Chapter 11 — The Language of Hands

Part III — Connectivity Project

The club meeting in early November took place in a completely different atmosphere than usual. Instead of setting up tables and chairs in a circle to practice symbols as usual, Gia Bach prepared a large whiteboard with colorful sticky notes on it, each piece scribbled an idea.

"Today I want to talk about a bigger project," he started when the class had settled down, his voice full of excitement but also somewhat serious. "Since the beginning of the year until now, my club has organized two small exchanges with the Deaf community in Lang Coffee, and I see a really clear effect. But I want to do something bigger, something that can reach not only the twenty or so club members, but the whole school."

He wrote on the board in large letters: "No Distance Festival."

"My idea is to organize a festival right at the school yard, inviting the Deaf community in the area to join the whole school's students," Gia Bach explained, pointing to each note on the board. "There could be a booth teaching basic signs to students, an art performance using signs, a display area for people to better understand Deaf culture, and if possible, a corner exhibiting paintings of Deaf youth in the area."

The whole class was buzzing, everyone was excited about the scale of the idea, although many people were worried about the huge amount of work that such a project requires.

"It sounds really grand, but I'm afraid the school won't agree to lend the school grounds," Duc Anh spoke up, his face somewhat embarrassed. "We still have to use the school yard for other activities of the School Union."

"That's why I need everyone's support right now," Gia Bach replied, undeterred by the warning. "I contacted Ms. Xuan in advance, and she was willing to present the proposal to the Board of Directors with me. But for the proposal to be convincing, I need a very specific and detailed plan, showing that this is not an impulsive idea, but a project with real value."

Thao Nguyen sat and listened, feeling a new energy welling up in her heart. The thought of the whole school having the opportunity to interact with and understand more about the Deaf community - the community to which her younger brother belongs - made her feel an intense excitement that she had never felt since joining the club.

"I want to join the organizing committee," she raised her hand, her voice firm, causing a few people to turn and look at her with slightly surprised eyes at this unexpected initiative.

"Very good," Gia Bach nodded, his eyes shining with joy. "I need someone to be in charge of communications and connecting with the local Deaf community, because you already know Mr. Phuc and everyone at Lang Coffee."

"I accept," Thao Nguyen replied immediately, without any hesitation.

The meeting continued with the division of the different teams — logistics team, program team, communications team, sponsorship contact team. Minh Thu volunteered to be in charge of the decorations, while Duc Anh took on the role of logistics coordinator even though he was still skeptical about the event's ability to be approved.

In the middle of the meeting, Ms. Xuan also contributed some important comments. "I want to remind everyone of something," she said, her voice as serious as ever. "If this event is organized, the goal is not to turn Deaf people into a 'show' for students to watch for fun, like a fancy performance at a festival. The goal is to create an equal space, where both sides are subjects and have a voice. If done in the wrong direction, this project could unintentionally backfire, making the Deaf community feel taken advantage of instead of respected."

That reminder made the class calm down a bit, everyone realized that their responsibility was greater than what they initially imagined. Gia Bach nodded in agreement. "You're right. That's why I want to invite Mr. Phuc himself and a few community representatives to participate in the planning process from the beginning, not just inviting them to 'perform' on the event day. For every important decision, I want to consult them first."

"So let me contact Mr. Phuc in advance, ask if the community is willing to participate, and what they want from this event," Thao Nguyen proposed, feeling the responsibilities of the media role she had just accepted became clearer than ever.

"It's exactly what I wanted," Gia Bach nodded, smiling with satisfaction. "Please do it before next week, so I can have specific information when presenting the proposal to the Board of Directors."

The meeting ended, the small groups dispersed to privately discuss the assigned work. Thao Nguyen sat with a media group of three other members, together briefly sketched a separate social networking page for the event, and discussed how to write an introduction that was both attractive and respectful of the spirit that Ms. Xuan had just emphasized.

After the meeting, when almost everyone had left, Thao Nguyen stayed behind to help Gia Bach clean up the notes on the board. "Do you think the chances of being approved are high?" she asked, unable to hide her worry.

Gia Bach sighed lightly, his face showing a bit of fatigue that he still tried to hide in front of the whole class. "Honestly, I'm not sure," he replied. "Last year, I proposed a much smaller activity, just a seminar, but it took a lot of convincing to get approval. But I believe, if I prepare carefully and show the true value of the project, the opportunity is still there."

"I will help you as much as I can," Thao Nguyen said, her eyes determined.

"Thank you," Gia Bach smiled, looking at her for a moment longer than usual. "Actually, since you joined the club, I feel more motivated to pursue bigger projects like this. Seeing you change every day, I believe that what the club is doing is truly meaningful, not just an extracurricular activity."

Those words made Thao Nguyen's heart pound, but she tried to stay calm and just smiled in response. "Thank you for trusting me."

On the way home, she texted Hai Yen immediately to tell her about the new project. The tone of the message was so full of excitement that Hai Yen had to text back teasingly, "Are you in love with this project or are you in love with the homeroom teacher?" Thao Nguyen just smiled and did not answer the question directly, but in her heart she knew that perhaps both of those things were partly true.

Before returning home, she stopped by Lang Coffee, hoping to meet Mr. Phuc to briefly discuss the idea, and by the way, ask for early opinions as promised to Gia Bach. Luckily he was still at the shop, sitting and working with his familiar tablet. Listening to Thao Nguyen present the idea of the No Distance Festival, Mr. Phuc pondered for a moment before signaling to answer.

"That's a good idea," he said, "but I want to ask honestly — do the students in your school really want to understand the Deaf community, or is it just because this is a 'strange', fun activity to participate in for the sake of movement?"

That straightforward question made Thao Nguyen pause, realizing that this was exactly the worry Ms. Xuan had just mentioned. "I'm not sure everyone will understand the meaning," she answered honestly, "but I think if we do it carefully, letting our community be the leader and not just a guest, then at least some of you will actually understand better, like I did."

Mr. Phuc nodded, seemingly satisfied with that sincere answer. "Okay, I'll talk to the guys in the community group and see who's willing to participate. But I want to repeat one thing — if we do it, we have to do it properly, don't let us feel like a decoration for your school event."

"I promise to try my best not to be like that," Thao Nguyen replied, remembering that advice carefully in her heart as a guideline throughout the upcoming preparation process.

When she got home, she immediately told Binh An about the No Distance Festival, especially the idea of a corner exhibiting paintings of Deaf young people. Binh An's eyes lit up immediately.

"Can I join?" he gestured, his hands shaking slightly with excitement. "I have a few paintings, and Mr. Dang has been teaching me some new techniques lately."

"I think it's okay," Thao Nguyen replied, although she wasn't completely sure because the project hadn't been approved yet. "But I can't promise for sure, because I still have to ask permission from the school. I will try my best to get the project approved, so you can have this opportunity."

Binh An nodded, his eyes filled with hope, then immediately took out his sketchbook and began sketching ideas for a new painting - an image of a crowded schoolyard, in the middle of which there were pairs of hands gesturing, interwoven between the faces of students and the faces of adult Deaf people, all blending into a common scene.

Looking at her brother diligently drawing, her eyes sparkling with confidence, Thao Nguyen silently told herself that, no matter how many difficulties she faced from the school, she would not let this small but meaningful dream of her brother be broken. She took out her notebook and began drafting the first communication plan for the project, filled with determination for the upcoming journey, even though she knew, looking at Duc Anh's cautious attitude in the afternoon, the road ahead would definitely not be easy.