A Journey from Youth Ambassador to Junior officer through WE Act Program

July 23, 2023

Youth is the dynamic source of social change and positive impact. With approximately 60% of Cambodia’s population, youth has the potential to walk towards progress and contribute to the development of the country through their involvement in social activities

With the support from USAID, WE Act Youth Ambassador Program started in November 2020. It is a team of youth who l work on implementing mini-projects aligned to the objectives of the 5-year WE Act project, which aims to build on youths’ potential and engagement in relevant social activities. The first cohort had 5 youth ambassadors, and they implemented 3 major activities, a debate competition, sharing sessions on youth issues, and digital campaigning around rights, all of which were successful in reaching large audiences and to the ambassadors themselves.

Thon Rithysochen, 21, a graduate of International Relations from the University of Cambodia, was one of the WE Act Youth Ambassadors Cohort 1. She encountered this new opportunity when she was a senior student seeking an opportunity to develop her skills

“The application poster clearly stated that this position would allow me to plan and lead my own project related to empowering youth and young women entrepreneurs. Therefore, it encouraged me to take this opportunity, which I believe to be relevant with my passion and personality, as well as beneficial in enhancing my professional skills.”, claimed Sochen

After being selected as a WE Act Youth Ambassador, Sochen spent her 9-month term managing and implementing a “debate competition” project.

The process of launching this project was complicated with a lot of preparation, which presented many challenges as she expressed “our team was a group of young people with little experience in running projects, especially in the debate field, yet we were expected to deliver big results and significant impacts to youth and young women entrepreneurs”.

However, challenges, in turn, became her main source of self-development regarding interpersonal and professional skills as she learned each step in implementing projects, starting from designing proposals, concept notes, work plans, a budget, etc., as well as how to communicate and manage her time effectively. Additionally, she also learned about adaptability and resilience when facing problems as she was able to remain calm and handle the crisis professionally.

After 9 months, with all the capacity and experience she developed, Sochen applied for an opening as Junior Officer of Youth Engagement at Pact Cambodia and was a successful candidate. She now mentors the WE Act Youth Ambassador Cohort 2.

She chose to apply for this position because “all the experience as a youth ambassador inspired me to continue going for further opportunities with Pact Cambodia. Moreover, I would like to assist our new cohort of youth ambassadors in initiating their mini-projects and develop strong communication with them to overcome all challenges; also, I look forward to developing my professional and personal skills through teamwork and providing capacity-building sessions.”              

Sochen has a long-term vision for project management as her future goal. Hence, her current role will help to nurture herself in the field of project facilitation, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and communication skills, all of which will be significant skills to achieve her long-term goal and becoming a professional project manager and consultant.

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