Seeds of change: Youth Innovation rooted in community

At 20 years old, Lương Thị Bạch Dương, an ethnic Tày and third-year student at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, is driven by a deep concern for children in her mountainous hometown of Nguyên Bình, Cao Bằng. As a child, she vividly remembers trekking slippery red-dirt roads to school with her cousin, exhausted before even reaching the classroom. These early hardships planted the seeds of her dream - to improve education access for ethnic minority children. 

That dream began to take shape when Dương joined UPSHIFT 2025, UNICEF’s global social innovation program for youth. In Viet Nam, UPSHIFT partnered with AIESEC to help young people bridge the gap from learning to earning, focusing on girls, ethnic minorities, and those from underserved communities. 

Dương learned about the program through a university group and joined the 4-day bootcamp in Ho Chi Minh City. There, more than 100 girls with diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities and from ethnic minority groups, came together to tackle real-life challenges. Despite her initial doubts “At first, I thought I didn’t belong”—Dương soon found herself inspired by the diversity and shared passion of her peers. 

“I learned so much, not just new knowledge, but how to respect differences and embrace diversity,” she said. “I felt like I was being boosted from the inside.” 

A seed takes root 

At the bootcamp, Dương and her team, Hạt mầm Hy Vọng (Seeds of Hope), began designing a project aimed at improving education and livelihoods for disadvantaged Khmer communities in the Southern province of Sóc Trăng. Though her initial idea focused on the Northern Highlands, research during the bootcamp prompted the group to shift to the South, where similar challenges persist. 

Their initiative aims to revive traditional Khmer crafts such as woven scarves and stained-glass art to create job opportunities for women, elders, and people with disabilities. These economic opportunities, they believe, will help provide children with the stable home environment they need to thrive in school. 

“To have a solid educational base, families first need stability,” Dương emphasized. She recalled a heartbreaking moment in Sóc Trăng when she met a 9-year-old boy riding a makeshift motorbike. “When I asked where his parents were, he said they were out drinking. That broke my heart.” 

The group hopes to partner with local cooperatives and homestays to distribute handmade goods, both domestically and internationally. They also plan to pass on these endangered skills to younger generations through community training programs. 

Growth and transformation 

Looking ahead to Phase 2 of UPSHIFT, Dương is excited about refining the team’s proposal and preparing for the pitching round, where selected ideas will receive financial support from UNICEF. “We’re reaching out to local women’s associations and planning community surveys to make sure our idea truly responds to real needs,” she said. 

But beyond project planning, Dương is most proud of her personal growth. 

“Earlier this year, I was still a very shy girl. I constantly felt like I wasn’t good at anything. But a friend encouraged me to try and I did. Now I’ve changed a lot for the better.” 

More than an idea 

For Dương, UPSHIFT is not just about winning funding. It’s about learning, connecting, and building confidence. 

“I don’t know if our idea will be chosen but just having the chance to experience this is already a win,” she said. 

Even if still in its early stages, the team’s project reflects a bigger hope: that one day, from these small seeds, a forest of opportunity will grow, where every child, from mountain villages to river islets, has a chance to learn and dream. 

As UPSHIFT 2025 continues, AIESEC in Viet Nam is working to link participants with mentors, internships, and job opportunities. The journey of these young changemakers is just beginning. 

Info box: UPSHIFT is UNICEF’s global program on social innovation and social entrepreneurship, designed to develop 21st-century skills and create opportunities for adolescents and youth, especially those most vulnerable. With a human-centered approach, the UPSHIFT curriculum aims to empower young people by equipping them with essential transferable skills and resources to identify challenges within their communities and design solutions to address them. Through hands-on activities and guidance from experienced mentors, UPSHIFT enables youth to develop innovative ideas that tackle real issues they care about, nurturing leadership grounded in community and social impact.