Rơ Mah H’Dịu, secretary of the Ia Kriêng Commune Youth Union in Đức Cơ District in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. — Photo courtesy of Rơ Mah H’Dịu

GIA LAI — By skilfully using local resources, Rơ Mah H'Dịu has successfully made a special mark with the idea ​​of developing a 'traditional craft weaving village for youth'.

The idea will both create jobs for young people from ethnic groups and preserve Việt Nam’s traditional cultural values.

Returning to her hometown after graduating from university in HCM City, Rơ Mah H’Dịu, secretary of the Ia Kriêng Commune Youth Union in Đức Cơ District in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, could not help but worry about the difficulties in her community.

The COVID-19 pandemic left many people unemployed, especially young ethnic people, who found a lot of obstacles while searching for career opportunities.

Witnessing a great number of young people struggling to make a living, she was determined to find a new direction to help develop her hometown.

After sensing the potential in the Central Highlands' ethnic traditional weaving craft, H’Dịu came up with the idea of ​​building a project to create a 'traditional craft weaving village for youth'.

“When establishing the project, I not only wanted to solve the employment problem for ethnic youth, but also hoped to encourage elderly and disadvantaged people so that they have the opportunity to improve their family economy and life,” said H’Dịu.

Although the model works in practice, at first it ran into difficulties in gathering young people.

But with the desire to preserve and promote the Jrai people’s traditional identity, H’Dịu found solutions to draw in more people.

She organised practical activities and invited village elders and artisans to join in.

At last, H’Dịu succeeded in inspiring young people's interest in weaving, helping them better understand traditional values ​​and become aware of their responsibility in maintaining local cultural identity.

Along with her success in engaging young people, H’Dịu also participates in the traditional cultural experiences, including introducing basket weaving to students.

Artistic programmes, field trips, games related to weaving and folk games are cleverly integrated into the project, creating excitement for the students.

“Experiential activities are no longer limited to a single group of people. We strive to spread traditional cultural values ​​to students at all levels, from primary to high school. The enthusiastic support from parents is a great source of encouragement for us to continue promoting the project," said H’Dịu.

Since its implementation, the project has attracted about 15 young people and more than 700 students in local primary and junior secondary schools.

Climate change response

The project 'traditional craft weaving village for youth' won the first prize in the sixth Creative Startup Ideas Contest 2022 and was among the top 40 finalists of the Rural Youth Startup Project 2023 organised by the Central Youth Union.

With her contributions, H'Dịu was honoured as one of 100 youth union officials nationwide to receive the Lý Tự Trọng Award 2025.

H’Dịu said that she took advantage of local natural materials like bamboo, reed and rattan to create unique handicraft products for the project.

In addition to generating income for local people, the project also raises awareness about the use of products made from environmentally friendly materials like bamboo.

Ia Kriêng Commune often faces floods due to climate change. Growing bamboo along streams and riverbanks is an effective solution to prevent erosion and maintain geological stability, thanks to the plant's deep roots.

“Bamboo and rattan are natural resources, easy to grow and highly applicable, creating favourable conditions for people to sustainably realise the project,” H’Dịu said.

But she said that the project is still in its early stages, so there will inevitably be difficulties in training workers as well as finance.

At the moment, project activities are largely based on support from residents, with no official investment source or professional advice available.

H’Dịu hopes that local authorities and departments will help encourage artisans to upgrade traditional products, and at the same time create conditions for them to access resources and markets.

“Currently, the project is only being conducted on a small scale, focusing on producing baskets for tourists. In the future, I hope to create more diverse products with wider appeal, such as T’Rưng lutes, bamboo baskets and pen holders to meet customers' needs,” she said. — VNS