Youth are Reaching their Full Potential through Technology and Self-learning

By Davit Choun, Creative Youth, World Vision Cambodia

Can you imagine a 19-year-old having their first experience using technology?

“I’ve never touched such things like these. They are awesome. When I heard you would bring us these things, I was dreaming about having chance to use them last night. I am so excited now,” said Sophany, 19. 

A couple of months ago, I went to one of our project areas located in Kampong Thom province in central Cambodia. I was there to provide the project office with the Creative Youth toolkit: laptops, an iPad mini, cameras, and an Internet connection.

The World Vision Creative Youth Unit in Cambodia was initiated in January 2014 as a pilot project. It’s a new initiative to help young people to explore the world throughout today’s technology. It empowers youth to create their own future and advocate for the things that are important to them in their community.

When Sophany asked me how to use the laptop, I responded that I didn’t know how to use it either. (I did know, but I wanted to encourage her to explore and learn on her own.)

About an hour or two later, she was typing Khmer letters in Microsoft Word. I gave her a big round of applause, lots of encouragement and she kept working on it.  

I was so excited to see the self-learning process happen. It really inspires me to let young people learn from their own experimenting rather than guiding them to reach their goal.

Here in Kampong Thom province, children and youth are disconnected from technology. They haven’t learned about what’s inside a computer or how it’s used at a very basic level. English is also a barrier for them while seeking to understand what’s going on in the world around them.

One Month Later

I went back to the project office in Kampong Thom province to meet with Sophany and the other youth. Without any instruction or a teacher to ‘show’ them how to do it, Sophany is keen on searching and using computers. She can now browse Google to answer our weekly technology questions. 

“What I like most is [learning the] computer because it is very useful for me. I can type words and use the Internet to search for information. I never thought I could use a computer, but now I have the chance. When I am able to use it properly, I will teach other youths or children so they know like me. I will find ways to get them involved,” she said.

Another youth member, Piseth, 16, told me that using the Ipad to connect to the Internet, he could search for hot news happening in his country. I felt so happy to hear this when information is spread throughout the world, including to rural youth in Cambodia. 

Compared to urban youth, I can see the difference in youth in rural areas and how they need to catch up with learning technology. The more I see the gaps, the more I am trying my best to promote an encouraging environment among young people so that they can bridge the gap. 

I have hope for all youth in Cambodia and I believe that encouragement is the key to their success to bring a better future. They will be proud of themselves and able to advocate, expose their ideas through blog, photos and videos, and also decide their own futures.

Davit (left) and Sreyleak share ideas during a Creative Youth Meeting in Phnom Penh.

About Creative Youth

World Vision Cambodia prioritized youth as a new core focus area, demonstrating a commitment to scale up existing work with young people to see them positively develop into the country’s next generation of leaders.

World Vision provides an enabling and supportive environment for youth from the community level to the national level in order for them to become creative and active citizens, make healthy decisions, communicate and disseminate their ideas using technology, and protect themselves

from disease and harm. Youth are also oriented on online safety so that they are safe while using the Internet.

The newly established Creative Youth unit coordinates across sectors to develop approaches for youth that include key components of advocacy and economic development. Through the Communications for Development (C4D) and Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) pilot projects, World Vision uses story-telling techniques and digital media to inspire youth, help them translate needs and issues into forms that enable community discussion, and enable them to connect with each other and multiply their impact.

Creative Youth has six main expected outcomes. Children and Youth are:

• Empowered and feel more confident and hopeful about their future
• Able to operate and produce content on a computer at a basic level
• Able to capture and produce and share multimedia stories
• Connected and learning from a wide network of across the country
• Inspired to pursue higher education
• Empowered to advocate on issues important to them