Individual journeys, shared soil

[Rituu B. Nanda]

With my two team mates Beaw and Loan, I invited 9 Spark Fund Vietnam youth fellows to think about their common dream as a cohort. The fellows are working on individual projects related to climate change.

While they do not see themselves working together as a group yet, they shared insights that were  profound. What they came up was not a a single dream, but something far more honest: a shared space that holds individual dreams. “We are all different kinds of flowers,” one of them said, “each wanting to bloom in our own way.” Our initiatives may differ, but at the core, we are rooted in a common goal. Like trees in a forest- different shapes, different heights we grow in harmony. Each one exists for a reason. They shared individual dreams: of a university, a children’s hub, a farm, even a colourful paper factory. Many spoke of grounding their work in indigenous knowledge and wisdom, while others underlined their work guided by technology.  Another fellow reflected on the importance of balance: the dance of yin and yang. They spoke of the five elements in nature, and how each of them,  is like one of those elements.  “It’s like the four seasons and five tastes,” one said, "each a system in itself, yet part of a larger universe."

Connection is the foundation! Fellows spoke emphasized that they would like to deepen the connection  which is building between them through visiting each other, supporting each other, and keeping in touch. Connecting back to the SALT conversations two participants shared: 

"As I am the youngest, others are alway advising me. By sharing about myself in the SALT conversation, I realised that the answers are already within us. I can learn from myself. ." Nguyen

Mau, moved by a SALT conversation, said: "Sometimes I feel bad about my life and wonder how to fix the problems. But through this conversation, I realized that the storm came to purify me."

While they may not want to work together but what is emerging is something more organic  The fellows reminded that me its not about uniformity but harmonisation similar to an ecosystem where each person’s work can thrive in its own way. They may not call see themselves working together yet  but in spirit, they already are. 

Thank you Ze for the translation in conversation with the Youth fellows! Big thanks to Loan for translating CLCP in Vietnamese

[Sadia Jafrin]

I really resonate with these two statements: “I can learn from myself” and “It’s not about uniformity, but harmonization.”

Thank you so much for sharing, Rituu. Your words carry such warmth and insight. I truly hope you continue writing — I’m really enjoying reading what you share. Please keep it going.

[Shahrukh Atpade]

A beautiful reminder that true connection lies not in uniformity, but in holding space for each other’s unique dreams to grow. thank you for sharing ritu.