Youth !

I am sitting in a conference on Youth and Union which is held now (October 27-28, 2012) in Battambog province. There are about 100 youth attending in this conference. My session will be in about an hour talking about general social issues in Cambodia. Sitting in the corner of the conference room listening to a panel of speakers who are talking now about youth’s issues, reminded me of 10 years ago when I am sitting as one of the participant in such an event.

Sitting opposite to me now are two young man and woman who are listening very carefully on what the speakers are talking about and writing down important points in to their notebooks. On the panel tables are four speakers. Those included three men (age more than 30 years old) and one female who looks like around 20 years old.

The way the conference room is set up is very typical youth capacity building event which I have attended since the last 10 years. There is nothing bad about this; yet, it is very old fashion type which might not be so effective anymore. One of the reasons I think so is the facts that older people are talking about youth issues in quite a formal way which, to me, is not youth friendly. The female speaker whom I just talked about earlier is a good example. She is in her early 20 and she is just a volunteer in one of the youth organization. Her speech wasn’t very well delivered as public speaking isn’t her ability yet but I think she is better related to youth participants who are facing the same challenges in employment. I enjoyed her speech much more than the other three.

I am not saying that older generation is taking our seats but youth are not capable enough to sit there as speaker. Lack of confidence, the fear of public speaking and the lack of experiences are the reason behind this lack representation of youth.

I end here and you can make your own conclusion! Thanks.      

Why bad things happen to good people ?

A soup eating place in the corner of Olumpic market was the place where I first introduced to Lim Pisith whom I didn’t like at all when we first met. He jokes a lot which at one point during that dinner, I started to felt uncomfortable. As two people who first known each other, he asked me where do I work and so on... after a few questions, he came to realize that I was the selection committee of a youth camp which he has just applied for.

A week later, the selection committee of the youth camp had announced the successful candidate and Pisith was one of them. 28^th October, 2008 was day one of our 5 days camp in Koh Kong. The camp went on as planned and ended after 5 days. My view on Pisith has changed 100%. During 5 days of our youth camp, Pisith has clearly shown that he was one of the most active participants. Even jus being there as a participant, he played the role as care taker to other participants especially those who were younger.

Pisith became the next year youth camp committee in Siem Reap province. Pisith was so dedicated to this volunteer works. Without any payment, he tried his best sharing his private time and money to the success of our youth camp. Later in 2009, he was selected to attend Asai Pacific Youth Conference with me in Taiwan. Upon return, he became more active with our volunteer youth organization, Initiatives of Change. He joined as participant and committee in most of our programs. One of his most achievements was the preparation and proceeding of Cambodian-Thai Exchange Program. Without him this program couldn’t be the same at all. He added not just the success of program’s content, but also the friendly loving environment during the program.

From years to years, other committee member including myself got tired of volunteer works, we grow older, we had life partner, became busier with our life, we had more responsibilities,...so we withdraw ourselves bit by bit from volunteer works which we used to be very active when we was younger. Pisith was the opposite, he became more active each other, not just with us but also other youth group. Pisith isn’t rich at all but he always reserves some of his money to support volunteer work especially the youth group like Youth Experience Sharing group.

Youth nowadays have a lot of chance to travel abroad for free as more programs are funded as capacity building. We all want to travel and want to make Cambodia presented at international programs. I too, travel from time to time to here and there, but we all know that we were willing to travel to represent our country at international events on scholarship. We want to make Cambodia presented at international community but only if we don’t have to spend our own money. There are not many, including myself, who would spend thousand dollars for an air ticket to attend anything. But Pisith did. He saved and saved and he travel always with Cambodian flag to different part of the world to make sure that Cambodia is represented.

His last missing to make Cambodia known was claiming the highest mountain in the world, the Everest. On 11^th October 2012, I called Pisith to say Good Bye and wish him all the best for his trip to place Cambodia flag on the top of Mount Everest. That was the last time I hear his voice. Pisith made his way to half of the mountain and passed away due to health condition. It was too expensive to bring his body back to Cambodia, so yesterday with his brother in law and a monk travelled from Cambodia, his body was buried in Nepel. His ash will be brought to Cambodia and his funeral will be done as soon as his brother in law arrived with Pisith’s ash.

He is gone now, forever. We will never see him again. The legacies of his works have impacted our lives. Pisith has been my most respected person. He has lived with full love to anyone even the person he doesn't like. He inspired me to give the people I hate a second chance. He has helped us a lot and it is time we should help him back. The cost of his medical care in Nepel was very high. We are doing fund raising to support his family. If you wish to make any contribution, please contact me (Nana) at +855 92 66 30 62 or Mr. Kim Vuth at +855 12 33 88 87. Your contribution is highly appreciated.             

My phone rang with bad news.....

Yesterday, my phone rang and I answer:

A young man   : Are you Dj Nana?

Me                   : Yes, I am. What’s up?

A young man   :  Do you happen to remember one of your callers named Pros Leak? His number was 098............

Me                   : Sorry, I have too many callers to remember who is who, but what about him? and who are you?

A young man   : I am his relative who has just attended his funeral a few days ago. He has hanged himself and now he is dead. I am calling you and wish to know if he has told you about his intention to commit suicide?

Me                   : Sorry, I still don’t know which caller was he. What was his problem? Usually I don’t remember the person but I do remember their issues.

A young man   : He was the one whom his parents force him to go to work in Korea.

Me                   : Oh...

By then I recalled his issue...

Pros Leak is 19 years old and he is studying in grade 12. Pros Leak is the youngest son in his family which living standard was not that good. His parents asked him to quite his study and go to work as worker in Korea as the neighboring houses did. His parents believe that working in Korea would earn much more income for the family. Pros Leak was in dilemma between continuing his study which he really really wants and fulfilling his parent’s request. He called in my show about a month ago to ask for my opinion if he should go to Korea as his parents wish?

I didn’t give him a Yes or No answer, but asking him back about his future plan and health condition. Pros leak said that he wish to be an IT engineer. He knew that he wouldn’t have enough money to study IT in university but he will tried to do best in high school hoping to get scholarship when he enter university. As a youngest son in the family plus having a thin body, he never really works physically hard before. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want to upset his parents.    

I have an uncle who used to work for 3 years in Korea before so I knew how hard the work there could be, physically. So I told him that going there would be a risk for his health. I have suggested that he ask his parents to stay but he would find part time job to support family while studying. Yet, if at the end, he has to go anyway, I have a close friend who is studying there and there are some Khmer NGO workers who would be willing to give any support possible.

Pros Leak said thank and he would talk with his parents again. The second time he called in, he said he hasn’t talk with his parents yet but he will. For this time he called in, he asked if IT a good subject? Will there be job market available for this subject? I said yes if you are really good at it. The certificate alone cannot offer any job, but the real knowledge.

After that night he called in for the second time, I never had any more update about him till his relative called yesterday that he has committed suicide. I was so sad hearing this and started to felt very angry with his parents. I suddenly recalled my other fans’ issues. There have been so many callers who wanted something so bad but rejected by the parents or hated something so bad but forced to accept by the parents. The parents always have one excellent reason “I am your parents” which I mean I know what is right for you.

I’m sorry parents but this is a stupid reason. Another caller of mine was in grade 11 when her parents forced her to marry a man who is rich. She got married for 5 months now but she felt nothing better than living in hall, she said. The doctor said that she is now having some kind of woman sickness and should not be having sex. The husband who she was forced to married to ignore her health condition and keep having sex with her. She told this to her parents but her parents didn’t believe her. Her parents said that you are making excuse to try to divorce. Please don’t divorce my daughter. If you divorce, it will be bad for our family reputation, her parents said. Damm it! I said.