Be a role model, be a Volunteer ! 3nd National Forum on Volunteerism and IVD Fair Phnom Penh, Cambodia 5th December 2013
Activity report
In 2013, the celebration of the International Volunteers Day in Cambodia included the 3rd National Forum on Volunteerism and IVD Fair on 5th December 2013. Both events were organized on behalf of the National Committee for the Promotion of Volunteerism in Cambodia and under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Over 750 Cambodian and international volunteers convened to call attention to the development impact they make, under the motto “Be a role model, be a Volunteer!” in line with the global theme this year: “Young. Global. Active.” The purpose of both events was to recognize the hard work of volunteers all over Cambodia and demonstrate the benefits of volunteerism to the society as whole as well as to individual volunteers.
The majority of participants were from youth organizations mobilized through VolCam (the network of International and Local Volunteer Agencies and Volunteer Involving Organisations in Cambodia) and through governmental institutions. Development partners were also represented, in particular the United Nations and AusAID. Close to 150 volunteers from provinces outside of Phnom Penh were also able to attend the event thanks to sponsorship secured by different organizations.
The year, the UNV programme and its partners highlighted the contributions that youth volunteers are making to build the future we want.
During the opening ceremony of the 3rd National Forum , youth had an opportunity to listen to motivational speeches from Michelle Vizzard, First Secretary, Development Cooperation, Australian Embassy, Dr. Marc Derveeuw, Representative, UNFPA and H.E. Sean Borath, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. All speeches stressed the importance of volunteerism and inspired the youth to get more involved and active in their communities. H.E. Tauch Choeun, Director General, General Department of Youth, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport provided some welcome remarks and later on engaged in a dialogue with the participants on the importance of skill building through volunteerism while addressing the challenges volunteers face and how to overcome them. Participants were eager to engage and to learn more about volunteering opportunities in Cambodia and abroad and to discuss how the Department of Youth is intending to promote more youth participation.
The 3rd National Forum featured sessions with representatives of the private sector (Coke, ANZ, Smart), social enterprise (Mith Samlanh) and the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme, who participated in an interesting dialogue with the Youth groups and the Ministry of Education, Youth & Sport. These sessions provided a great opportunity for the Youth to engage with senior staff for inspirational discussion related to skills development and intercultural learning through volunteerism. In particular, all speakers stressed the importance of volunteerism for career and knowledge development, sharing their own experience as volunteers and how it contributed to their current professional advancement. Youth volunteers engaged in a dialogue with panel members to find out more about volunteering opportunities in the private sector, about fundraising for project development and several questions were asked around the theme of moving from the NGO to the private sector.
The session about ASEAN Youth Volunteer programme was attended with a special excitement as volunteers were thrilled to learn about opportunities to go abroad and gain international experience through volunteering. Prof. Dato' Dr. Saran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of AYVP@AsiaEngage introduced the programme to all participants and then former ASEAN Youth volunteers shared their experience and recounted their stories. Lively discussion followed as participants were eager to know how they could apply to the next sessions of the programme.
The National Forum also included a short presentation about MY World survey, during which UNV Intern Peter Prix, working at the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Cambodia introduced the survey and the importance of gathering voices from all over the world for the new development agenda. Many participants used the opportunity to vote and choose their priorities in the survey right during the event, thanks to two connected laptops, where survey was available, and also on their mobile devices.
In the evening, the IVD Fair opened at a smaller venue, the German Cultural Centre Meta-house. VolCam members prepared information tables, where participants could browse and interact with volunteers and representatives of more than 10 national and international volunteer involving organizations. The fair was bustling with life and many young people came to collect useful information and contacts.
At the same time, experience sharing among volunteers and entertainment were taking place on the first floor of the venue. UNV Progamme Officer Isabelle Devylder opened the event and welcomed the participants. Thanks to contribution of BBC Media Action, a popular presenter of youth television and radio show Loy9, Mr. Vy Yaro served as a Master of Ceremony and entertained the audience.
The programme included a variety of speakers, who shared their personal experience with volunteerism and its impact on their lives. The list of speakers included Rithy Thul from Small World and Let’s Do It! Phnom Penh, Mrs. Khem Sokuntheary and Mr. Sok Chamroeun from UNDP. The entertainment was provided by the dance group Tiny Toones and a musical band Koh Thlok. Feedback provided at the end of the day from participants was very positive: several volunteers shared that the Forum made them better understand the value of their volunteer work. IVD celebrations made them “smile” a lot and will change their attitude to be more positive, thanks to the recognition they received on this special day.
Several Khmer media journalists recorded footage during the forum and both events were covered both by National TV and radio programmes. An op-ed appeared in one of the main English-language newspapers, the Phnom Penh Post: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/analysis-and-op-ed/volunteering-future. Recognize me! The UNV Field Unit, as part of the IVD preparations, launched a nation wide campaign Recognize Me!. The purpose of the campain is to enhance the recognition of volunteers and provide them with a space to share their story and become positive role-models for their peers and in their communities. With the different pictures collected, UNV Intern Veronika Jemelikova created a „facemap“ of volunteers in Cambodia. During IVD Celebrations, the UNV Field Unit Team encouraged more people to join this campaign and share their stories, pictures and videos.
AGENDA 3nd National Forum on Volunteerism National Institute of Education, Phnom Penh 5th December 2013
7:00 – 7:30 7:30 – 8:30 8:30 – 8:35
8:35 – 9:35
Arrival of participants Registration Welcome Ceremony National Anthem Musical entertainment performed by the Cambodian Scouts Opening Ceremony Masters of Ceremony Mr. Kang Rithisal Mrs. Im Rachana Report speech from H.E. Tauch Choeun, Director General, General Department of Youth, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Speeches by - Michelle Vizzard, First Secretary, Development Cooperation, Australian Embassy - Dr. Marc Derveeuw, Representative, UNFPA - H.E. Sean Borath, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
9:35 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:30 10:30– 12:00
Departure of Distinguished Guests of Honor and Balloon launching Coffee/Tea Break Q/A session with participants (30 minutes) Session I: Volunteering and the Private Sector In this session, the panel members (representatives of private companies in Cambodia) will discuss skills development through volunteering and how volunteering is valued for professional development. Discussion will also include volunteering schemes developed by private companies for their employees. Masters of Ceremony Mr. Kang Rithisal Mrs. Im Rachana Panel discussion: YANG Navuth, Head of Human Resources, Smart Phally Man, Program Coordinator, Mith Samlanh Lim Lina, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca Cola Mrs. Mao Pouthyroth, HR Business Partner, ANZ Royal Bank Q/A Session with participants
12:00 – 13:30 13:30 – 13:40 13:40 – 13:45
Lunch Energizer Presentation about MY World Peter Prix, UN Coordination Officer, Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator
13:45 – 15:15
Session II: The ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme This session will feature Prof. Dato' Dr. Saran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of AYVP@AsiaEngage presenting the inaugural programme of the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme, which focuses on "The Development of ASEAN Eco-Leaders through Volunteerism and Community Engagement." It will include discussion and experience sharing with the Cambodian volunteers who participated in the inaugural programme. (Keithya Oung, student at the University of Cambodia, and Somontha Sokkheng, Volunteer with the Ministry of Environment) Q/A Session with participants
15:15 – 15:25 15:25
Coffee/Tea break Farewell
IVD Fair Meta House, Phnom Penh 5th December 2013 17:00
Arrival of participants Welcome Words, Isabelle Devylder, UNV Programme Officer Presentation of evening programme, Mr. Vy Yaro, Loy9 Discussion with Small world and Let’s do it! Phnom Penh Tiny Toones Loy 9 – experience with volunteerism and sharing about Blood Donation Campaign Sharing experiences among volunteers Tiny Toones Koh Thlok
Photos courtesy of Jiri Pasz and UNV Cambodia