charitable thrift store launched in July 2020, also has not known anything other than the new realities presented by the pandemic. All of their proceeds go to women in addiction recovery at Adeara Recovery Centre, creating some awareness and consistent revenue at a time of need for the non-profit. Operated by a team of 70+ volunteers from all walks of life.

The pandemic may have heightened many uncertainties, but it has not quivered the bright spirit of our local businesses. Especially not the unsung heroes behind these local businesses– the families, friends, teammates, staff and volunteers working together.

Whether sharing their gratitude for community support or stretching themselves to continue serving our communities, they have shown adaptive leadership in practice. As Edmontonians, we appreciate the astounding resiliency with which our local businesses are adapting, overcoming challenges to continue giving back to our community.

— Reported by GYLN PLLC Chapter members

In 2020, Sunwah GYLN PLLC Chapter has launched the “Turning the Spotlight to Local Businesses and Non-Profits” Project in Edmonton to promote local businesses and feature non-profits who are struggling during these unprecedented times, in accordance with the City of Edmonton’s recommendations on supporting the community during COVID-19. Their goal is to raise awareness on the importance of shopping local at this time to help small businesses cope through this hardship and to recognize the tireless efforts of unsung heroes in non-profits who are working especially hard to support vulnerable populations.

At a time of great crisis in the community, non-profit organizations stepped up to fill the cracks left by the wake of the pandemic. They rapidly adapted and incorporated the impact of COVID-19 to their communities, acting swiftly to meet their shifted needs–from social isolation, food insecurity, to lack of access to technology and information.

“With a lot of services going online, including educational institutions, employment programs and counselling services switching to virtual access, we saw a huge gap with our clients not having the technology to access resources online,” according to Sydney Shewchuk from Elizabeth Fry Society (EFRY) Northern Alberta. EFRY is committed to supporting and advocating for girls, women and non-binary folks who are or may be at risk of becoming criminalized.

Lack of access to technology is a common concern to non-profit organizations and the vulnerable communities they serve. Ubuntu Children and Families also equipped many families with technology, so they could virtually connect with their loved ones and service team. Usually operating out of the C5 North East Hub, the Ubuntu team had to be creative and steadfast in their commitment to support and create lasting safety for families that have Children’s Services involvement.

Morgan Northey, the Director of Ubuntu, explains: “We converted board rooms and office spaces to play areas for families to spend time together. We never stopped going out to see our families, rather we started wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). We had meetings on front lawns, during bike rides and in garages.”

During the summer, they also spent hours on the land with their Elder, in Ceremony, collecting sage and sweet grass–knowing these traditional medicines were going to be so important to many of their families in the winter.

Though following public health recommendations while keeping programs running is not an easy feat, nonprofits continue to meet their communities’ needs since their services are still in demand, if not more than ever. This is true especially for CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health who work collectively to advance the mental health of infants, children and adolescents through family-centred clinical services, education, research and advocacy.

Meanwhile, John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) also saw a surge in community members reaching out for their help. Most of the requests revolved around food insecurity and the need for dissemination of accurate information regarding COVID-19 updates and protocols. As a response, in March 2020, they started the ‘YEG Community Response to COVID-19’ Facebook group, bringing community members together to assist each other in a crisis. This group now has over 20 thousand members and is moderated by a team of committed JHC volunteers.

Then in October 2020, JHC launched the Bethel Pantry which has since then provided essential food items to over 1100 families in the Norwood area. For Idara Effiom, Volunteer Coordinator at JHC, volunteers are key to how the centre has adapted to the demand in services.

“Prior to the pandemic, JHC had only a handful of volunteers. Now we have a team of over 300 volunteers within Edmonton and Alberta responding to food insecurity through various programs across the province.”

The Edmonton Food Bank (EFB) also credits their volunteers to be fundamental to supplying food to Edmontonians in need. Cory Sellar, a resource developer at EFB mentioned that: “Volunteers help organize hamper boxes, greet clients, carry heavy items out to their vehicle, and provide information as needed. In this hands-on and physically demanding position, the volunteers have treated everyone with respect, dignity, and adhered to safety protocols.”

As Edmontonians, we should aspire to the tenacity of these unsung heroes working hard with and within our local nonprofits. Flexibility, steadfastness, resilience, creativity and compassion–a common thread of leadership values woven by the people behind these local non-profit organizations. They are community role models showing us adaptive leadership in practice amidst changing situations while still staying safe and collaboratively holding programs.

Like them, we must continue to meaningfully connect with and support our most vulnerable communities. By volunteering our time, expertise, money or resources, we can follow in their footsteps, help ease the effects of the pandemic on everyone, and uplift our whole community.

— Reported by GYLN PLLC Chapters members

1. 2020 New batch recruitment (Ho Chi Minh City, 05 Sep – 13 Oct 2020)

In early September 2020, in order to celebrate Sunwah Group’s 50th Anniversary in Vietnam and to recruit a

new generation of the network, Sunwah Global Young Leaders Network Ho Chi Minh City (GYLN HCMC) Chapter has started the recruitment campaign which eventually attracted 85 applications of students from various universities in Ho Chi Minh City. After two rounds of selection including Online Application, Interview, and Teamwork, 23 active and enthusiastic members were selected to join the network.

2. The first briefing meeting for new members (Ho Chi Minh City, 02 Nov 2020)

In early November, GYLN HCMC Chapter organized the first briefing meeting at Sun Wah Tower for the new batch to introduce GYLN’s structure and activities, Sunwah Foundation as well as Sunwah Group.

Also in the meeting, GYLN Committee shared information about a series of meaningful projects to celebrate Sunwah Group’s 50th Anniversary in Vietnam including:

• The “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam” project in Hanoi from 6-10 November
• The Opening of Sunwah Innovation Center in Ho Chi Minh City & Sunwah Group’s 50th Anniversary Event on 7-8 December
• The Opening of USSH-Jonathan KS Choi Cultural Centre in the campus of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in 2021
• The International Film Forum Hanoi in 2021

3. Participation of GYLN HCMC Chapter members in the “50 Student Environmental Ambassador in Vietnam 2020” Project (Hanoi, 06 – 10 Nov 2020)

GYLN HCMC Chapter selected 5 representatives to join the “50 Student Environment Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” project in Hanoi from 06-10 Nov. The team has been trained for 4 days with many environmental experts from Vietnam and overseas on various topics, including:

• International Conference on “Green Growth and Sustainable Development” with keynote speakers from Canada, USA, Japan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam
• “Natural attenuation strategy of groundwater and subsurface water impacted by acid mine drainage” by Prof Keiko Sasaki, Kyushu University, Japan
• “Knowing and Acting in Response to Environmental Risks: Science, Publics and the Policy Process” by Prof Kevin Jones, University of Alberta, Canada
• “Biodiversity in Vietnam: status, causes of degradation and main solutions for sustainable development” by Dr Truong Ngoc Kiem, VNUHN, Vietnam
• “Climate change affecting the Arctic, Antarctica and the World” & “The role of young people in environmental protection” by Dr Rebecca Lee, Founder of Polar Museum, Hong Kong
• “Bio-based Economy and the difference from the term of Biotechnology” by Prof Dang Thi Cam Ha, former Head of Environment Biotechnology Division, Institute of Biotechnology of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam
• “Domicology and Closing Loops as a Part of Sustainable Development Efforts” by Dr George Berghorn, Michigan State University, USA
• “Building and Executing community projects” by Dr Truong Ngoc Kiem, VNU-HN, Vietnam
• “What can the young generation do to protect the environment?” by Ms Do Van Nguyen, Live and Learn Vietnam

All Environmental Ambassadors joining the projects had a great opportunity to learn, to enhance their knowledge about the environmental issues as well as to connect and expand their network.
The GYLN HCMC team is now actively implementing their own initiated project named “I CAN (INH HOMO)” which will teach and inspire students about the biodiversity in Kon Plong (a mountainous district of Kontum Province, Vietnam) in order to raise awareness and willingness to take action toward biodiversity conservation.

4. Sharing session of the Environmental Ambassadors’ experiences (Ho Chi Minh City, 16 Nov 2020)

After one week in Hanoi, joining the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” project, GYLN HCMC Chapter organized a post-program meeting for the Ambassadors to share about their trip and the training experiences gained. All of the GYLN HCMC Chapter members who joined the session were very excited.

5. Joining Sunwah Innovation workshops: Opening Innovation Workshop & Edutech Workshop (Ho Chi Minh City, 07 – 08 Dec 2020)

In the afternoon of December 7th, GYLN HCMC Chapter participated in the international innovation workshop entitled “Open Innovation Mechanisms for Successful Startup-Corporate Collaborations”, organized by Sunwah Innovations. The workshop witnessed the participation of notable speakers in the startup ecosystem, including Mr Louis Nguyen, CEO of Sunwah Kingsway Vietnam and Saigon Asset Management; Mr Trung Anh Nguyen, CEO of Phoenix Holdings; Mr Vu Le, Head, Strategic Partnership and Business Development, Grab Vietnam; Mr Phong Pham, Founder and CEO of Cyfeer, and Mr Peter Mok, The Head of Strategic Partnership, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.

On this occasion, GYLN HCMC Chapter members had a chance to get more knowledge on the innovation trend, gained different perspectives from corporates and startups. It was also a great opportunity for networking with young people who are passionate about entrepreneurship, as well as experienced and successful speakers.

In the morning of December 8th, GYLN HCMC Chapter participated in the Edutech Workshop with the theme of “The Future of Endless Possibilities”, co-organized by Sunwah Innovations and the Information Technology Park – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. The workshop shared significant trends in the Education Technology industries in recent years.

The workshop was held at Sunwah Innovation Center, which is the latest project of Sunwah Group in Vietnam. By participating in the workshop, GYLN HCMC members not only had a chance to visit the functional areas of Sunwah Innovation Center but also visited the Mini showcase with various innovative products from Edutech start-ups at the event hall.

Two members of GYLN HCMC Chapter supported organizing the 2-day event as the Logistic Helpers. This was a great occasion for them to accumulate experience in organizing an event.

6. Training session for new members (18 Dec 2020)

On 18 Dec 2020, GYLN HCMC Chapter organized a training session to develop networking skills at public events for new members, including communication skills, social skills, empathy, positivity, and humor, etc. All members participating in this session have become more confident to practice public speaking and got a chance to know each other better.

7. Networking Dinner of Sunwah GYLN Ho Chi Minh City Chapter

In the evening of 28 Dec 2020 at Sunwah Innovation Center, Sunwah GYLN Ho Chi Minh City Chapter hosted a Networking Dinner to welcome all new members and plan activities for 2021.

The Networking event had the participation of 30 Sunwah GYLN HCMC members, representatives of Sunwah Vietnam, Sunwah Foundation and special guests.

At the event, Sunwah GYLN HCMC members had the opportunity to receive practical advice on leadership development, education and career path, mental and emotional support from three special guests, including Mr Anh Vu Vincent Nguyen, Vietnamese Schwarzman Scholar; Ms Nguyen Duc Nhu Thuy, the only Vietnamese licensed Art Therapist in HCMC; and Dr Nguyen Tran Phi Yen, CEO, and Founder of Zigzag Career.

November 6th-10th 2020 were memorable days for Sunwah GYLN members in Vietnam as we were selected to join the “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” program – organized by Sunwah Foundation and co-organized by Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The program broadened our worldview about environmental issues, supported us in building meaningful projects, and last but not least gave us a chance to befriend talented young students across Vietnam.

The opening ceremony was held on November 6th with the attendance of Mr. Jesse Choi, Director of Sunwah Vietnam, Mr Dang Minh Khoi, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnam Environment Administration Office – Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Higher Education Department – Ministry of Education and Training along with teachers and students from different universities in Vietnam. Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Sunwah Group, Sunwah Foundation, and Jonathan KS Choi Foundation also joined virtually to deliver his welcome remarks. Attending the ceremony, we were impressed with the professional and dedicated organization. We believed that we would learn a lot during the time of joining the program.

Afterward, we were introduced to five different approaches towards “Green Growth and Sustainable Development” of the environment which gave us a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues: (1) “Sustainable Built Environment”, by Prof Matt Syal, Construction Management Department, School of Planning, Design, and Construction, Michigan State University, USA. (2) “The important role of national parks in Green Growth and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Canada” by Dr Harvey Locke, University of Alberta, Canada. (3) “Natural attenuation strategy of groundwater and subsurface water impacted by acid mine drainage” by Prof Keiko Sasaki, Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Kyushu University, Japan. (4) “Climate change affecting the Arctic, Antarctica and the World” by Dr Rebecca Lee, Founder of Polar Museum, Hong Kong. (5) “CCS Technologies for mitigating CO2 emissions” by Assoc Prof Dao Sy Duc, Department of Chemical Technology, VNU University of Science. Due to the Covid-19th, the first four speeches were delivered via an online platform. It did not bring any negative effect on the quality of their contents but drew much interest from participants.

In the afternoon, Prof Keiko Sasaki continued her topic about “Natural attenuation strategy of groundwater and subsurface water impacted by acid mine drainage”. She described two scientific approaches to treat heavy metals in wastewater from the exploitation of minerals in Japan: (1) Active Path by using chemicals that can precipitate with metallic ions or toxic substances in wastewater such as Cr (IV) and FeS₂ (2) Passive Path by handling in situ microorganisms through Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs). On the passive path, the heavy metals would be gone through a wall that includes 3 steps: Sorption -> Precipitation -> Degradation. As a result, we have clean water. An interesting and impressive thing in her sharing is that even though the control test does not undergo any kind of methods, the downstream water source will also return to its original state (heavy ion content at a safe level) after 15 years. That means nature has a self-healing capacity! However, can self-healing nature’s speed keep pace with human destruction speed? Scientific articles are always reliable evidence for environmentalists to appeal to people to be aware of keeping nature. Thank you very much for Prof Keiko Sasaki for minimizing the gap between scientific research and practical applications.

On November 7th, we attended 4 lectures.

The first one was “Knowing and Acting in Response to Environmental Risks: Science, Publics and the Policy Process” by Prof Kevin Jones, University of Alberta, Canada. In his lecture, Prof Jones introduced the participants to the fundamental principles of political science and how to engage the public in decision-making. Starting with identifying the wicked problem, we realized the environment is not only an international issue but also a paradoxical issue because there is no final solution we can make to resist the risks we will face. It looks like an elephant in a room, we know its existence, but we try to ignore the dark side of this progress. When hearing his speech, we believed that we are underdetermining the consequence of environmental pollution and putting it as the last priority, while its change directly affects human daily life. The environment should not be isolated from other social problems, instead, it should be considered when operating the initiative for enhancing human living standards. The impacts of climate change are increasingly evident, and policy institutions are facing challenges to ensure its prosperity. From our perspective, the adaptation to routine uncertainty is essential to control the risk in our capacity to solve, as well as open up the option when the risk scenarios come. To accomplish this idea, the policy institution is required to consider environmental factors at the same level as socio-economic factors when making a policy. Moreover, we need an evidence-based policy and public engagement in this process, which means the requirement for transparency and legitimacy for people to be involved in policymaking. From his lecture, we acknowledge the necessity of bridging the gap between common knowledge with expert knowledge, as well as increasing the active engagement of citizens into policy. This idea is new for us, and many of Vietnam’s young people because we hardly engage in policymaking. Therefore, we enjoyed the lecture of Prof Jones and considered the initiative to bring public interest to the community.

The second lesson was about “Biodiversity in Vietnam: status, causes of degradation and main solutions for sustainable development” lectured by Dr Truong Ngoc Kiem, Lecturer, Faculty of Biology, University of Science, VNUHN. Dr Kiem introduced the diverse resources of Vietnam and how to utilize them properly. Besides, Dr Kiem emphasized that in order to conserve biodiversity, we have not just preserved an individual, but a population, or even a biome. It’s an unfortunate but inspirational story that we need to act on immediately. In addition, we always told each other that barren hills should be covered to limit landslides but have not understood the mechanism yet. The location above the quarried ground is where water accumulates during rain. That makes the soil more porous and then landslides. Therefore, when planting trees, especially trees with long roots deeply embedded in the ground and cluster roots clinging to the soil on both sides will keep the soil stable.

In the afternoon,  Dr Rebecca Lee, Founder of Polar Museum, Hongkong continued with her topic “Climate change affecting the Arctic, Antarctica and the World” from the Opening Conference and “The role of young people in environmental protection”. DrRebecca Lee had transformed herself from a professional graphic designer, painter, photographer, and writer to a polar researcher in the last 30 years. The pursuit of innovation resulted in her being recognized as the first Hong Kong woman explorer to reach the Arctic, Antarctic and Mount Everest Region. She was the author of more than fourteen books, organized numerous educational exhibitions and produced TV documentaries about the world we live in. She is the founder of the Polar Museum Foundation in Hong Kong and does “exhibition” of her work on many scales. Her integrity is seen in her courage, resilience, and survival in extreme conditions and adversity. She has been to the Arctic ten times, Antarctica eight times and to Mount Everest region four times. Her work shows a true love for our planet and mankind. Rebecca has delivered hundreds of lectures to primary and secondary school students, university undergraduates in Hong Kong, Macau, and China about her work, adventure, and latest scientific findings on the environment. They are inspired to take a more serious attitude towards life and to conserve and protect the environment. The community benefited tremendously from her public education efforts. She is the symbol of making an impact from individual change and opening a new diagram for us to tackle the problem. Sometimes, the normal thought is that we need many resources and group gatherings to make an impact, but everything starts from just a person’s interest. The key is believing and being interested in ourselves in order to deliver strong engagement content to others. It applies the same thing with doing social work. If we don’t trust and have any connection to the topic then we might drop it easily and consider it as one of the duties.  She speaks on behalf of nature and creates a new combination of Art and Science. The huge support from the community is one of the wish lists for any project runner as proving the result of raising awareness. The same method has been applied to many organizations but not many people can become an influencer like Dr Lee. She bridges the gap of innocent thought of people to the natural reality in the Arctic, the World. We all acknowledge the increase of global warming but none of us see the reality to touch the human’s soul and take action. That is also a good start for young people to raise awareness by touching human beings’ core values and do not blame them but stand aside with them to see the problem.

The last lecture of November 7th was “Bio-based Economy (Bioeconomy) and the difference from the term of Biotechnology” given by Prof Dang Thi Cam Ha, Senior Researcher,

former Head of Environment Biotechnology Division, Institute of Biotechnology of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. Prof Ha introduced three leading economies: green economy, circular economy, bio-based economy and how science can contribute to protecting the environment. Three critical areas of the circular economy were emphasized to optimize durability and extend the product’s shelf-life. It also includes the need for strengthening the rotation and reuse of waste or scrap as a new resource. It requires the importance of recirculating design, reducing raw material consumption, energy, and reusing low carbon alternative materials. It is a sustainable development that benefits not only the environment but also the economy and society. The key to the process is taking advantage of local material, resources, and lay on the natural characteristics and development. A bio-based economy is also a future economy and focuses on a recycling community, conservation of ecosystems, and equitable sharing. The production paradigms that rely on biological processes and, as with natural ecosystems, use natural inputs, expend minimum amounts of energy, and do not produce waste as all materials discarded by one process are inputs for another process and are reused in the ecosystem. Fostering a bio-based economy can contribute to achieving the following results: a lower carbon economy and sustainable primary production, building competitive bio-industries, a resilient and sustainable food chain. It reminds young people to take care of their community first and use this concept to find out suitable solutions. The old concept of “selling planet to trade material” is replaced by the circular concept where we can have a vent diagram between 3 main stakeholders. This process can get help, mainly from scientist’s work to tackle global issues and build a sustainable approach.

November 8th was also a great day as we learned both theories as well as practicing.

It started with the lecture “Domicology and Closing Loops as a Part of Sustainable Development Efforts” by Dr George Berghorn, Construction Management Department, School of Planning, Design and Construction, Michigan State University, USA. As a Michigan citizen, seeing a lot of abandoned buildings through the growth, Dr Berghorn was the pioneer in studying the economic, social, and environmental factors affecting the life cycle of the built environment. He experienced the effect of the financial crisis on housing abandonment, as well as the digitalization of changing consumer behavior. Currently, Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform in the US, and it replaces the function of a lot of malls and plazas, putting them closed and abandoned. Digitizing activities increase convenience, but it also increases higher insurance costs, poorer quality of life, and environmental concerns. 70,67 billion USD is stuck in my head because this budget is a requirement for removing all abandoned buildings. Lack of consideration in consumption and enjoyment has serious consequences for the environment and the economy. Dr Berghorn and his allies are involved in finding the solution. His domicology theory is a new approach method to build a structural paradigm that is more sustainable for the building. By deconstructing and circulating the building, we can maximize the resources, identify the tool of sustainable development impact, support, and create jobs for vulnerable people. In his speech, the professor showed the applicable model for Vietnam, firstly focusing on public awareness and increasing industrial practice. By setting a quality standard for construction and demolition waste, Vietnam could prevent the construction pollution and waste of resources that many developed countries are facing. Therefore, the development of public and corporate policies should be Vietnam’s priority in the next period.

The lecture then was followed by the project development talks from Dr Truong Ngoc Kiem, Lecturer, Faculty of Biology, University of Science, VNU-HN and Ms. Do Van Nguyen, Director of Live and Learn, Vietnam about “Building and Executing community projects” and “What can the young generation do to protect the environment?” respectively.

Dr Kiem came from the University of Science, VNUHN so he delivered to us the knowledge that applied well to Vietnam. He opened the lecture with a tagline: “You need to be naive enough to do things differently”. It attracted all of our attention to question ourselves, whether we are inexperienced, what is different. The lecture was like a roller-coaster for us to travel from each other’s Pandora box to explore ourselves. The definition of entrepreneurship was so familiar to us nowadays, but we found it hard to reach it somehow, and Dr Kiem guided us to take it baby-steps. That was overcoming our comfort zone to seek discomfort as we always ask for innovation, but we hardly dare to take one step out of the safe area. Dr Kiem moved on to the vent diagram between three key elements: passion, talent, market demand to meet as a successful spot. Ikigai or mass media content also mentioned it lately, but it seems good only on paper. Thanks to Dr Kiem for the rest of the lecture, giving us a step-by-step direction to draw our own diagram. He understood the problem in youth and the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, so his presentation was answering almost our wonders. Besides that, he also delivered the tool to evaluate social projects and instruction to make a standard plan. This was one of the last lectures in 3 days, and it existed perfectly to apply what we have learned in previous sections to make our plan, also preparing for the presentation the day after.

As an environmental activist, Ms Do Van Nguyet, Director of Live and Learn Vietnam inspires the participants with her interactive workshop “What can the young generation do to protect the environment?” Instead of providing us information about pollution and climate change in a traditional way, Ms Nguyet created a space for us to self-experience it. She understands how to motivate the youth by encouraging their engagement and reflection. Organizing the workshop as a game show and a mini sharing, Ms Nguyet narrowed the gap between participants and the speakers. We enjoyed her Kahoot introductory game and her graceful sharing about the air, the water, and the soil pollution. She empowers youth to take action in their daily life. By finding the 10 players, who are changing their daily routine with green consumption and eco-friendly behavior, one of the GYLN HCMC has been the first winner of her challenge. Ms Nguyet let us co-design the section, by sharing our experience and initiative to approach the environmental crisis. For us, she was successfully enhancing the motive in my heart to change my daily habit, from the smallest thing like saying “no” for single-use plastic.

We applied what we learned in building the environmental project which was presented on November 9th. We were excited to present our ideas in front of supportive mentors and students. Various interesting questions were raised during the session which made us impressed. We were there to learn not only from professional lecturers and teachers but also from each other!

Last but not least, new connections with friends from other universities across Vietnam was likewise the meaningful value that we all received from this special program. Every day, we had two tea break times lasting for around 15 minutes and this time was a chance for us to sharing as well as discussing what we just learned from such amazing professors.

One of the most unforgettable moments was the networking night organized with the purpose to connect everybody. We gathered together and joined games that were designed to help everybody remember our friend’s name as well as some special information about them such as their hometown, university, or even the special food in their hometown. The night’s atmosphere was so cozy, funny and full of laughter. After the game, we had a sharing session in which everybody shared what they thought about the program or how they felt during the past few days we stayed and learned together. This session was so touching and meaningful.

Besides making friends with participants, we also value this chance to connect with experts and speakers invited to the program.  We spent time talking with them during break time and took pictures after their session.

The opportunity to attend “50 Student Environmental Ambassadors in Vietnam 2020” was precious to us. We have learned and grown a lot. We thank Sunwah Foundation and Vietnam National University, Hanoi for organizing such a wonderful project.

—Reported by Sunwah GYLN Ho Chi Minh City Chapter members

Since the launching of Sunwah Foundation’s Global Young Leaders Network (GYLN) in 2014, the platform has been constantly expanding and engaging more and more talented young people from around the world. Among chapters from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Macau, Canada, Japan, UK, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sunwah Foundation has signed an MoU with Michigan State University (MSU), USA on the establishment of the MSU USA Chapter this year.

This chapter’s establishment is a partnership between Sunwah Foundation and the MSU’s Global Youth Advancement Network (GYAN) – a unit in the Office of International Studies and Programs. It serves as a coordinating platform for research and international development activities related to education, entrepreneurship, mentoring, and leadership training of youth between the ages of 18 and 35.

The MSU USA Chapter was established in January 2020. The Chapter will launch two social services projects. The first project is career counseling in Michigan high schools as the job market has become more competitive due to COVID-19. The second project is sanitation support for Ugandan girls by distributing sanitary products to girls in Uganda that have been most affected by the pandemic lockdown.

The MSU USA Chapter, as well as all GYLN Chapters around the world, receive full support from the Sunwah Foundation in implementing their ideas to enhance leadership skills through various social services projects.

In the first month of 2020, all the members of Sunwah GYLN, Hanoi Chapter had such a great opportunity to celebrate our 5th year anniversary combined with Internal Communication Training and Contest. Founded in 2014, Sunwah – GYLN Hanoi Chapter has successfully operated for 5 years with numerous outstanding and meaningful projects. Five years is not a long period of time, but thanks to the last 5 years, what we gained is not only precious experience but also good friends and unforgettable life lessons.

We would like to pay sincere tribute to Sunwah at large and the alumni who had laid the foundation of our network and have been very supportive to later generations. By organizing the communication contest with the theme of “Sunwah in my heart”, we hope that all members can better understand and appreciate the role of Sunwah-GYLN, Sunwah Group and Sunwah Foundation in our projects and our self-development. Specifically, the contest desires to encourage current members to express their gratitude and contribute back to these institutions. 

We also expected to deliver the communication-related knowledge to all current Sunwah-GYLN members. Acknowledging the significance of communication in the project’s success, we hope that all members are well-equipped with vital knowledge and skills, then if needed, willingly to make full use of these skills to support other Sunwah-GYLN’s projects in the future and facilitate their working and studying as well.

Internal Communication Training and Contest

Firstly, Internal Communication Contest was run in 3 weeks with 3 rounds. On 29 December, 2019, we invited Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Ha, an expert on Communication from Vinschool Education System to deliver a one-day lesson on designing various communication tools such as powerpoint, video and photoshop. At first, most of Sunwah-GYLN Hanoi Chapter members could only handle to create few products based on very basic knowledge about designing, but then after the training course with thorough preparation by Ms. Ha, we all managed to use Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint and Filmora. 

We believe that anyone in Sunwah should know about designing and acquire background knowledge about communication tools in the context of the 4.0 revolution and being on the doorstep of the 5th revolution. These skills can be applicable to enhance the coverage of Sunwah-GYLN in terms of media and among the youth in Vietnam as well as in the world. In addition, all members can also leverage their work ability and self-development. 

In order to apply all the skills and knowledge that we learnt on that day, we also held a communication contest to find out the best learners and celebrate the 5th year anniversary of Sunwah-GYLN, Hanoi Chapter under the theme of ‘’Sunwah in my heart’’. Ms. Ha and Chairman of Sunwah-GYLN, Hanoi Chapter, Ms. Nhung had announced the best performers out of many excellent designing products made by Sunwah-GYLN members in the event of this anniversary.

The best performer prize was given to Truc – a member of Communication Department with her unique book cover design. She said that she wanted to publish a book of history of people in Sunwah-GYLN as all the alumni of Sunwah-GYLN were outstanding participants and contributed greatly to the development of Sunwah-GYLN.  

The runner-up winner and top 3 prizes were given to Mai, a member of Logistics Department and Huyen, a member of Communication Department.

The 5th Anniversary of Sunwah GYLN – Hanoi Chapter

As Sunwah-GYLN, Hanoi Chapter had turned to the 5th year of operation, we wanted to mark this turning-point with a memorable event which is the 5th year anniversary taken place on the 10th of January, 2020. We also invited the alumni to participate the Year-end party and then gave advice on the operation of the whole project, which would be a good opportunity for everyone to connect and share. 

A recap video was prepared to rewind what we have achieved so far. Through each project, we grew up a little, learnt a lot. Seeing our 5 years together with many laughs, lessons and familiar faces brought many of us to tears.

Video link: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDUxNjQ3MzY0OA==.html

The 5th anniversary was also an occasion for us to hear valued shares from Ms. Le Thi Thu Lua – Manager, representative from Sunwah Foundation. Ms. Lua was the one who accompanied us from the first day until now. She has been with Sunwah GYLN Hanoi Chapter from the first step, guided us through many projects with valued advices. Not only reminded us about what we have committed to do, but Ms. Lua also encouraged us to keep up the spirit and continue to contribute to the society development in general and to focus on self-growth in particular.

During this event, we presented Leader of the year (Ms. Dong, member of Logistics Department), Outstanding member of the year (Ly, member of Logistics Department and Truc, member of Communication Department) and Promising member of the year (Nghia, member of Communication Department and Trang, member of Logistics Department) awards to commend and reward the contribution of these members during the period of 2019. Some takes double degrees at college, some is working and studying at the same time and some comes from other provinces. In spite of all these difficulties, they are fully committed with Sunwah-GYLN and made 2019 a great year of meaningful and successful projects. 

On the threshold of a new year, we – all active members and alumni of Sunwah-GYLN, Hanoi Chapter celebrated our 5th year birthday together. It was such a honor for us to gather together and share our own stories in Sunwah-GYLN. We had spent our youth, our college time and our passion here with Sunwah-GYLN which means that Sunwah-GYLN is always in our heart, as the name of the celebration ‘’Sunwah in my heart’’.

There is no doubt that Sunwah-GYLN, Sunwah Group, and Sunwah Foundation provides a lot of precious opportunities for its members. Without the support of these in every aspect, the projects would not have been implemented successfully and achieved public recognition. In addition, thanks to the success of previous projects run by the alumni, the 4th and 5th generation of Sunwah-GYLN have gained many benefits such as operating experiences, media networking to run upcoming ones. Therefore, not only is it an opportunity for all current members to gather together and strengthen relationships within the network but also a chance for new members of 2019 to express gratitude for the alumni and flashback our network’s former events and projects.

We promise to keep pursuing our goals, implementing practical projects and delivering our messages to more young people to build a better world.

Five years and to be continued, we cherished every single moment.

A year full of hope and possibility is waiting for us, ‘’bold and young’’ souls of Sunwah-GYLN.

Sunwah-GYLN Hanoi Chapter

Deeply concerned with the difficult conditions that pupils of Ngoc Phai elementary school have experienced and acknowledging the importance of physical training in the development of children, Sunwah-GYLN Hanoi Chapter decided to hold the philanthropic event here with a variety of team activities. The two-day Warm Tet 2020, which aimed to bring joy and happiness during the new year to underprivileged children in Bac Kan province, was successfully implemented. This meaningful activity demonstrates not only the remarkable efforts of our members but also their great dedication in community-based projects. 

Before our departure

We spent seven days on logistical preparation. By spreading out information and the meaning of the projects on multiple social media chanels, we have received lots of support from friends and other charity organizations. After our call for donation, we received more than 100 children books in very good condition and in diverse themes (from tales, novels to science books). In our last day of preparation, we have got a call from a charity partner who heard about our trip and decided to donate 32 boxes of biscuits to Ngoc Phai school. What a wonderful news! We are so thrilled that our projects have reached so many kind people who shared our concern and helped us to carry out our mission. A large number of plants, notebooks, color pencils, pens and other items were prepared as well.

Departing from Hanoi in the early afternoon, we were extremely excited about the trip ahead. This year, besides 10 core members from Sunwah GYLN Hanoi Chapters, we also warmly welcomed 9 volunteers from different universities and companies in Hanoi to participate. We all shared the concern about doing something for the children in Ngoc Phai School, to bring joy and to make their new year more memorable. They are not only volunteers for one trip but also precious friends that we truly appreciate!

After doing the inventory and packing up all the items, we are ready to go to Bac Kan at around 1.50PM. 

Evening show

We reached the school at about 6PM. Welcoming us were teachers of Ngoc Phai Primary School. Their warm hospitality received us all and we noticed the cheerful looks and smiles of them when we got off the coach. 

Then, we quickly prepared for the evening show featuring the music performance by local students and GYLN members. This festive activity was an occasion for Sunwah – GYLN Hanoi Chapter members to get to know children from ethnic minority, their life and their culture.

We also organized some games with a lot of small gifts, which undoubtedly sparked their interest in the show. They enthusiastically engaged in the game, had good laugh and great fun. In this activity, two MCs (Trong Nghia & Vo Trang) successfully fulfilled their task. Although it was the first time they had taken this role, they made it naturally and professionally, which was shown clearly through the students’ reaction. 

Morning activities

When we returned to the school the following day, students seemed so thrilled and happy. The very first activity was to grow plants at the schoolyard in the hope that the school atmosphere could be more attractive and always full of vitality. We planted Poinsettia or Trang nguyen flower in Vietnamese (means the person who was ranked first in the palace examination) as we did expect that students could be more motivated by the meaning of this flower, then study hard and achieve academic success. We assigned each class with a number of flowers to grow in the areas their class in charge of during the school year. The students really enjoyed this activity as they willingly helped teachers and the volunteers to dig and hoe the soil.

Knowing the irreplaceable role of physical development in a child’s growth, we decided to set up a soccer field in the schoolyard, with aim to motivate the pupils to have more physical activities, at the same time, to learn team work and cooperate with others. We were all so glad to see the smile of all the students when everything was completed.

After setting up the soccer field, we gathered all the children and discuss with them about the importance of sport in particular and of physical development in general. Besides numbers and facts, we also shared about our own thoughts and experiences that we gained in our life. The children were all very attentive and we hoped that our sharing could touch them and leave some down-to-earth lessons.

As with any sport, skill and fun levels increase with more opportunity for children to play and practice. Therefore, we invited all teachers at Ngoc Phai school to continue to encourage the pupils to play. There are so many creative ways to introduce children to the game and to continue lifelong learning of it through activities which focus on the most fundamental skills in soccer: passing, receiving and controlling the ball, shooting, and dribbling. The new set up at the schoolyard hopefully will bring excitement and motivation to the children each day going to school. With all activities, the focus should be on encouragement, enthusiasm, team work, and enjoyment. The more a child grows in their knowledge and love of the game, the greater the chances that they will become lifelong enthusiasts of wellness and physical activity.

The game starts

After that, we organized a competition of making calendar of the year 2020 among 5 classes with the aim of developing cultural exchange, helping Sunwah-GYLN members get closer to local pupils and building friendship between the children and us. We prepared 12 papers for 12 months of 2020 and leave some spaces for the students to draw up anything they love to do in each month.

As it was a teamwork activity, students collaborated with each other enthusiastically and effectively in an attempt to win the competition. After the time allocated, we saw five different but creative calendars and were deeply moved by their sharing of their drawings. These little angels showed us their dreams of having a warm and fulfilling Tet holiday with their family or their expectations for next semester. Simple as these drawings might seem, they were the most beautiful souls we ever met.

Fun was not yet over. We expanded the activities by organizing a competitive game – bag jumping. The students were divided into 8 groups to compete and undoubtedly, this game amazed them a great deal although they might have played it before. We could see the delight in their eyes and bright faces with beautiful smile. Not only that, what means the most was their solidarity, their efforts and the way they enjoyed it.

For the last part of the morning, we handed over gifts to all students and teachers as well. The children were thrilled to be given cookies, books and color pencils. The gift set for teacher staffs includes a pen, a notebook and packs of biscuit. In addition, we also granted 5 scholarships to disadvantaged students with excellent academic performance. We hoped that these scholarships would financially and emotionally support them and motivate their further learning to become good citizens and overcome the difficulties. Furthermore, the books donated as well as those selected and bought by Sunwah-GYLN Hanoi team were handed to teachers to establish a mini-sized library for each class. Even though we did not have a chance to see how the bookshelves are set-up by our donation, we could feel their enjoyment to receive those precious gifts. Needless to say, our gifts warm up their Tet holiday, and their joy warms our hearts!

What’s behind?

At noon, we set out to leave Ngoc Phai Elementary School. The morning program ended reluctantly. Even though this was truly a productive experience for us all, but we had to leave too soon. There was still more we wanted to do for the children, to be with them and fully understand them. The children wanted us to stay longer. They wished us to return next year. They gazed ardently at us when we were prepared to leave. We knew they wanted to express hundreds of words of love.

We left the school, promising the students and teachers to come back. What we proudly left behind is the students’ great affection for us and the unforgettable time we had together. We really appreciate that!

The very last few words

After all, it was not vital skills, such as organizing and management are acquired by Sunwah-GYLN members that matter the most, but the emotions that we had after the journey. We feel the changes inside us after interacting with them. We experienced new things; we stepped out of our comfort zone to make others happy. We learnt how to empathize, to assist, to bring happiness and joy to the other. Of course, we also discovered exotic aspects of ethnic people’s lives to better understand and respect. This occasion may offer each member different experiences, but one thing we all share in common is that we have already created real impacts, made great contribution to the project’s success and we are glad to be part of it!

Sunwah-GYLN Hanoi Chapter