Hi everyone. My name is Hoang Nghi Lam, but you can call me “Shinny”. I’ve just turned 9 and I live in Danang city. I’m in grade 3 and I go to Hai Ba Trung primary school.

Guys, how do you wake up every morning and find the motivation to study regardless of how you feel? I’m talking about A study buddy.

I have a little secret. I LOVE watching “Study With Me” videos on YouTube. I am watching a stranger doing exam prep or desk organization. 

I first started watching these videos since quarantine began and all classes have moved online at my school in 2021, there’s something very comforting about watching another person continuing and altering their study habits to fit these new circumstances. Somehow, watching someone be productive makes me want to be more productive too. Which I assume is the whole purpose of the video. And let me just say, mission accomplished.

I shared it with my dad and he highly recommended me to find someone to study with.

Then, he helped me to find my online learning buddy. Her name is Cherry. Actually, she’s my first cousin and also my best friend. She lives in Dong Ha city, Quang Tri province. It's about 300 kilometers away from Danang so we can only see each other in person once or twice a year. Last summer, my dad talked to her mom to let us learn together and motivate each other. Since then, we’ve studied together via zoom for a couple of hours everyday.

If you find that studying with other people is distracting, there are videos on YouTube where people have recorded themselves studying for a few hours at a time. I’m not suggesting you watch a three-hour long video of someone doing their homework. However, it can be helpful to have a video like this on in the background for motivation and study inspiration.

Recently, I have an idea for a project that will help develop self-study skills for every student. It's about creating an online supportive community to help each other feel inspired and held accountable to reach our goals. What we need to do is record our SELF-STUDYING ACTIVITIES using our computer or mobile device and share it with others. Well, I named the project “Together we go further“.

And of course, I wish my school could be the first school to start with. I would feel really happy if all the teachers and students at my school support my idea and content to help other students. My school can be the first school to join the “Together we go further “ project. I then will start talking to other people about my idea, including the newspaper, TV and radio stations. Because of this, other schools will hear about it, and may say they want to join in too. Now, I know many Children living in poverty face many barriers to accessing an education. Some are obvious — like not having a school to go to — while others are more subtle. Like the teacher at the school not having had the training needed to help children learn effectively. And I believe this project will benefit them in their future educational and career endeavor. What they need is a device with internet connection. To help them, there are a list of community groups across our country which collect computer donations for fixing and distribution to locals in need. Besides, we have a fast and reliable internet connectivity which brings new hope to rural villages.

I’ll keep going until the project is run in every school in Danang, in Vietnam, and maybe one day, in the world.

Thank You for listening!