A Mock Young Parliament opened at the Hà Nội Law University yesterday. 1

HÀ NỘI — A Mock Young Parliament opened at the Hà Nội Law University yesterday. 

Organised by the Việt Nam Youth Parliament (VNYP), it gathers 100 “excellent students” from 62 universities in Hà Nội, and engage directly in parliamentary processes.

The project, which won the 2016 exchange alumni small grant competition held by the US Embassy and will run until April this year, aims to improve young people’s awareness and role in the country’s law and policy-making process. 

Its main activities include training sessions, discussions with specialists, extracurricular activities and a plenary session. The young MPs will focus on laws and policies relating to education, culture, environment, economy, diplomacy, science-technology, and healthcare. 

At yesterday’s opening ceremony, Hà Nội Law University Vice Rector Chu Mạnh Hùng said the project was a meaningful one, enabling the 100 participating students to become active players in connecting activities of State agencies, including the National Assembly. 

Nguyễn Thị Hà Dương, deputy head of the project’s executive board, said many young Vietnamese don’t pay attention to the country’s important policies. With 42 per cent of the population in the 15-25 age group, this lack of attention is a partial factor in the ineffectiveness of policies and their implementation, she added. 

Through the Mock Young Parliament, the project’s founders and those who are interested in national development want to inspire youngsters’ aspiration for a more developed society, she said.

Project participants will be equipped with basic knowledge about the National Assembly and necessary skills and gain a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities in contributing to the law and policy making process. They will also be able to discuss many issues of their concern with specialists, she added. — VNS