Returning after a week of joining the Social Innovation Camp (SIC) hosted by Thaksin University, Thailand, Duong Bui Vinh, a student of class 22 SLS, Faculty of History, the University of Science and Education, the University of Da Nang, said that the trip gave him valuable lessons about creativity, innovation and awareness of participating in projects for the community.

Vinh is proud to participate in the Social Innovation Camp 2024 and access many community projects. Photo courtesy of the main character

As the only student of the University of Da Nang in the Social Innovation Camp 2024, Vinh and representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan and China attended a training programme on how to solve social problems such as environment, education, healthcare and public health. The groups were asked to develop creative ideas to solve the challenges that society is facing today.

With the theme “Sustainable Development Goals”, Vinh’s group chose to solve the problem of water pollution by coming up with the idea of ​​creating a garbage collector with special features such as automatically collecting and classifying plastic, paper and metal waste.

The machine is equipped with smart sensors that can identify different types of waste. It operates based on renewable energy such as solar energy, helping save costs and manpower.

In addition, the group focuses on developing methods to treat water contaminated with oil and chemicals, helping to improve water quality before releasing it back into the environment.

According to Vinh, during the discussion, the group members analysed the state of water pollution in many countries, especially in densely populated areas with low education levels - where domestic and industrial waste are seriously degrading the quality of water sources.

Participating in the summer camp is an opportunity for him to realise that social issues such as water pollution or climate change are no longer the problems of a single country but a common responsibility of the whole world. Therefore, the younger generation like Vinh needs to be aware of contributing from small actions to create positive changes in the future.

The Social Innovation Camp is organised annually by Thaksin University, Thailand with the aim to exchange culture, and improve communication and teamwork skills in community projects.

The Social Innovation Camp 2024 attracted nearly 100 students from countries in the Southeast Asian region. Aside from training activities, campers had also a chance to learn about the process of making herbal inhalers, as well as visit factories and traditional craft villages with green and sustainable production processes.

Thanks to this exchange activity, Vinh understood more about cultural diversity as well as how countries approach and solve social challenges. Moreover, he saw this as an opportunity to promote the culture and history of Da Nang to international friends.

In his luggage, Vinh brought along a blue shirt of volunteers and shared with international friends about the activities of the Youth Union, and volunteer campaigns and did not forget to invite his international friends to visit and study in Da Nang in the future.

Returning from Thailand, the young man not only brought with him the experience and knowledge learned from international experts and friends, but also cherished plans and ideas about environmental protection.

“I feel proud to participate in the summer camp and hope to be able to apply the knowledge and skills learned to local community projects. Because, I believe that great changes always start from small actions, thereby contributing to creating a better, more sustainable world” Vinh expressed.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by M.DUNG, V.DUNG