HÀ NỘI — An exhibition at Kim Đồng Publishing House introduces children's book ideas, inspiring future generations to consider and pursue career aspirations beyond gender norms and expectations. 

The event is part of Meet Me in the Future, a creative project that invites the community to reimagine the future of the workforce via children's books, and is holding discussions and workshops on the topic of children’s freedom to explore and choose careers.

The project is led by the Initiative of Children’s Book Creative Content in collaboration with Kim Đồng Publishing House and ECUE-VGEM, with support from the Australian government’s Investing in Women initiative.

Meet Me in the Future calls for children’s book ideas from the community that introduce more gender-diverse representations in different career roles.

Kicking off with a call for writing this past spring, Meet Me In the Future attracted 268 ideas from individuals and groups of all ages and from different regions.

Of these, 34 per cent of the ideas came from children under 18 years old. The remaining ideas came from adults who are authors, illustrators, parents, educators and people interested in gender equality and children’s education.

The ideas not only show the diversity of jobs and occupations in society in a close, friendly and easy-to-understand way for children, but also bring new perspectives on familiar occupations and introduce new careers, thereby conveying the message of children's equal rights in access opportunities from a young age.

"It is a creative idea for contributing positively to the innovation of children's book content in Việt Nam," said Vũ Thị Quỳnh Liên, Editor-in-Chief of Kim Đồng Publishing House. 

"Most of the ideas are on-topic, including creative ideas aimed at inclusion, particularly for people with disabilities."

The top five finalists of the open call will get their works published in 2026. The exhibition Meet Me in the Future runs until July 6 along with interactive activities. A book reading will take place on July 5 at 10am at 55 Quang Trung Street, and will help popularise Vietnamese traditional handicraft villages. — VNS