Result of Discussion about Youth in Cambodia

As mentioned in the other article “The Youth Picnic” we had group discussions about the youth in Cambodia. Here is a brief summary of the results:

I. Where are the youth/which institutions are the youth belong to?

A. Non-State Institutions: I. NGOs: (UN, YRDP, YCC, KYSD, KYA, SMD YS KSA CEPA, CEPA, KIND, KAYARITH, Other Organizations); 2. MEDIA: (TV, Newspapers, Radio, etc); 3. Business: (Trade Unions, NAGA, Cambosix, Golden Tower, Banks, Restaurant, Clubs, Intertainment Industries, Tourism); 3. Other Sectors: (construction workers, elecricians, mechanicians, sport teams, ethnic groups, gang groups, etc).

B. State Institution:  (different government ministries, different education institutions, etc.)

C. Political parties: (different political parties – mostly with CPP and SRP)

II. What do the youth care about for their society? Below are some of what they conern the most (ranked in order):

• Education System in Cambodia (that does not ensure good quality and standard)
• Unemployment
• Lack of effective law enforcement, poor ethical morality (corruption, human rights violations)
• Health and Sanitation
• Security and Political Stability
• Economy (inflation, salary of civil servants)
• National Territory/border
• Influence of foreign culture
• Climate Changes   

III. How can we reach the youth? There a number of ways we can reach the youth depending where they are:

• Through internet or e-mail (urban areas only)
• Through telephone (urban areas and some rural areas)
• Through personal or direct interaction/approaching
• Through engaging with youth organizations, youth clubs and associations
• Through media (TV, radio) – creating youth programs -
• Through friends network
• Through visiting garment factories and labor industries
• Through participating scial activities (ceremonies, festivals, parties)
• Through communicating with education institutions
• Through organizing youth forums or seminars
• Through creating information boards or boxes for the youth at schools, villages, public places and pagodas
• Through distributing leaflets on issues that concern the youth or create reading centers/libraries

Written by Preap Kol