“I used to think community projects were hard, challenging, and boring. It’s just all about helping others without gaining anything in return. However, as we embarked on building a project, overcame all the hardships, and successfully created a website for a charitable organization, we realized this project taught us many invaluable lessons. These included the virtue of giving without expecting anything back, the importance of learning from failures, and the opportunity to connect with and assist the community, even strangers. Together, we aspire to make this world a better place.” These heartfelt reflections were shared by students Tuan Kiet, Hoang Viet, and Bao Lam at the community projects presentation held on May 13th.
8 projects, 8 unique presentations, each showcasing confidence, enthusiasm, and the fearless spirit of TDS “warriors” who are unafraid to fail and face challenges head-on. From book donation drives, “Humans of TDS,” diabetes management, to running a model United Nations conference, all projects vividly demonstrated the school’s ethos of “Learning by Doing.”
Throughout the journey of initiating, developing, and spreading these projects, TDSers faced numerous challenges. There was the initial disappointment of a young student who, after launching a book donation drive, received no books, the nervousness of ninth-graders meeting a CEO for the first time, and the stress and pressure faced by students during their first debates on global issues at a Model United Nations conference.
Confronting these challenges with courage and sharing their experiences with confidence and boundless positive energy, TDSers delivered a powerful message: “Failure is not the end, it is the beginning of something better.”
After two weeks of receiving no donated books, student Hoang Tung Thu adjusted the project’s communication strategy. As a result, nearly 600 books were donated over seven months, far exceeding Tung Thu’s expectations. Similarly, the diabetes awareness project by students Khanh An and Yun Bi received community recognition and an article about the project is set to be published by the Editor-in-Chief of the Computer Science and Cybernetics Journal of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
“Impressive and emotional,” praised Mrs. Tran Phuong Lan, parent of ninth-grader Chloe Elizabeth from Class 9 Copenhagen, in response to the outstanding performance of TDSers at the presentation.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhat Hoai, parent of student Hoang Tung Thu shared, “As someone who accompanied my child in the book donation project for underprivileged children in remote areas, I felt deeply moved seeing my child on stage today. Through this project, I witnessed my child grow. They stepped out of their everyday world, traveled with me to highland areas, and helped children in difficult circumstances. They also gained a better understanding of my work, recognizing that serving the community is a meaningful and humane activity that everyone should engage in.”
