Beyond Borders — Family Reading Initiative

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many schools across Vietnam moved fully online. While some families were able to continue learning through digital devices and stable internet access, many children in rural and underprivileged areas struggled to access education due to limited resources and support at home.

At that time, I joined Beyond Borders as a Communication and Event Coordinator. My role mainly involved managing the organisation’s social media pages, uploading and developing content, supporting communication activities and contacting potential sponsors and partners for educational and community-based projects.

Click on the image to go to Beyond Borders page!

Project Focus

One of the projects I managed was a family reading initiative designed to support children with dyslexia and encourage confidence in reading and learning English.

The initiative focused on creating accessible learning materials that families could use at home without relying heavily on digital technology. Alongside literacy support, the project also promoted traditional and community values through family-centred activities that encouraged participation and interaction between children, parents, and local communities.

Aim

The initiative aimed to:

• provide accessible learning support for children during school closures
• support parents in becoming more involved in learning at home
• encourage confidence in reading and communication
• create inclusive learning experiences beyond traditional classroom settings
• strengthen community and cultural engagement through educational activities

Targeted audience

The primary audience included children from underprivileged communities, particularly learners requiring additional literacy support, alongside parents and caregivers supporting learning at home during the pandemic.

My Role

My responsibilities covered both educational and operational aspects of the initiative. I contributed to:

• planning and coordinating project activities
• developing and editing learning materials for families
• writing communication and promotional content
• editing student and project videos
• supporting media and community engagement activities
• coordinating logistics for events and recognition activities
• helping manage communication across different parts of the project

A major part of the role involved ensuring that materials and activities were accessible, practical, and easy for parents with no teaching background to use at home.

Outcomes and Reflection

Although the project was relatively small in scale, it significantly shaped my understanding of accessibility and educational design.

The experience also gave me practical exposure to coordinating educational projects across content development, media production, logistics, communication, and learner support simultaneously. Most importantly, it reinforced my interest in designing learning experiences that are inclusive, accessible, and adaptable across both online and offline contexts, particularly for learners whose needs are often overlooked by mainstream educational systems.