Also attending were over 200 comrades in the Summer Steering Committee, Commanders, Deputy Commanders, Heads, Deputy Heads of the Organizing Committee of typical Ho Chi Minh City summer volunteer programs and campaigns of all periods; typical volunteer soldiers of all periods; reporters, editors, typical artists, logistics staff and 35 typical foster families, village chiefs who have been involved in summer volunteer programs and campaigns for many years.

President Vo Van Thuong speaks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

The program aims to recognize and honor generations of volunteer soldiers and foster families who have made many contributions and been associated with summer volunteer programs and campaigns of Ho Chi Minh City youth over the past 30 years. The program creates an environment and conditions for meeting, exchanging, as well as listening to opinions, sharing and giving suggestions for volunteer activities and movements of the city's youth in the coming time.

From the Summer Cultural Light Campaign established in Ho Chi Minh City in 1994, summer volunteer activities have quickly developed into the Green Summer Volunteer Campaign, the Exam Support Program, the Red Flamboyant Flower Volunteer Campaign, the Pink Vacation Volunteer Campaign, the Green March Volunteer Campaign and the Green Tutor Program.

President Vo Van Thuong speaks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

After 30 years, the Program has affirmed its great significance and value, attracting 5 million young people in the City to participate and implementing 31,000 youth projects; building and repairing 7,720 gratitude houses, charity houses, and friendship houses; concreting, upgrading, and repairing 870 km of roads and repairing 500 rural bridges; installing lighting systems for rural roads and alleys with a total length of 200 km; planting 650,000 trees; examining and consulting on health for 1.2 million people; donating 160,000 units of blood; consulting and supporting 2.7 million candidates in the Exam Support Program... From these methods, the Central Youth Union has expanded summer volunteer programs and campaigns nationwide; up to now, summer volunteer programs and campaigns are common meeting places for young people nationwide.

As a co-author of the program in a previous period, President Vo Van Thuong expressed his emotion when meeting many generations of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union officials, youth volunteers, and typical foster families through many periods.

The President emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City is the origin of many meaningful mass movements, bringing practical results in the renovation period; in which, the City's Youth Volunteer Movement emerged as a vibrant color; truly becoming a revolutionary action program with strong attraction and profound value for the City's youth.

"Let's immerse the youth in the vivid reality of social life, the youth will understand more about their country, the cause of the people, of the nation. The youth will have the right actions towards the cause of the Party and the nation," said the President, adding that this is the most effective educational method of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, through revolutionary actions in practice.

President Vo Van Thuong and delegates. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Emphasizing the important results of volunteer activities of the City's youth over the past 30 years, the President said that, above all the numbers, there is the maturity in thinking, lifestyle, perception of the reality of the country's renovation; sharing with difficult circumstances and determining the right attitude, responsibility and behavior of each person in their life.

According to the President, each young volunteer is truly proud to be called by village elders and village chiefs in the provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Binh Phuoc or the Western regions with a very affectionate term "Uncle Ho's Students and Youth" - This is a great pride of generations of young volunteers.

Referring to the profound meanings of the slogans full of youthful enthusiasm in volunteer activities such as: “Go to grow up”, “Go and the people will remember, stay and the people will love, do and the people will trust”, “Living is giving, not just receiving for oneself”…, President Vo Van Thuong said that these are the great results that the youth movements have achieved. Each locality, each grassroots organization of the Youth Union, each citizen deeply and specifically feels that great meaning. But maturity in personality is the most important thing and the greatest harvest of the youth volunteer campaign.

President Vo Van Thuong with delegates. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

According to the President, the movement has such strong vitality, which comes from the concerns of many generations of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union cadres with the reality of construction and development of the City and the country; from there, determining the tasks of the Youth Union and asking themselves what the youth can do to contribute to that common cause. Another reason comes from listening to the thoughts of the youth, of the grassroots Youth Union organizations about the reality of studying, working, living, playing and entertaining of the youth. This is also a very important requirement of the current Youth Union cadres.

Another reason is the trust in assigning work, creating favorable conditions and timely encouragement from the leaders of the City and localities, always giving great trust to the youth. Along with that is the companionship, response and care of the local people for the youth volunteers. The Youth Volunteer Movement has a generation of "movement parents" who take care of and help, "support from food, sleep, accommodation, health care, encouragement". There is also a reason coming from the achievements of creative and active organization of the generation of Youth Union cadres in the renovation period. Youth Union cadres find ideas to organize the movement, when they have ideas, they think about organizing forces, finding resources and funding to organize implementation. The President shared that without the spirit of dedication, we cannot overcome. The valuable characteristic of Youth Union cadres is the spirit of dynamism, creativity, and daring to commit.

President Vo Van Thuong with delegates attending the program. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Referring to the comment of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong that "Our country has never had the potential, position and international prestige as it does today", President Vo Van Thuong emphasized that the Resolutions of the Party and the National Assembly set many new requirements and tasks for Ho Chi Minh City, demonstrating the strong development aspirations of the City but at the same time also demonstrating the great expectations of the whole country for Ho Chi Minh City. In that development requirement, the city's youth will choose how and in what way to contribute.

Emphasizing the will and determination of the youth, the President said that a spirit of volunteerism from the youth is very much needed. That spirit is always fresh in each person and is strengthened by the nurturing of many generations and the care and guidance of the city's leaders and people.

The President expressed his hope that the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union will promote the results of 30 years of youth volunteer programs; contributing more to the city's development in the future.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper