Mobilizing investment resources to build cultural institutions, healthy recreational and entertainment venues; encouraging the establishment of folk culture clubs, teams, and groups in schools and communities; organizing cultural and artistic activities for young people… are the approaches taken by youth union branches in the province to create an environment for union members and young people to participate in preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the nation.
Recently, the Provincial Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union of the province held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Khang ethnic community cultural center. Located in Pá Mồng Pá Pù village, Nậm Giôn commune, Mường La district, the cultural center was built in the style of a traditional stilt house of the Kháng ethnic group, along with supporting facilities such as a gate, fence, stone embankment, site leveling, lighting, flowerbeds, and greenery, covering a total area of over 145 m² and costing over 1 billion VND.
Construction begins on the Khang ethnic community cultural center. In Nam Gion commune, Muong La district. (Photo caption)
Mr. Lo Van Bo, Party Secretary and Head of Pa Mong Pa Pu village, shared: "The construction of this project will create a space for collecting, researching, preserving, and promoting the cultural heritage values of the ethnic group, linked to the goal of socio-economic development in the locality. At the same time, it will be a place for Khang ethnic youth in the commune to gather and preserve the beautiful cultural values of their people."
Established in December 2020, for over four years, the Thai Singing Enthusiasts Club of Tong Le High School, Thuan Chau District, has consistently held regular meetings twice a month. This not only creates an environment for students to connect, learn, and practice folk songs and dances, satisfying their passion for performing arts, but also contributes to preserving and spreading the traditional cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group.
Lo Thi Thu Thuy, a member of the club, said: "Through the club meetings, we were meticulously guided by our friends on each phrase and word of the 'khap' songs, taught breathing techniques and pauses in the 'khap' sections. Now, I can perform some simple 'khap' songs of my ethnic group."
A gathering of members of the Thai Singing Enthusiasts Club, Tong Le High School, Thuan Chau District.
Discussing this issue, Mr. Lo Manh Cuong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and President of the Vietnam Youth Union in the province, informed: Our province has 12 ethnic groups living together, each with its own distinctive culture. To leverage these cultural potentials, the Provincial Youth Union has directed its branches to promote and educate young people about culture, helping them appreciate the beauty, richness, and profound humanistic values of traditional culture. This creates an environment for the younger generation to absorb and preserve traditional cultural values alongside modern cultural values, enriching the cultural identity of their ethnic groups.
To date, the province has 200 youth performing arts teams from communes, wards, and towns that consistently promote and preserve the national cultural identity and local festivals. Typical examples include: Son La Youth - Preserving National Cultural Identity through the work "Dance of Unity"; and Youth Volunteers teaching the Thai language and script to children in Yen Chau district...
Members of the Youth Union of the School The Provincial Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities performs a show. Folk dance of the Thai ethnic group.
Youth union branches in the province also actively organize cultural, artistic, and sports activities on major national and provincial holidays and anniversaries, such as: festivals of revolutionary song propaganda groups; organizing folk games and learning about the cultural beauty of the province during Tet (Lunar New Year). They also coordinate the opening of training courses to teach young people about traditional customs, festivals, folk songs, and folk dances...
Simultaneously, startup forums focusing on developing traditional crafts, local products, and community tourism for young people have been organized. Through these forums, many startup ideas and models based on traditional culture have emerged for young people. Many young people have created TikTok channels and fan pages dedicated to posting articles with images and videos introducing and promoting the cultural beauty of their communities, linking economic development with the preservation and promotion of national cultural identity.
With the rapid development of science and technology, youth union branches in the province have also pioneered and innovated in applying digital transformation in building and deploying QR codes at historical and cultural sites, providing information and automated explanations in promoting culture and tourism for residents and tourists. To date, digitalization and QR code installation have been implemented at 17 historical sites in various localities throughout the province.
In the coming period, youth union branches in the province will continue to organize playgrounds, forums, activities, projects, and tasks to attract a large number of young people to participate. They will mobilize resources to support young people in implementing cultural-related projects so that they can perform well and promote the role of youth in preserving and promoting national cultural identity, building an image of the people and land of Son La as friendly and rich in cultural identity.
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