Ha Noi, 02 November 2005 - More trainings, more exchanges, more joint programmes, more awareness of the Millennium Development Goals and a strong network of youth volunteers taking action for the development of the country.

Representatives from six youth-led volunteer groups in Ha Noi consulted with H.E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuan, UNV Programme Specialist on his mission to Viet Nam on the proposals to promote “volunteerism for development” made in an informal meeting hosted by UNV Viet Nam.

Despite the incessant rain in late autumn, the lunchtime discussion among youth volunteer leaders in Ha Noi, some international volunteers to Viet Nam and UN volunteers - with the special presence of H.E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuan, UNV Senior Programme Specialist - was carried out in a hearty atmosphere.

Youth were given an entirely open floor to exchange ideas rather than to formerly report to the specialist. With a sandwich in one hand, a pen in the other hand, every volunteer was excited about sharing their stories and opinions about youth volunteerism in Viet Nam, the wide range of social activities they had and some difficulties they faced when leading the groups and implementing projects.

The lack of proper skills especially management skills, the reality of various but small-scaled activities, the issue of being fully recognized as a potential and relatively independent youth volunteer resource, and the need of connecting different youth groups in Viet Nam were among the most critical issues brought up by the participants.

Representatives of youth volunteer groups also showed their interest in building partnership with United Nations Volunteers (UNV), international and national NGOs and the National Communist Youth Union.

“Honestly, I always have a feeling that we are all amateurs in the field. To achieve the professionalism, a standard that will shift us from ‘youth volunteer groups’ to ‘youth volunteer organizations,’ we need more training and support, especially from UNV, and we, each and everyone, need to boost volunteerism for the MDGs,” said Trinh Cong Thanh, the leader of Blue Dreams, who was also recently honoured with the "IT Knight 2005" award for establishing the website www.chatdocdacam.info to spread words about the Agent Orange/dioxin consequences and the Vietnamese AO victims' lawsuit against 37 US chemical companies.

For some youth participating in the roundtable discussion, it was not the first time they had ever met one another, though not “face-to-face.” It was interesting to identify that some had actually talked and even worked together long before, through TakingITGlobal, an international online community for young people.

International volunteers to Viet Nam also brought some fresh air to the discussion with experience sharing from two Italian volunteers. By giving examples of several projects, they suggested some good references for youth volunteer activities in Viet Nam.

H.E. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuan expressed one of his pleasures about the mission to Viet Nam this time was to meet these “young energetic volunteers” and to hear about their concerns. He highlighted activism of "youth volunteers at local level," stating that they effectively contributed to the remarkable social-economic development of the country. He encouraged youth volunteer leaders to keep on moving, adding “What you have done are inspiring the society.” The "Volunteerism in Viet Nam - Contributions to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals" report, which was released for the meeting, further illustrated his statement.