“Cinderella” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” are so popular fairy tales that most of us would agree that the stories were shaping our childhood. The princesses and princes in these stories have opened the doors to beautiful worlds of imagination. However, we were hardly aware that these perfectly constructed characters have to different extents framed the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Ms. Phuong Vy and Ms. Valerie retold these stories to young school boys and girls at Huyen Khong English Center, facilitating the youth participants to reflect on the gender identity and roles ‘labeled’ in the stories, and rethink gender stereotypes in their ordinary life. Young participants were encouraged to freely re-create their own story versions, invigorting their gender colored perspectives against the stereotypes embedded in the fairy tales’ characters.
The story retelling session was held on 3 April 2022 at Huyen Khong English Center in the series of public events under the “The Read-lish: English Book Corner” Project. The project is co-developed and co-implemented by the International Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (UCI) and the Center for Knowledge Co-creation and Research Development (CKC), with an aim to build small and connected English book corners and enhance social integration of young people in Hue city.
Bao Ho
Following the sharing session on Environment, “Mental health” is the next theme that The Read-lish Project presented to students at Huyen Khong English Center on 27 March.
The sharing session commences by identifying the emergence and development of emotions, understanding the role of sentiments in each person’s story, listening and sharing personal feelings to comprehend what goes on in the inner life. In addition, the sharing session equips students with a method of “mental health first aid” when encountering hardships in daily life and promotes the comprehensive development of physical and spiritual health of the juveniles.
The sharing session, guided by Ms. Phuong Vy – a mental health expert and Ms. Valerie – a native teacher from ilead AMA, conveys the children’s knowledge about mental health and an opportunity for students to develop their foreign language skills through exciting lessons. With the topic of emotions, “The Read-lish: English Book Corner” believes that students can express their feelings more confidently and appreciate the emotional values they have experienced because each emotion is a story and also a journey in life.
“The Read-lish: English Book Corner” initiated by UCI and CKC, is a 5-year project aimed at building small and welcoming English book corners that provide useful knowledge and enhance opportunities for international integration for pupils aged 6 to 18.
Anh Huynh
According to the United Nations World Water Development Report, groundwater is an important natural resource that supplies nearly half of the world’s drinking water, about 40% of the water for irrigation in agriculture, and around a third of the water used for industrial purposes. In honoring the value of water resources, the World Water Day 2022 focus on “Groundwater” to emphasise the critical role of groundwater and raise public awareness of the urgency in preserving this invisible but precious water resource.
Through social research, CKC has had a number of chances to talk with indigenous households in remote and isolated areas where the national clean water system has not been accessed yet. For them, groundwater is all they possess to survive and sustain their livelihoods based on farming or aquaculture activities.
Not only is it an essential resource for life, CKC understands that natural water also carries priceless cultural and spiritual values through the sharing of the communities that CKC has had opportunities to connect. Particularly, “the water wharf” of Ede people and the “drop of water” of Gia Rai people are both the main water source and the places connecting spiritual and cultural values that these communities have reserved in their daily activities and annual festivals through generations.
It is undeniable that water (in general) and groundwater (in particular) are invaluable assets that nature presents to human beings. Especially in the context of climate change and increasingly severe pollution, groundwater is considered the key to all sustainable development. Let’s join hands with CKC and spread the spirit of protecting water resources, protecting the Earth, and protecting our life.
Han Nguyen