Youth Networks Create a Platform for Promoting Youth Leadership in Kep Municipality
Children and Women Development Center in Cambodia (CWDCC) raised the challenge that many youth, especially young women in high school and university lack the confidence to speak up or engage with local authorities and/or relevant actors as they lack of soft skills (leadership, team building, facilitation) and hard skills (civic engagement, advocacy and business) and socio-economic rights knowledge. Many youth and young women entrepreneurs fear engaging with local authorities, and they don’t know how to approach them best.
From 2021 onward, CWDCC worked in partnership with WE Act on empowering more than 130 youth leaders, youth and young women entrepreneurs. The students engaged in strengthening their skills related to civic engagement, leadership, knowledge of socio-economic rights, action research, and business incubation.
CWDCC formed youth and young women entrepreneurs and youth clubs at the Sangkat level and a youth network at provincial level and engaged them with local authorities to discuss the challenges and issues identified by their entrepreneurs improved their leadership skills and civic engagement knowledge. They bravely raised solid waste management issues with Sangkat councils and the municipality council for their response and solutions.
Through their dedicated efforts as well as the quick response and support from the authorities, a corner of Damnak Chang Eur Market in Kep province has been transformed from a landfill into a beautiful public garden.
Miss Chab Leaksmee joined project activities with CWDCC since July 2021 and enjoyed trainings and coaching support. She was selected as the leader of the Sangkat youth club and then as a leader of the Kep provincial youth network (KPYN). She led youth groups to organize several dialogue meetings with Sangkat and municipal councils. She participated in the provincial conference in Siem Reap with other youth and organizations from other WE Act target provinces to discuss their collective issues, share best practices and promote a better cooperation between youth and local authorities to the benefit of the communities.
Leaksmee expressed that, “I felt a bit nervous when joining the provincial dialogue, but it was very good for me. I was really excited to have an opportunity to present the research findings to the audience and municipal authorities. It was exciting to see that the authorities acknowledged the solid waste management issues and they the findings on the waste area in dialogues with them and our posts on our Facebook page. I hope that through our research, the Kep municipality will take further action”. She added that “the Local authorities are very responsive, and I hope that we can continue our cooperation with the Kep municipality for a better future of solid waste management in Kep province”.
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