We had a truly meaningful time with dear friends coming from Asian countries to participate in the 4-day SECOND ASIA REGION ECOVERSITIES ALLIANCE program in Hoi An, Vietnam. They are independent researchers, alternative educators, climate researchers, freelance educators, entrepreneurs, community leaders, organic farmers, and more. They are contributors to building locally-rooted learning spaces to promote community solidarity, sustainable ecology, and local economic development. During these 4 days, many members brought their projects and experiences to share, including projects on alternative education, projects on sustainable agriculture,... In addition, there are projects that empower and promote social inclusion for disadvantaged people that CORMIS and HIRAYA Collective for the Blind have been doing. The program has truly created favorable conditions for sharing diverse experiences, working together, discussing, and supporting each other to create new, creative, and meaningful projects for the community. Many participants found their community; Like-minded people who can understand their individual paths, thereby it was easy for sharing, sympathizing, understanding, and supporting each other. Ecoversities has become a space where people can express their authenticity, differences and connect with a family that shares their values. Participating in this program, in addition to receiving a lot of useful information from international friends, we also had the opportunity to share with the participants about the projects that the we have been implementing. In particular, they also had the opportunity to talk directly with disabled women participating in the Upcycling Project and experience the mental health activities that we have been serving the community, including TRE and Dork Dancing. Immediately after finishing the meeting program in Hoi An, we collaborated with HIRAYA Collective for the Blind to organize a sharing and exchange workshop between the amazing friends from HIRAYA Collective and the representatives of Deaf, people with mobility disabilities living in Da Nang. This activity also helped people with disabilities in Da Nang gain more information, knowledge, and skills on how to support the Blind. Most importantly, it has created a bond between disabled brothers and sisters in the two countries and supported a gradual change in thinking from "impossible" to "possible" in the thinking and actions of disabled brothers and sisters in Da Nang, Vietnam.
