Lesson 2: Embrace the good, eliminate the bad

The Youth Union of Nghe An Province's Agencies currently has 1,308 members active in 35 Youth Union bases. Of these, 457 are party members. With the majority of union members and youth being officials, civil servants and public employees working in agencies and units, the Youth Union of Nghe An Province's Agencies is always considered a force with equal qualifications and solid basic political theory. These are the core propagandists in spreading positive information on social networks as well as fighting against bad and toxic information.

Phát động chiến dịch ra quân tình nguyện Hè năm 2023. Ảnh: Đình Tuyên
Launching the 2023 Summer Volunteer Campaign. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Comrade Nguyen Ho Manh - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Agencies' Youth Union said: Since 2022, the Central Youth Union has sent weekly public opinion reports on prominent domestic issues that young people are interested in to have a basis for activities and information orientation at the unit. On that basis, the Youth Union has sent them to its affiliated branches to monitor and implement in accordance with the actual conditions at the agencies and units. Since the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, the Youth Union has also built document synthesis software, helping the process of storing information and propaganda become more and more effective. At the same time, effectively maintaining a number of Facebook pages to promptly post positive images and information in all aspects of life taking place in the area.

Đoàn Khối CCQ tỉnh sinh hoạt CLB lý luận trẻ. Ảnh: CSCC
The Provincial Youth Union of the CCQ Block meets at the Youth Theory Club. Photo: CSCC

In particular, the Youth Union of the Bloc has built a Young Theory Club that gathers many members and young people from agencies and units, especially the internal affairs and press and media sectors, thereby mobilizing intellectual resources to fight against bad and toxic information on social networks. Comrade Nguyen Nhu Y - Secretary of the Youth Union of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province, one of the core members of the Young Theory Club of the Youth Union of the Provincial Agencies Bloc shared: Currently, the fight on cyberspace is of interest to the Youth Union of the Provincial People's Procuracy. On average, every week, members and young people make 2-3 posts on 2 main Facebook pages, including "Nghe An Procuracy" and "Youth Union of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province" to propagate and spread positive information. In addition, the Youth Union of the Provincial People's Procuracy also organizes mock trials based on real cases to help young people better understand the nature of the incident and the consequences they have to bear when violating the law.

Một phiên toà giả định được Đoàn thanh niên cơ quan Viện KSND tỉnh tổ chức. Ảnh: CSCC
A mock trial organized by the Youth Union of the Provincial People's Procuracy. Photo: CSCC

The Provincial Police Youth Union is also a unit that always affirms its role and responsibility to be a pioneer in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fighting and refuting wrong and hostile viewpoints. Captain Nguyen Sy Nguyen - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Police Youth Union said: Following the leadership and direction of the superiors, the unit's Youth Union has issued more than 45 plans and official dispatches on protecting the Party's ideological foundation; propagating and fighting against wrong and hostile viewpoints deployed throughout the Union. Notable examples include the plan to implement the movement "Each member is a sharp pen protecting the Party"; the model "I am a propagandist"...

Đoàn thanh niên Công an tỉnh tiên phong trong phòng, chống dịch Covid-19. Ảnh tư liệu: C.T.V
The Provincial Police Youth Union is a pioneer in preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Contributor

In particular, the Provincial Police Youth Union has effectively implemented 12 projects and youth tasks contributing to protecting the Party's ideological foundation. In addition to the titles awarded to collectives, there are individuals who participated in propagating the Party Congress Resolution; writing essays to protect the Party's ideological foundation and won high prizes. Typically, comrades Nguyen Van Thuc (police officer of Vinh City Police), Nguyen Tien Dung (police officer of Nam Dan District Police) won the C prize at the writing essay contest "Protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views in the new situation" for the second time in 2022; comrade Tran Thi Thanh Huyen won the second prize in the national final round of the competition for excellent reporters and propagandists to propagate the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of Party Congresses at all levels, term 2020 - 2025.

Đoàn thanh niên Công an tỉnh xung kích đến vùng khó khăn, thiên tai giúp đỡ người dân trong hoạn nạn. Ảnh tư liệu: C.T.V
The Provincial Police Youth Union went to difficult and disaster-hit areas to help people in distress. Photo: Contributor

In addition, the Provincial Police Youth Union has also built a model of "Youth volunteers propagating the law" in many forms, with diverse and rich content. Annually, it organizes more than 350 programs to propagate the law for more than 10,000 people, officials, civil servants, students in the province. In order to promote the role of the Youth Union in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, the Provincial Police Youth Union always researches and selects topics and objects of struggle and refutation at appropriate times; at the same time, it pays attention to the qualifications, abilities, knowledge, and professional fields of each individual in each unit and department, thereby assigning specific tasks, from "easy to difficult", "promoting strengths" in performing the task of fighting and refuting false and hostile arguments.

On the side of the Provincial Youth Union, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union is the center of solidarity and gathering of young people, and has also carried out many activities to promote the role of young people in protecting the Party's ideological foundation. Typical examples include directing grassroots Youth Union organizations to participate in the Olympic competition on Marxist-Leninist sciences, Ho Chi Minh's ideology "Light to the way"; the Forums "Youth with the sea and islands of the homeland", "Cultivating excellent members for the Party - the noble and sacred mission of the Youth Union"...

Tỉnh đoàn tổ chức Hội thi Olympic các môn khoa học Mác Lênin và tư tưởng Hồ Chí Minh “Ánh sáng soi đường” năm 2023. Ảnh: Thanh Lê
The Provincial Youth Union organizes the Olympic Competition on Marxist-Leninist Science and Ho Chi Minh Thought "Light to the Path" in 2023. Photo: Thanh Le

Comrade Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union shared: In addition to directing the establishment of young theory clubs, provincial-level reporters and affiliated units. In the past time, the Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee has also paid attention to directing functional departments to maintain the good news and beautiful stories column, implementing the campaign "One good news every day, one beautiful story every week", on the website of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union. On average, more than 20,000 good news and beautiful stories are posted each year on the web, Facebook, and social networks of Youth Union organizations throughout the province.

In particular, in 2023, Nghe An Provincial Youth Union launched the "Young Reporters" Club with 22 members who are officials, union members, reporters, and collaborators from press agencies in the province and those residing in the province. This is the core force, the "extended arm" in the propaganda work of the Youth Union, an information channel to help grasp public opinion, forecast the situation, and provide timely ideological orientation for union members and young people.

Hoạt động khám và cấp phát thuốc miễn phí cho học sinh tại thị xã Thái Hòa. Ảnh: Đình Tuyên
Free medical examination and medicine distribution for students in Thai Hoa town. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Nghe An Provincial Youth Union currently manages nearly 150,000 members, operating at 946 Youth Union bases, including 312 grassroots Youth Union branches and 634 grassroots Youth Unions. In order to effectively protect the Party's ideological foundation, in addition to issuing documents guiding Youth Union chapters at all levels to diversify forms of political theory education, propagate Party directives and resolutions, State policies and laws for young union members. Recently, the Provincial Youth Union Executive Committee has directed its affiliated Youth Union bases to increase the dissemination of positive information, typical good people, good deeds on cyberspace with the motto "Using beauty to eliminate ugliness" through the campaign "One good news every day, one beautiful story every week", "Building exemplary values ​​of Vietnamese youth in the new era".

Typically, at Vinh University Youth Union, the application of 4.0 technology in propaganda activities has brought many benefits such as: helping to quickly connect union members and young people, creating a wide spread, etc. Through official fanpages, grassroots Youth Union organizations quickly grasp information, absorb a lot of knowledge, and good models introduced by the Youth Union. "The Youth Union has established a 4.0 group with many people with high qualifications in information technology, design, graphics, etc., specializing in implementing online propaganda tools such as: infographics; mini clips; propaganda and agitation makets...", comrade Nguyen Thai Dung - Secretary of Vinh University Youth Union shared.

Lễ Tổng kết Chiến dịch Tình nguyện Hè năm 2023 của Đoàn trường Đại học Vinh. Ảnh tư liệu: Thanh Lê
Closing Ceremony of the 2023 Summer Volunteer Campaign of Vinh University Youth Union. Photo: Thanh Le

In Nam Dan, the District Youth Union has built its own website, 100% of the commune Youth Unions have fanpages to share and spread positive information, many articles have left a deep impression on social network users, attracting a lot of shares and accesses. Comrade Dang Van Trung - Secretary of the Nam Dan District Youth Union shared: After building the website, the Standing Committee of the District Youth Union directed the editorial team to prepare daily news and propaganda articles. At the same time, share political, economic and social information in the district, as well as propaganda information from the Provincial Youth Union, to help the Youth Union members and youth promptly grasp the policies and good stories every day. Currently, the website attracts more than 2,000 visits per day. Since its operation, there have been more than 2.3 million visits.

Lễ chào cờ tại cột mốc biên giới Việt - Lào. Ảnh: CSCC
Flag-raising ceremony at the Vietnam-Laos border landmark. Photo: CSCC

Some Youth Union units in mountainous areas such as Que Phong District Youth Union have coordinated with Thong Thu Border Guard Station to organize "March Border Month" activities, mobilize labor to clean up the border belt road or hold a flag-raising ceremony at the Vietnam-Laos border marker, so that the younger generation has the opportunity to learn and listen to the history of the formation and significance of the sovereignty marker, thereby spreading patriotism and national pride. Many Youth Union units have also coordinated with border guards stationed in the area to implement the "Border Lesson" model, thereby helping union members and young people become active propagandists in their families and communities, building a sense of self-awareness to join hands to protect the territorial sovereignty and border security of the Fatherland.

Tuyên truyền phổ biến giáo dục về chủ quyền an ninh biên giới cho đoàn viên, thanh niên. Ảnh: CSCC
Dissemination and education on border security and sovereignty for union members and youth. Photo: CSCC

In particular, recently, on social networking platforms, the story of young men from the group "TeamLee" who volunteered to spend their time and effort restoring photos of heroes and martyrs across the country has spread rapidly. The story has caused a strong stir in cyberspace. The leader of this group is Le Quyet Thang (born in 1991), from Hung Dao commune, Hung Nguyen district (Nghe An)... In particular, in August 2022, Le Quyet Thang's group restored and donated 10 photos of TNXP martyrs at Dong Loc T-junction (Ha Tinh) and in October 2022, successfully restored a photo of 13 TNXP martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Truong Bon (Do Luong); restored the image of Ms. Tran Thi Thong, a living witness of the suicide squad of Company 317 - Team 65 - General Youth Volunteer Force against the US, saving the country of Nghe An province on duty at Truong Bon.

Lê Quyết Thắng và các bạn về Thanh Chương trao ảnh liệt sĩ Nguyễn Văn Đồng cho mẹ Nguyễn Thị Ba. Ảnh: Tiến Đông
Le Quyet Thang and his friends returned to Thanh Chuong to give a photo of martyr Nguyen Van Dong to his mother Nguyen Thi Ba. Photo: Tien Dong

Le Quyet Thang shared that although the work requires technique, meticulousness and takes a lot of time, seeing the emotional eyes of relatives when receiving the photos of martyrs makes the brothers in the group more determined. In just about 1 year, the young people have successfully restored and presented more than 300 photos to families of martyrs across the country. Behind each photo is a heroic and tragic story, spreading strongly, actively contributing to reviving history, arousing national pride in today's young generation.

Many other exciting movements and activities of the youth in the whole province such as: Youth movement to protect the Fatherland; Youth volunteer movement; traditional exchange activities, meetings with historical witnesses, storytelling, dialogue with young people; "Journey to red addresses"; competitions to learn about historical events; programs "I love my Fatherland", "Light candles to pay tribute to heroic martyrs", "Giving national flags to offshore fishermen" ... have also created positive social effects, attracting a large number of young people to participate. Through those healthy and meaningful models and activities, they have contributed to "multiplying the good, eliminating the bad" and gradually defeating the plots and tricks of hostile forces targeting young people.

Hành quân tuần tra bảo vệ cột mốc chủ quyền của đất nước. Ảnh: CSCC
Patrolling to protect the country's sovereignty markers. Photo: CSCC