USAID Celebrates Young People’s Contributions to Development on International Youth Day

Phnom Penh, August 12, 2024 – Cambodia’s youth advanced their ideas and digital talents at the USAID Advancing Youth Leadership (AYL) event in Phnom Penh on Monday in celebration of International Youth Day.  

The event theme, “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development,” brought together more than 250 youth from local organizations with the aim of demonstrating how youth are applying technology to respond to their communities’ needs. 

“I’ve been living in Cambodia for over a year and a half now and have traveled to quite a few provinces, and met a number of youth,” USAID Mission Director Kerry Pelzman said during remarks at the event. “I have to say, the more young people I meet, the more impressed I am with the ingenuity, the resourcefulness, and the overall spirit shown by Cambodia’s youth.”

The event featured a youth panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges of applying digital solutions in development activities. There was also an awareness raising session on the importance of staying safe online, including practical tools to avoid cybercrime and cyberbullying. 

One youth presenter, Thern Thy, an Indigenous youth representing the Kouy community, shared his experience providing digital training to other Kouy youth and how it led to the development of a website promoting knowledge related to his culture. 

Buntha Somavattey, a young person from Phnom Penh, presented on a youth-led community project called Tech Box which aims to support high school students thinking through options for university studies.  

The event was co-hosted by a Cambodian local organization called Glean Asia, whose CEO, Jesse Orndorff, shared, “We’re thrilled and honored to collaborate with USAID and make this event happen. Our goal is to utilize the power of technology to create a sustainable society, and this event is the perfect platform for young people to get inspired to become technology experts and utilize their tech potential to address social challenges.”

A popular Cambodian singer Picherith Morm performed songs, including “This is Our Time,” and shared a message of encouragement with attendees on their potential to contribute to society.

Following the presentations, youth had the opportunity to engage with eight interactive booths and were invited to share ideas on various digital topics through mediums such as video, photo, audio recordings, and digital drawings. The new digital content created through these booths will be compiled and shared through the AYL Facebook page in coming weeks. 

AYL Chief of Party, Nicole Johnson said “USAID Advancing Youth Leadership is proud to partner with many local organizations supporting young people to look at the world around them and think of new and exciting ways to address inequality and shared community problems.”  

“Through events like International Youth Day we are able to loudly celebrate that work and inspire other youth to tap into their potential to contribute to their communities,” she added.

AYL is a five-year activity that seeks to enhance youth civic engagement and participation in development, political processes, and policy dialogue. AYL is implemented by Chemonics International.

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For more information:

USAID/Cambodia
icambodia@usaid.gov

Nicole Johnson
Chief of Party, USAID Advancing Youth Leadership
Njohnson@cambodiaayl.com