By Sarady Na | Project Leader
This year, Mission Dove Cambodia expanded its impact with Phnom Penh teens by having two Leadership clubs. Dove continued a Leadership club at its office with a new group of teens. We also partnered with Cambodia Care Center (CCC) organization to add a second club in the Chbar Ampov neighborhood, near a slum area. Some of the teens are from ethnic minority groups. CCC provided the meeting space, and Dove staff and volunteers facilitated a pilot program for 6 months. There were 16 students who attended.
Lessons covered 8 topics: Leadership, Getting to Know Myself, My Core Values, 5 Love Languages, Morality, Screen Time, Social Work, and Homelessness. The clubs had one retreat on "Self Awareness Through Nature." Students also organized one mission of social work serving their community. Small groups spent time with the homeless, picked up trash in their neighborhood, or did a project at the CCC primary school.
At the end of 6 months, the feedback from most of the students was that they have changed and know themselves better. Typical comments were: I talk more, I am braver, I can be myself, I know my core values and gifts, I commit to polish and use them more. Students learned from each other through listening to each other’s stories, received encouragement and love, and became more open-minded.
Srey K. is an 11th grade student, 18 years old, who loves to come and join Leadership club every Saturday evening at CCC. Regarding the social work mission she said, “It is my first time to do this kind of work with a small group. I had done a few things like this before when the leaders had already prepared for us. But for this club, almost everything we had to do by ourselves. We were required to work together to find where to go, what to do. We needed stuff and money to work on this mission.
Before doing this task, I felt not confident and nervous. We were hesitant. On the day, I was afraid and excited. It was late evening after school and a little rain was falling. We went around by our motoscooters to look for homeless people. We found some of them along the streets and we talked and shared some food with them.
I have learned about how to work in a team. Before, I saw homeless people along the streets many times and I didn’t care much or pay any attention to them. But after I learned about social work and homeless people and I had the chance to do this mission, then I really understood and knew more about their real situation and how hard [it is]. They have to live outdoors, thirsty and hungry, hot during the days and cold during the nights without comfortable places to live. While I was hearing their sharing about their lives, my heart broke and was sad. Then I spoke silently to myself, how can they survive with these things?
When I compare my life with them, I am living in a much better condition. Before, I liked to complain a lot about life; that I have to work and study at the same time even though I am young and still an 11th grade student. I complained about what I like and don’t like (food, clothes, and things). Now I have stopped complaining alot and just keep going on in life and try my best to study and live. I loved this mission and I want to do this again and want to hear more and help them as I can."
By Andrew Neufeld | Dove's YESIC's Intern
By SievHuy Sous | Executive Assistant
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
