Over the past 2 years, October has been a special month of achievement for us. This time last year, CoRE - the charity arm of Tea Talk - was awarded top 3 for the small organization category in Vietnam seen as having the best transparency and accountability practice. And now, we again were honored as one of the 10 CSO's Initiatives for Development Effectiveness in Vietnam (out of 27 organizations).
Furthermore, our colleague Luong, as a YSEALI (Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative) Alumnus, won YSEALI Mirco-Grant 2017 for her proposal of Wife Together Project. This project aims to equip 20 staff from Vietnam Women’s Union of Ba Vi suburban district (Hanoi) with skills to work with men to prevent intimate partner violence in their communities. Congratulations to Luong and her team!
Let’s Share and Let’s Chat enjoyed welcoming guest speakers from America, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia. One special guest in particular was photographer Danielle Maczynski of Photographer Without Borders Organization, who not only volunteered to take photos of out activities, but also did her own sharing on “The Power of Observation”, teaching us all some new tricks related to photography. Other topics ranged from discussions about famous poems and stories, and what they mean for us today, to recent research on the brain and what that means for us practically. Indeed, three speakers from three different countries shared about “Building the Brain You Want”, “Practicing Mindfulness” and “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. Each of these engaging sessions helped us to discover the different ways in which our minds work and how we can use them to understand ourselves and others better. The final Let’s Share of the month also happened to be Let’s Share and Let’s Chat founder Presley McFadden’s birthday. As such, he was surprised with a wonderful party and several gifts. For Presley, however, one of the greatest gifts is simply the young people that continue to come to the clubs every week!
This month, Trang Nha - the program coordinator of Saturday Fun together with our new intern Linh - brought 4 fun adventures to our little friends, from how to make super cute flip flops and market bags with recycled materials to preparing home-made sandwiches in different shapes. A parent delightedly told us that her child was so excited that he wanted to be a baker and to serve Tea Talk's customers. How inspiring it is!
Tea Talk Story Book is still available for sale! If you want to order one, please:
📚 Leave us a message via this email (for those who are based in Vietnam and other countries);
📚 Reach us at Tea Talk Singapore (for those who are currently in Singapore).