The fact that hostile forces take full advantage of the development of information and communication technology, especially social networks, to infiltrate and negatively impact the thoughts, will and courage of young people is not only because they are frequent internet users but also because of the disease of "indifference to the Party, lack of the Youth Union, and distance from politics" that exists among a segment of young people. Therefore, more than ever, it is necessary to raise awareness and increase resistance for young union members through diversifying forms of propaganda and strengthening political theory education, so that they have "correct awareness and sufficient information" about the enemy's plots and tricks and issues related to protecting the Party's ideological foundation.
Resolution No. 35-NQ/TW of the Politburo dated October 22, 2018 on strengthening the protection of the Party's ideological foundation and fighting against erroneous and hostile views in the new situation clearly stated: "It is necessary to promote propaganda and education for all classes of people, especially the young generation, to enhance resistance and the ability to proactively fight against erroneous and hostile views on the Internet; know how to exploit and use the Internet effectively, practically and healthily".
At Vinh University, which has 18,000 students, strengthening the management and political and ideological education for students, especially in the online environment, has received special attention. In recent times, the school has always carried out propaganda and political education activities for students through direct and online activities, such as publishing monthly newsletters in electronic form and sending them to Zalo groups of classes and courses. Promoting the network of assistants, student managers and the management system of unions, associations, and classes from the branches, inter-branches, inter-branches to the school level, the School Union and the Student Association in monitoring and grasping the situation to promptly explain to students against bad and toxic information. In addition, increasing direct exchanges and dialogues between the principal and students to resolve students' questions related to studying and training...
According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Soa - Head of Student Political Affairs Department, in order to effectively implement political and ideological education to contribute to improving the quality of training in the coming time, Vinh University has identified 5 main tasks and solutions such as: Promoting propaganda and education on the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and policies; political and ideological education topics according to the orientation of the Ministry of Education and Training and localities. In which, focusing on education to raise awareness, adjust the interactive behavior of students in the online environment; providing guidance on providing knowledge, equipping skills to use, exploit and access information on the Internet, social networks and other types of media in accordance with regulations, serving research, study, healthy and practical entertainment, preventing and stopping acts of harming students in the online environment.
In addition, it also builds and completes documents regulating the organization and operation, and guides on political and ideological education, ethics and lifestyle, student affairs, Youth Union and Student Association work. It builds a coordination mechanism between forces inside and outside the school (police, local authorities), students' families to grasp the ideological situation of students and promptly handle arising issues.
At the same time, build and develop the capacity of the management team of the school's websites, forums, and social networks; the team of collaborators in managing and educating political ideology for students, including representatives of relevant departments, Youth Union and Association organizations, lecturers teaching political theory subjects, homeroom teachers, assistants in student management, academic advisors, and invite representatives of some relevant local authorities...
Reality shows that it is extremely urgent to strengthen propaganda, education, raise awareness for young people, equip them with solid "background" knowledge to be "immune" to bad and toxic information that has been negatively affecting the morality, lifestyle and personality of a part of young people today. However, according to comrade Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy - Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union: "Continuously innovating the forms and methods of propaganda and political education to make them lively, attractive and suitable for the psychological characteristics of young people will be decisive for the effectiveness of this work. Therefore, Youth Union - Association organizations need to regularly update and keep up with new trends of young people, considering social networks not only as a playground but also as a key front of the Youth Union and Youth Movement, a place to organize and deploy new and highly interactive propaganda methods".
Along with Directive 42-CT/TW of the Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership in educating revolutionary ideals, ethics, and cultural lifestyles for the young generation in the 2015-2030 period; and most recently, implementing Decision 311/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister approving the Program "Educating revolutionary ideals, ethics, and cultural lifestyles for the generation of youth, teenagers, and children on cyberspace in the 2022-2030 period", the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union has also equipped new tools to contribute to orienting and educating the young generation such as Tiktok, Telegram, Story, designing propaganda toolkits on digital platforms using the Canva application...
Currently, most young people use the Internet and social networks, so they can easily access conflicting information, with destructive and distorted content from hostile forces. However, not everyone has the steadfastness or the correct understanding of the nature of that information, so many young people are easily lured and provoked. On the other hand, the level of awareness of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought of a part of young people still has shortcomings and limitations; the ability to identify the plots and tricks of hostile forces is not complete and profound. In some localities, at times and in some places, the provision of official information to young people is not timely and complete. Therefore, the youth force participating in the fight against erroneous and hostile viewpoints, protecting the Party's ideological foundation is still passive; many articles of struggle and refutation are not convincing enough in terms of science and theory, lacking fighting spirit, so the spread is not high...
Therefore, the Youth Union at all levels needs to proactively and promptly grasp the ideological situation of young union members. From there, there are timely measures and methods to educate and correct young people who show signs of deviant ideology, tend to "self-evolve", "self-transform", fade away their beliefs and ideals, lose direction in their efforts, have no will to establish themselves and their careers; follow a pragmatic lifestyle, live on trial, live dependently, lack responsibility, and be indifferent to family and society. At the same time, through movements and practical activities, Youth Union - Association chapters at all levels in schools need to orient and educate to increase the "resistance" of young union members against the negative aspects of society and the sabotage and distortion of hostile forces, especially on social networks; avoid the situation of "party indifference", "distance from politics" - as directed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the 11th National Youth Union Congress, term 2017-2022.
Comrade Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy - Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union added: In recent times, Youth Union chapters at all levels have shifted their focus to propaganda through communication products on social networks and smart mobile devices in a modern direction, suitable for the tastes of young people. In addition to 4 fanpages; 1 website, 1 youtube channel, steering groups on Facebook and Zalo managed by the Provincial Youth Union, 100% of district-level units, commune, ward and town unions have established their own Facebook pages and fanpages. Nghe An Provincial Youth Union Fanpage currently has nearly 80,000 followers, hundreds of thousands of interactions per day. Many columns are of interest to young people such as: "One good news every day, one beautiful story every week", "Following Uncle Ho's footsteps",... In the past 5 years, there have been more than 3,000 news and articles about the example, morality, and style of Ho Chi Minh as well as bright examples of Nghe An youth studying and following Uncle Ho, there have been more than 100,000 good deeds and beautiful stories posted by young people through the website, fanpage system of the Youth Union, Association, and Team at all levels and widely shared by young people.
The Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee also organized seminars on the Law on Cyber Security; how to handle some political situations; how to filter and process public opinion information on social networks for young people; and a discussion on "Youth Union members and the use of social networks". Thereby equipping young people with skills and awareness to turn their social networking pages into propaganda channels to spread good examples, new models, good practices of agencies, units, and localities and fight against fabricated, distorted information that causes public confusion.
“The Youth Union at all levels also needs to regularly provide timely information to young people, especially on sensitive issues and hot events so that young people can understand and perceive the true nature of the matter, and follow the 5K rule: “Do not believe immediately – Do not rush to like – Do not add embellishments – Do not provoke – Do not rush to share”. Build a team of propagandists with knowledge, skills, theories and methods to create news and posts on websites and social networking sites to refute the arguments of hostile forces and orient the ideology of union members and young people. Consider this the backbone force on the ideological front of the Union” – Comrade Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy emphasized.
Also related to the information issue, Captain Nguyen Sy Nguyen - Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of Nghe An Provincial Police said: In addition to being equipped with a solid political ideology and scientific thinking, union members and young people need to be regularly updated with timely information about the plots, methods and tricks of hostile forces and sensitive issues, "hot" events to understand and perceive the true nature of the matter. This is an important "vaccine" to form a "self-immune" mechanism for union members and young people against bad and toxic information, creating a solid foundation to fight and refute false and hostile arguments.
However, the most important thing is that each youth union member must constantly study, practice, cultivate, improve knowledge, capacity, political qualities, ethics, lifestyle; fight against individualism, improve "resistance" against the plots and sabotage tricks of bad elements. At the same time, promote the youth, the ability to apply IT, "master" 4.0 technology of the Youth Union, especially members of the Young Theory Club, Young Reporter Club to fight against bad, toxic, fake information on social networks, orient public opinion thereby protecting the Party's ideological foundation according to the motto "correct perception, sufficient information, quick action, wide dissemination".
Comrade Pham Ngoc Canh - Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee said: In the coming time, the Youth Union at all levels need to promote their strengths in gathering young people, must understand the tastes of young people to build good models and practices, contributing to "greening" the information system useful for young people. Party committees and authorities at all levels also need to create opportunities for young people to participate in the process of planning and implementing socio-economic development policies, especially creating job opportunities and starting a business so that young people can soon affirm their role and contribute to the development of their homeland and country, thereby helping young people gain more experience and confidence in expressing their views and opinions to protect the Party's ideological foundation, fight against erroneous and hostile views.
At the 12th National Congress of the Youth Union, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also emphasized that “Participating in building and protecting the Party and the political system is the responsibility and political right of union members, youth and the Youth Union organization, and is an important and regular task of the Youth Union at all levels. The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union must regularly supplement the Party with a young source of vitality through a team of Party members recruited from outstanding union members and qualified young cadres…” Therefore, effectively implementing the campaign “Union members strive to become members of the Communist Party of Vietnam” is also a solution for union members and youth to participate in protecting the Party’s ideological foundation.
