Hope to be a bridge between faith and ideals

(Baonghean) - As one of two faces from Nghe An province to attend the National Ceremony of "Recognizing Outstanding Ethnic Minority and Catholic Youth" and also one of 82 outstanding Youth Union secretaries nationwide in 2013, Mr. Bui Van Thanh confided, "My only wish is that the Youth Union is truly a bridge for Catholic youth in my homeland to be enthusiastic about local activities and movements"...

Born in 1985 in a poor Catholic family in Quynh Thanh, a Catholic commune in Quynh Luu district, Bui Van Thanh was always taught by his family about the spirit of "Respecting God and Loving Country" and living a "Good Life and a Good Religion". Since childhood, he has always been loved by teachers and friends because of his efforts in studying and his pioneering spirit in all collective activities.

In 2006, with the desire to become a soldier of Uncle Ho, he applied to join the army, where he always believed: "Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength". In 2008, after leaving the army and returning to his hometown, he was elected by the Party Committee and the Youth Union in the commune as Secretary of the Commune Youth Union. In the early days of holding the important responsibility of youth leader, Thanh found it quite difficult, because the youth union members in the commune were gentle, honest, and loved God and the country but were not very enthusiastic about mass movements. Thanh applied the skills he learned from his days in the army, persistently propagating and mobilizing. There were times when he felt discouraged when "the drums beat one way and the trumpets blew the other way".

In the summer of 2011, there was a regulation that students had to participate in two-way activities, both at school and in the locality. The Executive Committee of the Commune Youth Union had developed a summer activity plan for team members and union members in the area. For several days, the Executive Committee organized radio broadcasts to announce the activity schedule. After surveying, the students responded. However, Thanh was still not reassured because as a Catholic, he understood that the faith of young people in the Catholic area was extremely important, and a word from the parish priest had a great impact on the awareness and actions of the parishioners. He thought that the support of the parish priest was needed for all activities to be effective.

Therefore, Thanh asked a close friend who had prestige with the parish priest to find a way to get close, talk and ask for permission to create conditions for the parishioners' children to participate in group activities. When the parish priest agreed, everything was "as easy as turning your hand", because Catholic youth are inherently honest and enthusiastic, once they participate, they respond wholeheartedly without asking for benefits. So in that summer activity, 200 team members and union members in Quynh Thanh commune actively participated with a high sense of responsibility, bringing the summer activity movement to the top of the district.

Thanh thinks that to gather the youth in the commune, it is necessary to understand their strengths and interests. The passion of Quynh Thanh youth is football and arts. Therefore, Thanh often discusses with his colleagues in the Youth Union Executive Committee to organize football tournaments and cultural exchange programs to stimulate their passion. When finding meaningful joy in collective activities, the youth will feel excited and want to participate in the next movements. And Thanh was right, the commune Youth Union has continuously achieved high achievements such as: winning the Quynh Luu District Youth Football Championship and the Quynh Luu Television Cup Youth Football Championship 2013...

Continuing the successes, the Executive Committee of the Quynh Thanh Commune Youth Union has coordinated with the Commune Cultural Committee to regularly organize cultural, artistic and sports exchange activities between the Youth Union branches, associations and other units. Other movements such as the Humanitarian Blood Donation Program, Singing Songs for the Union in 2011, Quynh Luu Youth Competition with Traffic Safety in 2012, and the Sen Village Singing Festival every year have all been invested in by the Quynh Thanh Commune Youth Union and have achieved many successes.

Now, what Bui Van Thanh is most concerned about is how to integrate the activities of the Youth Union and Association in the religious areas into major holidays such as Christmas and New Year. This integration will help Quynh Thanh youth see the harmony between religion and life, the strength of solidarity and friendship that the Youth Union aims for.

Khoi Nguyen