Youth Month 2024 themed "Youth volunteer for community life" kicked off at a ceremony in HCM City on February 24.  — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Giang

HCM CITY — This year’s Youth Month, themed "Youth volunteer for community life", officially kicked off at a ceremony in HCM City on February 24.

Youth Month 2024 volunteer programmes, organised by the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) of HCM City, will last until the end of March.

Speaking at the ceremony, Standing Deputy Secretary of the city’s HCYU Ngô Minh Hải said Youth Month’s key work is to promote a spirit of creativity and volunteering among young people in the city to take part in the city’s socio-economic recovery and sustainable development.

“It contributes to develop HCM City as a modern, humane, dynamic and creative city,” he said.

It received donations worth more than VNĐ2.1 billion (US$84,775), 7,000 breeding ducks and 15 laptops from donors, which will be gifted to needy people.

It set out a number of targets such as about 500,000 young people and members of all youth unions at the grassroots level in the city to take part in Youth Month 2024 volunteer programmes.

At least 250 outstanding youth union members will become Communist Party members, and about 25,000 young Vietnamese will join the Youth Union.

It aims to establish 50 new youth union associations at private enterprises, non-governmental organisations, and non-public units.

It also plans to support 25,000 disadvantaged children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and plant about 40,000 new trees.

Youth Festival 2024 is expected to attract the participation of about 50,000 youth union members and young people.

As part of Youth Month 2024 volunteer programmes, the youth union members will provide free examinations and medicine to local people.

The programme will run until the end of the year.

It focuses on promoting digital transformation, supporting building new-style rural areas and socio-economic development in rural areas, environmental protection, climate change adaption, overcoming damage from natural disasters, and organising playgrounds for science and technology activities. — VNS