Hang: Unlocking children's potential
When Hang started her economics degree, she didn’t know a single word of sign language and had never considered social work as a career. By the time she graduated, she was fluent in sign and dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children.
Rooms within rooms within rooms
Hang knew that working at Blue Dragon would present her with a lot of new challenges, so she gave herself a two-year probation period. Almost exactly two years on from her first day, she can’t imagine working anywhere else.
“There are too many kids here who I want to see grow and thrive; too many that are making such great progress with their reading; and too many precious moments like when a shy child finally comes out of their shell and start joining activities.”
Hang, who specialises in helping children with hearing impairments, has seen more kids learn things about themselves and the world than she can remember; it’s those moments of discovery that keep her going when things get tough. But she knows that quick fixes don’t exist – no two children are alike, and each one she meets leads her toward new challenges that she could never have expected.
“Helping a child to overcome a hurdle is very satisfying – like cracking a lock to a new, fascinating room. But often when you enter that room, you find many more doors inside.”
Hang loves helping children to learn new skills
Eye-opening
Hang didn’t plan to become a social worker. She studied economics at university, where she stumbled upon an opportunity that changed her life.
One of Hang’s professors introduced her to a social enterprise set up to help disadvantaged children. When she began volunteering there, she met many children with hearing impairments whose families didn’t know how to properly care for them.
Suddenly, Hang knew what she wanted to do with her life: Give disadvantaged children a better chance to thrive.
Hang spent hours upon hours learning sign language, studied social work in her free time, and gave her all to every day she spent helping children. When her volunteer work led her to Blue Dragon, she applied for a job as soon as a position came up.
Two years later, the children Hang works with are still constantly finding ways to surprise and challenge her – and she is relishing every moment.
“The most challenging thing is to find the strength in each kid and figure out the best way to bring it out of them,” shares Hang. “But it’s also the most rewarding.”
Blue Dragon kids are a big fan of Hang
Hang often joins children for lunch at the Blue Dragon centre
Hang often translates events and performances for children with hearing impairments at Blue Dragon
Finding the right keys
Whether she’s assisting homeless children on the streets or leading activities at the Blue Dragon centre, Hang goes all out to tailor her care to each child’s specific needs.
Helping a deaf child on the streets
Hang sticks by children’s sides until they reach their goals
One child who Hang remembers fondly is a 15-year-old girl with a hearing impairment called Mai. Mai was shy and terrified of water, so Hang decided to tackle both of these hang-ups at the same time by taking her to group swimming classes with Blue Dragon friend UNIS, an international school in Hanoi.
At first, Mai was scared to even dip her toes in the water, and she needed Hang to act as a go-between in all her social interactions. But little by little, Mai took to the pool and her fellow swimmers alike.
Seeing Mai swimming and socialising without needing her constant support was a deeply rewarding moment for Hang, and strengthened her belief that every child can thrive – the trick is just finding the right key to unlock their potential.
Thinking outside the box
Sometimes the key to unlocking a child’s potential comes with something as simple as patience. Tung, a 13-year-old boy with learning difficulties, has recently had behavioural problems at school.
After spending considerable time getting to know Tung, Hang realised that he loved practical work and thrived on creative problem solving. Tung’s behaviour began to improve as Hang tailored activities toward his learning style, and a particularly memorable moment came when she enrolled him in a leadership training workshop.
The final activity of the workshop was to pile a series of small balls into a pyramid-like structure without them collapsing. Determined not to let it beat him, Tung stayed all through lunch time until he finally hit upon a creative solution.
Tung took out his shoelace, wrapped it tight around the balls and tied it so that it held them in place. Because of his patience, unwavering determination and creativity, Tung was the only child who successfully completed the task.
Helping kids to get creative
Unwavering determination
Hang believes that she has grown as a person along with the children who she helps. Back in her early days at Blue Dragon – when she set herself a personal two-year probation – she occasionally found it challenging to understand what might be holding certain kids back.
But just like Tung, Hang is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. She knows that for however long she stays at Blue Dragon, she will meet many more children who will present her with unexpected challenges, and that she will stick by them for as long as it takes to help them unlock their potential and thrive on their own.
“Whatever challenges the children face, I will help them patience, openness, and the resolve to keep asking ‘why’ instead of judging.”
