On 9 June 2025, the Lao Youth Union (LYU) held an opening ceremony for the second phase of the project “Life Skills Training for Lao Youth”. The Life Skills Training Project for Lao Youth is a collaboration between DVV International and the Department of Vocational Development at LYU. The ceremony was chaired by Ms. Keooudone Sengmanivong (representative of the LYU secretary), Mr. Christoph Jost (regional director of DVV International Southeast Asia), the representatives of the concerned LYU departments, as well as the secretaries and trainers of LYU from the target provinces.
The cooperation between the Department of Vocational Development and DVV International previously implemented life skills training projects in eight target provinces. For the upcoming second phase of the project, two new target provinces have been added, where the project will be implemented for a period of two years. This life Skills project funded by the German charity organisation “die Sternsinger”. After the opening ceremony in the morning, Mrs. Sengmanivong explained that life skills will be lead the youth in their future after graduation. Whether they are going to continue to study or start working in the labor market, they have to be aware about societal context in order to get along. The afternoon session included a training on using the project monitoring tools. The purpose these tools is to ensure that implementation and coordination are efficient and effective.
Training of life skills trainers is essential to build capacities so that they can conduct activities for youth in the target provinces who are studying at the high school level. The project aims to create awareness among youth for the importance of life skills related to their in their daily lives and for their future. Through the project, youths are encouraged to learn, gain knowledge and skills, and develop a direction in their own life. By this, they contribute to the creation of valuable human resources.