Cohort 22 Recruited, Trained and Placed in the Field

22 Placement

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.

YOUTH STAR ALUMNI ORGANIZE BICYCLE RIDE

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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.

Volunteer Group 21 Placed in Kampong Thom and Prey Veng

Closing 21Upon 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.

Cohort 21 Commence the Pre-Departure Training (PDT)

PDTWe 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 to Sign MoU with Ministry of Education

Meeting with MinisterYouth Star Cambodia had a great honor to meet with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, H.E Dr. Hang Chuon Naron on 08th 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 Represents Youth Star At Peace Corps Siem Reap Workshop Attended By US First Lady

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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.

20th Batch Of Youth Star Volunteers Placed In The Field

We are pleased to announce that our  20th cohort of volunteers has been placed in the provinces of Kratie and Prey 20th placementVeng 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.

Youth Star attends inaugural ‘Philanthropreneurship Forum’ in London

On 13 December 2014 Youth Star’s Executive Director, Mrs Mora Gibbings, attended the inaugural Philanthropreneurship Forum in London. ‘Philanthropreneurship’ is an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy seeking to deliver meaningful and sustained social change. This approach fits well with the Youth Star mission: ‘To build a just and peaceful nation through citizen service, civic leadership, and social entrepreneurship’.

The Philanthropreneurship Forum was co-convened by the Stars Foundation and London Business School. Youth Star was invited to attend this event through its involvement with the Stars Foundation—in 2012 Youth Star was received an Impact Award from the Foundation for its positive contribution to the improvement of Cambodian society. The Foundation generously met all of Youth Star’s travel and associated costs in attending the Forum.

Mrs Mora Gibbings with former US President, Mr Bill Clinton

Mrs Mora Gibbings with former US President, Mr Bill Clinton

 One of the many distinguished speakers at the Forum was former United States President, Mr Bill Clinton, who was presented with the first ever Philanthropreneurship Prize for his groundbreaking work with the Clinton Global Initiative. This work has built a movement that has improved the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries.

Mrs Gibbings was very impressed with the range of initiatives and approaches presented at the Forum that were achieving profound social change. She hopes to adapt some of these approaches to advance the work of Youth Star over the coming months and years, and to use some of the networks established at the Forum to assist Youth Star in its efforts to fulfil its mission.

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Youth Star commences second Globalgiving fundraising campaign

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On the 5th of December 2014 Youth Star commenced its second Globalgiving fundraising campaign. This campaign—Fund 10 Cambodian Graduates to Educate Rural Youth— aims to raise US$25,000 (just over £15,000) by 15 January 2015. These funds will be sufficient to place 10 graduate volunteers in rural Cambodia in 2015.In total, Youth Star aims to have 25 volunteers “out in the field” in 2015. If we are able to achieve this goal our office in Phnom Penh will be very busy. The recruitment of volunteers is an extensive process. Youth Star is very careful to choose volunteers that have the appropriate skills, approach and motivation for what can be a very challenging role.

Often the selection of a volunteer also requires close liaison with the volunteer’s parents, who may require convincing that serving as a volunteer is in their child’s long-term interest. Volunteers only receive a small monthly stipend of $US90 during their placement. We encourage parents and potential volunteers to also liaise with former Youth Star alumni, so they can appreciate the benefits pf volunteering to the community in which they serve and to themselves. Over 90% of Youth Star alumni have gone on full time employment, often in roles that provide ongoing service to the Cambodian community.

All volunteers receive two week’s pre-departure training and return to Phnom Penh for follow-up training of one week’s duration twice during their 12 month placement. Youth Star also periodically visits graduates in their rural placements.

Our longer term aim is to gradually increase the number of volunteer placements on a year by year basis. We will only do this if we are able to provide the level of support each volunteer requires.

If you would like to help fund a volunteer please visit the campaign page on the Globalgiving website.

Posted 9 December 2014