10 new Youth Star volunteers have successfully been recruited, trained and placed in the target communities of Kratie and Prey Veng.

Announcement was posted on Youth Star website, Facebook page and Bongthom.com for 2 months within January and February 2016. Graduate applicants from different universities in Phnom Penh and provinces have applied. The main activity of the selection process is the assessment of applicants to see if they are qualified. There have been multiple assessment days as each time there is limited number of applicant invited. Pre-Departure Training (PDT) began in early March. This two-week training provides needed skills to ensure our volunteers have the tools they need to successfully complete their one-year service in rural communities.

Some of the training sessions provided include the facilitation skills, communications skills, public speaking, child protection policy, how to establish and maintain youth club. There are both internal and external trainers invited to the sessions. During the PDT, local partners, who will work closely with our volunteers, are also invited to join the session and introduce themselves and get to know their volunteer partner. PDT is followed by closing ceremony, which is organized to celebrate the successful completion of PDT and the beginning of volunteer journey. The 10 new volunteer in cohort 22 are placed in Prey Veng and Kratie.

Former Youth Star volunteers and other citizens undertaking volunteer work will gather together in a bicycle ride on Sunday, March 06, 2016 to encourage volunteerism in society.

This event has been organized by former Youth Star volunteers who have completed their 12 month ‘placement’ helping to educate youth and children in marginalized rural Cambodian communities. These former volunteers, who maintain their support for the Youth Star model of promoting and undertaking volunteerism in Cambodian society, are hoping to raise awareness of how important volunteerism is to the future development of Cambodia.

Youth Star Cambodia is one of the pioneer organizations promoting volunteerism and youth development in Cambodia. Youth Star’s aim is to empower Cambodian youth as volunteers to improve the quality of life in vulnerable communities through education and civic participation.

The bicycle ride will depart from Youth Star Cambodia’s office located in the Tuol Kork area. The first ‘pit stop’ will be at the National Library, to help raise awareness of the importance of developing good reading habits. Volunteers will then ride to the statue of Cambodian Supreme Monk Samdech Chuon Nath, to commemorate his devotion to Khmer Literature, especially the development of the Khmer Dictionary.

Upon the completion of Pre-Departure Training (PDT), our new volunteers group 21 are now placed in the target communities in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng Province.

The 15 volunteers are now starting the journey of their one year service in the community. We are pleased to have our partners Aide et Action and SIPAR working with us in the two provinces. For the 12 volunteers placed in Kampong Thom, they have to work with Aide et Action on comprehensive Cambodian inclusive education system. In addition, SIPAR will work closely with our volunteers in Prey Veng in the promotion of reading.

We are proud to announce the commencement of the Pre-Departure Training for Youth Star volunteer group 21. A total 9 assessments have been conducted from which 20 Candidates have been successfully selected.

The two-week training commenced on Monday, August 03 to August 14. Our volunteers will be equipped with necessary skills which enable them work effectively in the community. The team will be placed in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng later this month. The next round of recruitment will start again early next year in January.

Youth Star Cambodia had a great honor to meet with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, H.E Dr. Hang Chuon Naron on 08^th June, 2015. The meeting outlined the importance of Youth Star’s program and the areas of cooperation where the two institutions can work together. A Memorandum of Understanding is to be signed to promote volunteerism in Cambodia and undertake non-formal education in marginalized rural communities. It will serve to strengthen Cambodian civil society through the development of youth leadership and the raising of educational standards.

The program will support the Royal Government of Cambodia through empowering Cambodian graduates as volunteers and thereby help develop them as future leaders of Cambodian in the public sector, private sector and civil society. Through undertaking community activities and being responsible for program delivery, volunteers will develop skills and competencies that assist them to obtain future employment. Youth Star Cambodia will work closely with Ministry staff to ensure its programs are consistent with and complementary to the Ministry’s educational programs and objectives.

We are thankful to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport for the cooperation and support which enable Youth Star’s program to help both our young people and marginalized rural communities.

Ms UTH Sithea in Siem Reap with the First Lady

Our first progress report for our Global Giving project Fund 10    Cambodian Graduates To Educate Rural Youth is now available on the  Global Giving UK website. This report focuses on Ms UTH Sithea’s  participation at and contribution to a Peace Corps workshop in Siem  Reap attended by the First Lady, Mrs Michelle Obama. At this event  the First Lady promoted her ‘Let Girls Learn’ initiative.

We are pleased to announce that our  20th cohort of volunteers has been placed in the provinces of Kratie and Prey Veng for their year’s voluntary service.

Our volunteers received their Pre-Departure Training (PDT) in early March and were placed into their new communities on March 18. Like every year our community partners also attended the last week of Pre-Departure Training to learn more about Youth Star’s mission and their responsibilities as our volunteers’ mentors.

Traditionally we sent the volunteers off to their exciting new venture with a closing ceremony, which was attended by the volunteers, Youth Star staff, community partners, Youth Star’s Board Director. This year the sending off ceremony coincided with the Youth Star Alumni reunion.

Cohort 20 will be working with 10 marginalized communities in Prey Veng and Kratie, where they will be implementing programs with our partners. The main focuses of these projects are illiteracy and poverty.

I am thankful to Youth Star for this volunteer opportunity. I could see a lot of issues here in the community. Promoting literacy is my first priority – Ms. Heng Rina, Kratie province.

We wish all of our volunteers a fulfilling and successful time with their new communities, families and friends.

Our sixth progress report is now available on the Global Giving UK website. This report focuses on our work recruiting volunteers in 2015.