Youth of UEH and the Journey of Implementing 17 SDGs According to the Sustainable Development Strategy of UEH

23 Jan, 2025

Over the past year, along with the strategy of comprehensively integrating sustainable development goals into all aspects of activity, the Youth Union - Student Association of UEH has gradually asserted the pioneering role of the youth of the university in contributing to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the areas of poverty alleviation, quality education, clean energy, and environmental protection aimed at building a sustainable learning community, while making positive contributions to society.

Continuing to affirm the mission of the generation of "Green UEHer Citizens"

The 22nd Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics for the term 2024 - 2027 has successfully taken place with the efforts and serious spirit of the entire congress, highlighting the spirit of the new term's slogan: "Professionalism - Willpower - Intelligence - Comprehensive Value - Sustainable Development."

Accordingly, the prominent annual programs like “UEH Youth Festival,” “Cultural Festival Welcoming the New Student Batch (K50) - Uniting the Great Circle,” “A Series of Activities Honoring Good Students - Commemorating the Tradition of Vietnamese Students,” and “A Series of Activities Promoting Cultural Appreciation for Students - A New Lifestyle,” along with over 200 cultural, artistic, and sports activities at UEH over the past year, have been meticulously integrated by UEH’s Youth Union and Student Association with themes related to sustainable development and contributions to society.

The year 2024 will also witness significant advancements in activities under the UEH Green Campus Initiative aimed at students, yielding commendable results: the launch of the Green Volunteer Team and the Volunteer Team participating in promoting UEH culture; over 21 booths exploring UEH Green Campus, the 3 and 7 waste classification models along with the 3R-1A theme and green economy intertwined during the quarterly Green Day events; 15 workshops on creating recycled products or products from environmentally friendly materials; 10 educational talk shows on the circular economy and sustainable development; and more than 12 proactive student experience activities organized by the various levels of UEH’s Youth Union and Student Association, all contributing significantly to the achievement of sustainable development goals, particularly Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and Goal 13 (Climate Action).

Spreading the trend of academic research in "green" science

Aiming to integrate sustainable principles into all aspects of university life, the Youth Union and Student Association of UEH place special emphasis on building and developing a learning and research environment for the sustainable development of the community. In 2024, the youth of UEH strive to organize a diverse range of academic programs linked to the "UEH Green Campus" Project, which not only makes a significant contribution to Goal 4 (Quality Education) but also raises student awareness in achieving Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), Goal 13 (Climate Action), along with other sustainable development goals.

At the beginning of 2024, during the Launch Ceremony for UEH Student Scientific Research, the Youth Union and Student Association of UEH collaborated with the Sustainable University Project Board to deliver a presentation on the theme "From Multidisciplinary Research to Sustainable Community Action," providing a fresh and practical research approach while connecting students more closely with the Living Lab model and sustainable development goals. Accordingly, "green" research topics are gradually receiving special attention from students, demonstrated through their exploration, study, and participation in academic programs at UEH. Over the past year, 71 quality research papers on sustainable topics carried out by students were honored at the UEH Young Researcher Awards and featured in the UEH Proceedings of Students’ Scientific Inquiries for Development - PSSID.

In addition, in order to maintain and to spread the spirit of research, while continuously innovating to keep up with the trends of the community, this year the UEH Youth Union - Student Union has marked an important milestone with the launch of three brand new student research awards, which are highly professional. This is the first time that the awards have been organized by the Executive Board of the Youth Union of three member schools, including: the College of Business Research Programme - COBRP 2024 Award from the UEH College of Business Youth Union; the CELG Student Awards 2024 from the UEH College of Economics, Law and Government Youth Union; and the CTD Scholars - Student Awards 2024 from the UEH College of Technology and Design Youth Union.

In 2024, the UEH Youth Union and Student Association organized more than 5 large-scale competitions for students on topics related to the circular economy and sustainable development:

The United Nations Simulation Conference - UEH MUN 2024 features two councils: the ECOSOC Council discussing the topic "Minimum Corporate Tax Rates: Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Socio-Economic System" and the UNCTAD Council focusing on the topic "Ethics and Regulation of AI: Protecting Human Rights and Dignity."
The UEH DEBATE 2024 for Economic Students will have the topic "Inclusive and Equitable Economic Growth Towards a Sustainable Community" at the preliminary stage and "Global and Multidisciplinary Cooperation - Joint Efforts for Comprehensive Sustainability" at the UEH stage.
The Economic Event Commentary Series 2024 will include thematic groups on Sustainable Development, Technology and Innovation, Markets and Investment, and Economic Risk Issues at the preliminary stage, with the main topic "Vietnam's Journey Towards Net Zero Goals" at the UEH stage. Notably, a seminar on "Ho Chi Minh City in the Flow of Sustainable Urban Development: Pioneering Smart Urban Construction in Vietnam" has been organized, providing knowledge and multidimensional insights into the journey of sustainable smart urban development, while also contributing to Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities.
The series of activities for UEH learners under the theme "Go Green, Go Sustainable" includes: Gamification activity - "Hi! Green Flag" and Hackathon Day - Pitching Day.

In addition, the forum with the theme "The Role of Youth Knowledge in Sustainable Development of Ho Chi Minh City" has become an important highlight in the series of sustainable academic activities at UEH. At the forum, four outstanding presentations in the fields of Education, Socio-Economics, Culture - Arts, and Sustainable Development - Smart Urban Planning were delivered and discussed, bringing forth innovative ideas and practical solutions to contribute to the sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City.

Enhancing the quality and scale of community volunteering activities

Implementing one of the key orientations of UEH - training global citizens who act for sustainable development, the volunteer programs, campaigns, and student support activities over the past year have been effectively and practically carried out by the UEH Youth Union and Student Association, contributing to the objectives of 1 (poverty eradication), 2 (zero hunger), 7 (clean energy), and 3 (good health and quality of life).

The UEH Youth Union and Student Association have launched a series of programs to care for and support students throughout 2024. Twenty scholarships, valued at over 80 million VND, have been awarded to UEH students who have excelled in their studies and personal development. In addition, activities to care for and support students, including the "Back to School” campaign, a series of activities aimed at enhancing soft skills and career skills for students across different majors, as well as initiatives dedicated to the physical and mental well-being of students, have also been invested in and implemented over the past year.

In response to the theme of youth union work and the movement for young people in 2024, "The Year of Volunteer Youth," the 16th Spring Volunteer Campaign - 2024, implemented by the UEH Youth Union - Association, is being prioritized in the provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Thuan, and Ho Chi Minh City, with a record number of 2,000 volunteers coming from 35 volunteer teams creating remarkably significant programs and leaving a mark. Not only does it provide a training environment for students' character development, but the campaign also brings extremely practical values to the community, with a total funding amount exceeding 950 million VND, awarding 232 scholarships to underprivileged students in the areas, providing more than 170 gifts to families of policy beneficiaries and border guards; helping many homeless people and elderly individuals living alone in the city.

Under the guidance of the Youth Union - Student Association of UEH, the Volunteer Campaign for Economic Students 2024, consisting of two phases: the Green Summer and the Moon Festival, has been launched in the localities of Vĩnh Long Province, Bến Tre Province, and Ho Chi Minh City, bringing significant humanitarian values to the community and society with a total funding of over 4 billion VND. This is where UEH soldiers promote their spirit of enthusiasm and volunteerism, fulfilling the mission of building a prosperous nation linked to the motto "Green volunteering, Economic green, Beautiful homeland," with proud achievements:

For public infrastructure projects, the campaign has built and handed over 14 road infrastructure works with a total length of 7,220m; installed 390 lamp posts (including 201 solar-powered lamp posts) illuminating a total length of 12,825m; implemented 44 "Flower Streets," planted over 12,000 green trees, and donated 104 bins for household waste and pesticide packaging; executed 01 youth project "Tap Water Supply Line"; donated 01 "Children's Pool"; carried out 16 projects to renovate and repaint children's play areas and cultural houses, 07 models of plastic waste collection houses, 01 model "alley installed with a camera system"; 01 project "Cashless Payment Street" for 100 business households and traders;
For activities supporting policy beneficiaries: the campaign has assisted in repairing 02 houses of gratitude; replaced the electrical system for 10 disadvantaged households; donated 250 gift packages for policy families, war invalids, and martyrs, and 10 gift packages for Vietnam Heroic Mothers throughout the campaign;
For activities supporting the development of youth in localities: the campaign implemented 60 peak days with over 5,000 children participating, organized 203 tutoring sessions, summer activities, and soft skills guidance for children during the summer, awarded 142 scholarships and 08 bicycles to children; organized 22 Mid-Autumn Festival programs and donated over 11,000 gifts to children in the locality and 01 career orientation program "Preparing for University - UNI on the go" at UEH - Vinh Long Campus.

With persistent efforts, through creative and practical activities, the activities of the Youth Union - Student Association of UEH have contributed to building a sustainable community, contributing to the sustainable development goals of UEH.

News and photos: Youth Union - Student Association UEH