Build many practical models to attract and gather union members.

Developing cooperatives and professional associations

The story of gathering and attracting union members to participate in the organization has long been a difficult problem and has become an important target in the resolutions of congresses of mass organizations at all levels. Young workers in rural areas often go to work far away, while "old" workers are reluctant to participate in social activities. In addition, the merger of blocks, hamlets, villages and hamlets poses even more difficulties in attracting union members to participate in mass activities. The reasons are explained, one is that the administrative boundaries of hamlets are large, so the travel is longer; two is the mentality of people in the old hamlets being close and understanding each other, after the merger with other residents, due to less attachment, they are reluctant to participate in activities.

Leaders of the Provincial Farmers' Association visited the practical activities of the fruit tree growing professional association in Thanh Chuong district. Photo: Mai Hoa

At the ConferenceProfessional trainingFor more than 150 Chairmen of the Farmers' Association at the commune level, recently organized by the Provincial Farmers' Association, comrade Nguyen Quang Tung - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association requested that grassroots associations, in addition to proposing and recommending to higher levels, must find ways to innovate and be creative in content and practical and attractive forms of activities.

In practice, over the past time, the Farmers' Association at all levels in the province has had many measures and solutions to gather and attract members to the association through developing models and organizations. In addition to the hamlet and village branches, the Provincial Farmers' Association has strengthened its direction to establish groups and associations corresponding to residential groups, which are more compact and closer to members, creating convenience for members to meet and participate in activities. At the same time, through that, the association can easily grasp the situation as well as convey policies and movements widely to members.

In particular, stemming from the reality of transforming the economic structure and labor structure in rural areas towards diversifying occupations, psychology, production needs, working hours and income; in recent times, the Provincial Farmers' Association has advocated promoting the development of cooperatives, professional associations, and professional branches, bringing specialized association organizations together, with chicken farmers, pig farmers, cow farmers, fruit growers, etc. forming a group - professional branch to discuss a common issue of concern.

The 3B livestock farming professional association with the "5 regions" principle in Thanh Luong commune, Thanh Chuong district. Photo: Mai Hoa

Along with establishing models, organizing and attracting members, the Provincial Farmers' Association focuses on orienting and innovating the content of activities related to production, income, life and issues of concern to farmers. According to the Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, from 2023, the newsletter "Farmers' Voice" of the Provincial Farmers' Association will focus on orienting and guiding the content of activities, becoming a quarterly activity document for the branch. Accordingly, in the orientation with 4 branch meetings in the year, except for 1 year-end summary and evaluation period, the remaining 3 periods will focus on discussing 3 production projects for 3 spring, summer-autumn and winter crops in the year for effective implementation, contributing to improving and raising the income and life of farmers.

Efforts to innovate and create

Faced with common difficulties in current union activities, not only the Farmers' Association, but also the Veterans' Association, Women's Association, and Youth Union in the province have many concerns about developing many models and organizations to attract union members to join the organization.

In Tan Thanh village, Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, more than 90% of the people are ethnic minorities. Previously, only 36 women participated in the association, but after implementing the model "Colors of my village" with many practical activities, 72/89 women joined the association.

Ms. Ha Thi Uoc, one of the poor members, shared: Joining the association has many benefits. Poor households like hers are supported with a pig and a cow for breeding as a livelihood, along with instructions on how to raise animals; children are supported in going to school. For many families of members in the association, if someone is sick, the association calls on the sisters to help harvest agricultural products; if a family has a funeral or a wedding, the sisters join hands to support, very united.

The Provincial Women's Union presented livelihood model support to women in the border district of Que Phong. Photo: CSCC

It can be said that, depending on specific conditions, each locality has a different way of doing things. In Con Cuong District Women's Union, there is a model to attract elderly members by organizing cultural and artistic groups rich in national identity, arousing the pride of women, associated withfolk dance activitiesmodern. Some activities and movements in residential areas, the Women's Union also takes the lead to "pull" women into the association, thereby participating in the association's activities.

As for the Women's Union of Quy Chau district, based on grasping the reality, understanding what women are interested in to include in the content of the association's activities. Accordingly, the content of the activities is how to develop the economy, improve life, eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, associated with supporting the livelihoods of poor members; mobilizing women to support and help families of women who have funerals, weddings or when they are sick with working days, rice to eat, even firewood... This way of doing, according to comrade Ho Thi Loan - President of the Women's Union of Quy Chau district, has spread to all communes and associations, contributing to attracting members who are ethnic minorities to the organization.

Comrade Hoang Thi Thu Hien - Permanent Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union affirmed that, along with focusing on innovating practical, specific and close-to-the-wants and needs of members, such as supporting livelihoods, providing production and business knowledge, supporting women in starting businesses, building economic models, organizing cultural and sports playgrounds, etc., the construction of models to attract members in industrial parks, members who are female intellectuals, female entrepreneurs, elderly women, religious women, ethnic minority women, etc. has contributed positively to the development and attraction of members to the organization.

Ky Son women participate in folk dance practice. Photo: CSCC

With the Youth Union, when the age of union members and young people in the locality is thin, the innovation and creativity of the Youth Union is to organize the whole Union activities in many forms, such as activities of the Youth Union Branch; activities of the Inter-Branch Youth Union; activities of the whole Union at an outdoor gathering place, at historical and cultural sites; linking activities with cultural, artistic and sports activities, creating attraction. Along with that, proceed to establish branches and sub-branches in apartment buildings and industrial parks with many union members, youth, teenagers and children, associated with organizing activities to attract union members to participate.

It can be said that the activities of the association have difficulties in each period and in the current period, there are many factors affecting and influencing the gathering and attraction of members. However, comrade Nguyen Quang Tung - Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association said: Despite the difficulties, if we know how to create attraction, meet the needs and psychology of members, no matter how large the area is, how old the age is, members will still come to us and join us. This requires each association official at each level to continue to be concerned with innovation, creativity and responsibility to gather and attract the highest proportion of members to the association. This is an important factor, creating human strength to perform well the tasks of each association, contributing to promoting the targets and tasks set forth by the resolutions of the Party Congresses at all levels.