Position: Youth Program Coordinator/ Research Associate
Organization: Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population
Current Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Bachelor of Public Health in Health Promotion from Hanoi University of Public Health
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
1/ Training and practicum of conference services of the Hospital Management Asia 2012 (September, 2012)
2/ Training workshop on communication and counseling skills for sexuality, reproductive health and rights for young workers in Hanoi, Vietnam (2013)
3/ Training on Peer Education Skills and Summer Camp for teen councillors on gender and reproductive health by Planned Parenthood & CCIHP (July, 2014)
4/ Training workshop: “Access to Community Health” in Vietnam by Resource Exchange International and CoRE (2014)
5/ Training workshop: “Advocacy and Planning Skills on sexual and reproductive health & rights for youth” by ARROW and CCIHP (December, 2014)
6/ Training workshop: “Strengthening the networking, Knowledge management and Advocacy capacities of an Asia-Pacific Network for Sexual, Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)” in Bali, Indonesia by ARROW (August, 2015)
7/ Youth Scholarship Certificate of participation in the 8th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Sexual Health and Rights in Myanmar (2016)
8/ Certificate for poster presenter on ” An assessment of Inter-ministerial circular on condoms in Hanoi, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam” in the 8th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive Sexual Health and Rights in Myanmar (2016)
8/ Youth Scholarship Certificate of participation in the Women Deliver: the 4th Global Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark (2016)
Awards Received:
Award:
Youth Delegate Scholarship
Awarding Organization:
Women Deliver 2016
Date Awarded:
June 17, 2016
Le Hoang Minh Son is Youth Program Coordinator at the Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP) and founder of the Vietnam Youth Action for Choice network. Son became an SRHR activist and educator whilst studying at Hanoi University of Public Health. He is a firm believer in adopting a rights-based approach to engage young people in debates and action around issues such as family planning, gender equality, respect for diverse sexualities and identities and bodily integrity. As a leader of the Vietnam Youth Action for Choice, he organizes social media campaigns and conducts trainings for medical students in sexuality and inclusion to bust the myths surrounding contraception and abortion. This year, Son is chairing the Youth Conference at the 9th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive, Sexual Health and Rights in Vietnam. The Youth Conference aims to inspire young people not only in Vietnam but also across the Asia Pacific region to advocate and take action towards SRHR. Son is committed to devoting his career to the development of young people’s energy and talents through innovative means.
“Son, a talented activist and women’s rights defender in Vietnam, is a founder of national youth network Vietnam Youth Action for Choice. He has devoted his career to provide family planning education for young people particularly marginalized groups.
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– Thuy Bich Phan, Training & Services Senior Advisor at Concept Foundation
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.
When I was in University, I joined in a project to provide migrant workers in 4 industrial parks with the knowledge about family planning, safer sex and gender-based violence prevention. More than 1000 workers had attended the workshop and training on safer sex with consent and contraceptive methods. Between 2014 and 2016, I worked closely with 50 students in 6 secondary schools in Hanoi to establish the Teen Councils where all members has been well trained on sexuality education and then went back to their school and share with their friends as a peer education model. In 2016 to present, I conducted 2 workshop in Hue and Danang to train more than 40 medical students on SRHR. I helped them to bust all the myths among contraception and improve their skill on right-based counselling.
What sparked your passion for family planning?
Women’s right to control their own bodies is a core value for what I am doing to promote family planning. When I started my journey in this field, I have heard and observed many girls and young women lacked of information and accessibility to family planning. They suffered from violence, got threats if they didn’t agree to have sex with their husbands or were forced to have more children by their spouses and unsafe abortion. The motivation to change sparked my passion for family planning.
Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:
In 2016, with the support from ASAP, we established our youth network called Vietnam Youth Action for Choice which aims at support young people in my country access to SRHR information and counselling. As a leader of network, I keep updating all accurate information on SRHR including family planning to core members and other medical students. As a FP leader, I am dispelling all myths among FP and leading the team to evidences-based information and regularly update FP methods on facebook fanpage.
If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work?
I believe sexuality education with equality and equity is extremely necessary for young people to control our body, our health and our future. If named a winner with this new platform and $1000, a Vietnamese youthful website and application to help young people and adolescent seek for family planning information and services will be invested and designed. A map of friendly FP service points for young people with special need(s) such as people with disabilit(ies), people have H+ will be included.
Photos of the nominee in the field/at work
http://asap-asia.org/blog/should-we-be-proud-or-ashamed-when-vietnam-has-one-of-…
http://online.fliphtml5.com/pltg/vjgp/
