An exhibition entitled “As We Grow Up” was open in Hanoi on November
1 to promote Vietnamese youngsters’ awareness and knowledge of gender,
love, friendship, and safe sex.
The event is a
joint effort by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh
Communist Youth Union, the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology and the
United Nations in Vietnam .
Puberty,
Friendship-Love, and Safe Sex come into sharp focus at the six-month
exhibition, which are brought to life by real stories and experiences
shared by Vietnamese adolescents, their parents and teachers.
In addition to showcasing photos, stories and art works that highlight
the topics, the event also features peer-to-peer interactive activities
and hands-on information to address sensitive issues and includes
in-depth discussion on the related-sexual and reproductive health
issues.
One of the innovations of the exhibition is
the young people’s active involvement in the preparation process from
planning, designing, creating contents, collecting information to
developing interactive activities. A group of 15 students participated
in the preparation process of the exhibition, while 60 other young
volunteers will join in interactive activities, providing consultation
and answering questions from visitors during the exhibition.
Addressing the event’s opening, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam
Katherine Meuller-Marin said all Vietnamese children and young people
should have access to comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality
education from an early age. She urged teachers and parents to be open
to communicate with children and young people about sexual matters to
ensure that they receive accurate sexuality-related information.
The exhibition, which will run until next April, is expected to help
the youngsters better understand about the issues and lead a healthy
lifestyle.-VNA