Every early of the year, I make activity plan. Among those plans in 2009 was to organize a youth camp on "Youth and Social Engagement".
During water festival holiday, I managed to do it as plan.
I, together with my volunteers, brought 50 young people; who were carefully selected by face to face interviewing, to held a youth camp on this issue. This camp has becoming my biggest success of the year. I am so glad I have organized it and I am so thankful to other volunteers who have worked very hard to make it an unforgettable event.
At the camp, we shared, learned, danced, talked, sang, and cried together. We learned about each other's experiences of how we manage our time to serve our society. We shared our experiences on how to make ourselves successful. We created a new dancing band. We sang lots of song. And we cried a lot. You may wonder why do we cried at a youth camp like this ? it suppose to be a happy time. Well, our tears were a happy tear.
At the youth camp, we provided enough time and space for each participant to share their hard time history, their sadness, their family stories, and more. All these were organized because I know that behind all these happy faces, each one of us has a story. Each of us may need hug, need a word "I love you", we all need to cry at some point. After all the sharing, I realize how important is it to talk about our sadness. One of the participants said : "All I want in this is life is to have a Mum and Dad to call". His parents divorced when he was three years old. His dad passed away soon after that, and his mum had another husband and left him with his gradma. One other girl shared another long story and asked: "why my brother could forgive his friend, but not me?". Another poor girl said: "my mum doesn't love me anymore". we shared more stories in a room with light off and candle on. Listen to other's stories and saw how difficult their family relations are, one participants cried and said: "I just know today, how much my parents have devoted for me. I love them and I will be best for them." There are another 100 pages of their stories if I keep writing. After a few hours of honest sharing, we gave each other warm hug and said to each other "I love you".
Sharing is not a discussion. At my youth camp, participants were encouraged to share but not discuss. Everyone has a story, all I want is to let it out. To cry the most we want, to express our pain. So if you do have pain, let is out !
That's a nice altruistic gesture! It's always good to be able to talk without being criticized.
ReplyDeleteDo you mind telling me the profile of the participants, e.g. are they all girls? Who funded this activity? What triggered this idea?
Wish I were there, not to cry but to observe.
my boyfriend was there. He said like u "I am here just to observe". He finally cried and talk, not just observe. Hehehe...
ReplyDeleteThe participants were both male and female (half half) age between 16 to 30. U remember one of my volunteer work is with Initiative of change association (ICA), this camp is organized by us and it funded by my full time work "Friedrich Naumann Foundation". It is organized once a year, and I convinced my boss to sponsor it. I funded myself. Hehe... I was playing the role as a funder and an organizer.
Next year, u should join.
Ah.. now that you post a picture, it explains everything, almost. Nice picture by the way.
ReplyDeleteHmm, can you elaborate on why people cried?
And why Pailin? It does not seem to be a place for collective weeping.
yeah, picture speaks more than words. People were crying because they spoke about their family issue. Things that they never speak about before, but they should. Youth camp is organized once a year. The 1st one was in Mondulkiri in 2007, 2nd was in Koh Kong in 2008, and 3rd in Pailin 2009. We choose different province each year. Cambodia youth should know their country landscape better.I think next year, you should join us.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that I want you to see me cry :-) Seriously, if I went I would definitely not cry. Whatever family issues that you and I might have, are minor issues compared to others', not to say that we shouldn't care about our issues.
ReplyDeleteI propose that you all should go visit the Steung Meanchey Dump just once, and you'll understand what I mean. The last time I was there I couldn't eat for days. That was the visit that completely change my life purpose. Apparently it did for the founder of http://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org/ too. You should read his story, really inspiring...
P.S. I think that I might have seen you guys in Mondulkiri during my trip to Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri.
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ReplyDeleteThe "just to observe," the "definitely not gonna cry," the Stung Meanchey milestone,...Hey man, are we the identical products of socialization? Are we twins? No offence, but we definitely sound same.
ReplyDeleteHey,proskmeng. Before anything els, can you give me a name of yours which can call? calling u proskmeng sound like...hmm..i don't know. It doesn't really matter anyway.
ReplyDeleteWell, i have been there Steung Meanchey. I understand what you mean exactly. I was there like 10mn and can never imagine how hard it is to be there, live there, eat there, sleep there. I cried there too.
I listen to the French radio last night hearing the news that some twenty families over there got homes now. I am so happy for them. One man said in the interview that Home was his biggest dream in life. I totally understand what that means.
U don't want to see me cry. I am so good at it. Hehehe..
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ReplyDeleteHi Nana,
ReplyDeleteFirst, let's clear the air since I have this feeling that it matters for you. There is no pun intended in Pros K. Meng. If you prefer, you can call me whatever you want to call me, or give me a new nickname, or just proskmeng is perfectly fine too.
It's interesting that you went to Stoeung Meanchey. I'm curious about what triggered you to go there. It must be getting worse now. Back in 2002, there were only a handful of those forsaken people. Still the scenery was quite depressing. I was sad for days, but I didn't shed a tear :-) Seriously, not that I didn't want to, but because a couple of days prior to that trip, I went to Phnom Tamao and while sitting in the back seat of the car with cousins, I was sobbing inconsolably like a baby hungry for milk. That was my first encounter with those unfortunate people. I couldn't believe that I didn't know anything about it. I realized that I was living in my ivory tower during those years. Since that day, I promised myself to not cry again, but to at least attempt to help others when possible.
Two more things...
1 - You understand French?
2 - I'm curious why some comments are deleted?
Let me answer your 2 questions first. (1).I don't understand French at all. (2). The comments were deleted because hmmm...it is a long story. Well, you see a name "Panharath" in the comment earlier? He is my boyfriend. He once sing in his google account in my computer and maybe forget to sign out. So when I come to my blog again and make comment to reply u, it appear his name not my name. That why i deleted it and re-comment. That is all. (by the way, my boyfriend is so much like you)
ReplyDeleteWell, back in 2005. I was hired by World Bank to co-organized an Open Space (OS) conference for and organization called "The smile of the children". This OS lasted for a few days and it was held at there office which is close to Steng Meanchey. Participants were kids from around Steng Meanchey area. I were with those kids for a few day, teach them, play with them, eat with them, sign song with them,...and listening to their stories. I actually was hired just for organizing the conference but all those extra activities with the kids were my great time. I got to listen to their stories and feel their feeling. One day after the conference finished, I went to that Steng Meanchey mountain. I got paid quite lot of money from World Bank for organizing this conference, but much more than that thanks to that event making me realize much more about the life of those kids and I committed to find out more. After that, I also went to visit Friend organization a few time.If I have a party at home, or after any events that food were left, i packed the left over food and together with my family go to different street in Phnom Penh, give food to kids on the street.
Well, crying to me doesn't mean anything and I don't stop myself from crying. I just let my emotion go for it.
See ya..
Ah.. now it makes sense. Both of you share the same computer.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'm impressed by your stories. I have the impression that you and I are living in two different worlds. You seem to be surrounded by philanthropic, bighearted people while most, if not all, of the people that I know are pretty much rapacious, egotistical and materialistic creatures whose only interest in life is to make money. Anyway ...
So you think that your bf is so much like me. I'm not sure if it's a fair comparison since I'm full of flaws and imperfections that I don't even know where to start if you ask me to name them :-)
oh no, we don't share the same computer. He has his own one for three year which he love very much - i guess even more than me !
ReplyDeleteMeng, i have to say I really enjoy our conversation. First, i thought that i may not continue my blog since there is no visitor anyway. But then, I think of you...nice. :) Blog is to share. It doesn't matter how many people would read it and I don't have to keep telling people that i have a blog and that they should visit it. People who visit it by chance just like you would be the right person. In life, there is friend who come and go, and friend who come and stay.
I am so much interested in making money too and also materialistic to some extent (not for myself but for my family). I grown up in a very poor family, i didn't have enough money, books, clothes, and all those kinds of stuff that other kids have; therefore, now that i earn much money, i make sure that my two sisters and one brother have a different life from my childhood. I used to be poor and i am still poor, but the different from my childhood and now is that I am now poor but rich inside. I am poor but I could help people in my way. Well, it getting long..:)
Hey, would you mind telling me about your story? just to get to know you better. what is your world like?
I don't blame people for being selfish since to some extent we are all selfish anyway. Some are more selfish than others. When one used to be poor, one tends to think of oneself first. That's is perfectly normal. But people are greedy and tend to forget where they came from. Once we have foods, we want a scooter, then a car, then a house, then a nicer car and a bigger house...etc. all of that for what? Not to live, but to have a social status to impress others. Anyway, that's just my observation. For me, if you have nothing to eat, no place to stay, then you got a problem. Everything else is just inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteYour story is so inspiring. The many hardships that you had to endure is what forged your character. As a wise man once said: a path with no obstacles probably doesn't lead anywhere. For that reason, do not spoil your siblings ( not to say that you do ), but inspire them to appreciate the things that take for granted. I notice that Phnom Penh has changed a lot in recent years, so did its inhabitants, especially teenagers and mostly for the worst. Again, that's just my observation.
Telling my story? How much time do you have? :-)
Pros.
Hi Meng. I have all the time for you. In stead of writing your story, maybe you should consider to write a blog too. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't believe in writing blogs since I found that most blogs are really boring until I see yours. Moreover, you need a theme or something dear to you and others, none of which I have ( I think ).
ReplyDeleteBecause most of the blogs are boring, that's why you should write one. I'm sure, yours will not be boring.
ReplyDelete