Last week, the "Breaking the Cycle" project team in Ho Chi Minh City held a session to evaluate and assess the needs of the teenangers in the project. Middle and high school teens gathered to reflect on their activities in 2024 and discuss potential topics for 2025.

Photo: The teenagers in the project take turns to write down their desired activities for each topic

Photo: A snapshot of the activity

The project’s sessions cover various topics relevant to the teenagers' lives. After discussions, they agreed on several key themes for 2025:

• Career orientation: Helping students assess their strengths and set career goals for the future.
• Money management: Teaching financial literacy, including budgeting, saving, and smart spending.
• Sex education: Providing knowledge about body awareness, emotional health, sexual abuse prevention, and human trafficking risks.
• Life skills: Covering safe social media use, communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork to build confidence in real-life situations.
• Adolescent development: Understanding the physical and psychological changes during puberty, adolescent needs, and common mental health challenges.

The content for these sessions is curated based on observations, home visits, direct interactions with children, and input from parents. Community concerns and current social issues are also taken into account. All potential topics are reviewed and discussed in an early-year assessment meeting, where both children and parents contribute their opinions. The final selected topics form the core of the weekly sessions.

This assessment session not only helped the students understand upcoming discussions but also gave them a platform to express their needs and expectations. It was an important opportunity for both the children and the project team to reflect, evaluate, and set a meaningful direction for future activities.