Working with Unilever Vietnam and Dove to promote confidence in secondary school students, the Vietnam National Institute for Educational Science (VNIES) and the Center for Education and Development (CED) have created a meaningful educational program to boost selff-esteem for youth.
Global research shows that low confidence in physical appearance prevents young people from realizing their full potential. According to the Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report (2016), more than 80% of girls avoid activities they love because they do not feel satisfied with their appearance, meaning they avoid participating in class debates, joining sports clubs, and may not even want to attend school. This is a huge problem to our students, as lacking self-confidence can cause a detrimental effect to their comprehensive development. By not realizing their worth, students will not be able to work to their full potential.
Dove has already implemented their “Self-Esteem” project in 153 countries since 2004, aimed at promoting confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness, especially in young girls. Now, Dove has brought this project to Vietnam in collaboration with Unilever Vietnam, VNIES and CED. The initial stage of the project will run from September 2023 to January 2024 and is tailored specifically for Vietnamese students.
During this period, the team has worked to produce a package of “Confident me” documents that can be used in schools as part of the curriculum. As more than 55% of students felt they have experienced teasing “a few times” and nearly 14% of students have experienced being teased or commented “many times,” it has been imperative to combat this through the “Confident me” documents. To accomplish this, three “training of teachers (ToT)” courses have been organized to equip teachers to deliver these lessons to their students. These courses guide the teachers through the “Confident me” documents so that they are then able to feel confident in their abilities themselves to deliver the course to their own students.
Through this initiative, VNIES and CED have been able to deliver the ToT courses to 150 teachers across 15 schools in three provinces in Vietnam. As a result, these trained teachers have now been able to support 10.000 students to engage with the “Confident me” package and build their self-esteem.
This educational program can also be used by teachers to compliment the 2018 general education program issued by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training. Subjects such as literature, civic education, experiential activities and career advice can all benefit from integrating knowledge from the “Confident me” documents. Organizing extra-curricular events and creative competitions that incorporate the messages from “Confident me” can also be imperative to creating change for our young people.
Training for teachers in Soc Trang province, December 14-15, 2023
It is hoped that, through this course and integration of knowledge throughout their education, our students will be able to realize their own values, regardless of appearance, age or weight. Students will recognize that they can celebrate themselves, develop themselves and become the best version of themselves they can possibly be.
At the ToT training in Hanoi, Prof. Dr. Le Anh Vinh (Director of VNIES) said, “Dove self-esteem project activities, when implemented in secondary schools, play a meaningful role in promoting confidence and improving self-esteem for students, especially female students. The project carries a meaningful message that a healthy body is a body with good mental and physical health. Self-confidence is confidence in an individual’s abilities, temperament and inner values.”
Ms. Le Thi Hong Nhi (Director of Communications and External Relations – Unilever Vietnam) said: “Unilever is always consistent on our journey to promote gender equality, nurture confidence and build a diverse and inclusive society. The Dove Self-Esteem Project affirms our efforts to encourage women and girls to confidently show their personal beauty, and experience freedom from negative gender stereotypes and societal pressures. Through the activities of our brands and our collaborative efforts with government, social and international organizations, we hope to inspire the young generation with positive messages about their self-esteem and intrinsic values.”
