Author - Dara Saoyuth

Culture of reading is worth sharing

June 23, 2011

In this week issue of LIFT magazine, I wrote a column about situation of library in the Kingdom in related to reading culture of Cambodian.Recently, under supervision from their teacher, year I students in batch 10 at DMC have been to Kampong Cham province to meet with hundreds of children telling important of reading and encouraging them to read by providing some reading materials.

Dareth Rosaline, one of the DMC year I, has written a reflection piece to describe activities she and her classmates did during the community field trip.

Since the original post is in Khmer, so it takes time to translate into English. I will publish another version of this post in English after finishing translation. Cheers,

នៅក្នុងសង្គមកម្ពុជា វប្បធម៌នៃការអាន ត្រូវបានគេមើលឃើញថានៅមានកម្រិតទាបនៅឡើយបើប្រៀបធៀបទៅនឹងប្រទេសដទៃទៀត។ ដោយមើលឃើញពីចំណុចខ្វះខាតយ៉ាងនេះ និងដើម្បីចូលរួមលើកតម្កើងវប្បធម៌នៃការអានដល់កុមារា និងកុមារី និស្សិតមួយក្រុមនៃសាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទភ្នំពេញ ផ្នែកប្រពន្ធ័ផ្សព្វផ្សាយ និងសារគមនាគមន៏បានបង្កើតនូវសកម្មភាពជួយសហគមន៏ ដោយមានការសហការជាមួយនឹងលោកគ្រូ សំបូរ មាណ្ណារា ដែលជាអ្នកមានបទពិសោធច្រើនឆ្នាំក្នុងកិច្ចការជួយ សហគមន៏។ គម្រោងសកម្មភាពដែលពួកយើងបានបង្កើតឡើងនៅពេលនេះគឺសម្រាប់កុមារ៉ា កុមារីនៅស្រុកនគរក្នុង ខេត្តកំពង់ចាម ដោយយើងបានជ្រើសរើសយកបរិវេណក្នុងវត្តនគរក្នុងធ្វើជាទីតាំង និងមានការចូលរួមពីកុមារប្រហែលជា១៦០ទៅ២០០នាក់។ លើសពីនោះ យើងក៏ទទួលបានការចូលរួមពីសំណាក់អាណាព្យាបាល ក៏ដូចជាមេភូមិផ្ទាល់ផងដែរ។

Community activities

សកម្មភាពចាប់ផ្តើមឡើងដោយ និស្សិតទាំងអស់ត្រូវបានបែងចែកជាក្រុម ដោយមួយក្រុមៗត្រូវចែករំលែកនូវចំនេះដឹងដល់កុមារចំនួនប្រហែលពី១៥ទៅ២០នាក់។បន្ទាប់ពីការចែលរំលែកចំនេះដឹងដល់កុមារ យើងក៏មានការសួរសំនួរចម្លើយយករង្វាន់ ក៏ដូចជាសកម្មភាពផ្សេងៗទៀតជាច្រើនដើម្បីផ្តល់ការសប្បាយដល់ពួកគេ។ នៅចុងបញ្ចប់នៃសកម្មភាពទីមួយ ក្រុមពួកយើង និងកុមារា កុមារីទាំងអស់គ្នាបាននាំគ្នាសំអាតសហគមន៏រួមគ្នាដោយម្នាក់ៗបានរើស សម្រាម ហើយនិងប្រមូលកាកសំណល់ផ្សេងៗដាក់ក្នុងថង់ធំៗ រួចយកវាទៅដុតចោល។

ក្រោយមក សកម្មភាពទីពីរក៏បានចាប់ផ្តើមឡើង ដោយពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាបានបន្តដំណើរទៅកាន់សហគមន៍មួយទៀតក្នុងស្រុកតំបែរខេត្តកំពង់ចាម។ លើកនេះយើងត្រូវអនុវត្តសកម្មភាពជាមួយនឹងកុមារដែលមានអាយុចាប់ពី៨ឆ្នាំទៅ១៦ឆ្នាំ។ មិនមានលក្ខណៈខុសពីទីតាំងទីមួយប៉ុន្មានទេ ព្រោះថានៅទីនេះយើងក៏មានការ លើកយកនូវរឿងនិទានល្អៗមកអាននិងបង្ហាញដល់កុមារទាំងអស់ ដើម្បីឱ្យពួកគេចាប់ផ្តើមមានគំនិតស្រលាញ់និងចូលចិត្តអានសៀវភៅ ។ការច្រៀងចម្រៀងផ្សេងៗ ក៏ដូចជាការសម្តែងរឿងជាលក្ខណៈអប់រំ ក៏ត្រូវបានធ្វើឡើងបន្ទាប់ពីមានការនិទានរឿងឱ្យពួកគេស្តាប់។ដើម្បីជាការលើកទឹកចិត្ត និងជំរុញឱ្យពួកគេមានគំនិតស្រលាញ់ការអានសៀវភៅ និស្សិតទាំងអស់ក៏មានជានំចំណី និងរបស់របរសិស្សាបន្តិចបន្ទួចសម្រាប់ក្មេងដែលបានចូលរួម។ ភាពសប្បាយរីករាយ និងស្នាមញញឹមដាក់គ្នាទៅវិញទៅមកយ៉ាងស្និតស្នាល ក៏បានកើតមានឡើងទាំងសម្រាប់អ្នករៀបចំកម្មវិធី ទាំងសម្រាប់អ្នកចូលរួមផងដែរ។

នៅម៉ោងប្រហែលជា៦ល្ងាច រាល់សកម្មភាពនៃការចែករំលែកទាំងអស់ត្រូវបានបញ្ចប់ ដោយបន្សល់ទុកឱ្យអ្នករៀបចំកម្មវិធីម្នាក់ៗ នូវការពេញចិត្តចំពោះសកម្មភាពដែលខ្លួនបានធ្វើ ដោយហេតុថាវាជាការរួមចំណែកក្នុងការអភិវឌ្ឍសង្គមជាតិ ទោះជាតិចក្តីច្រើនក្តី។

បន្ទាប់ពីធ្វើសកម្មភាពស្ទើរពេញមួយថ្ងៃរួចមក ពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នានិងលោកសាស្រ្តាចារ្យមានការអស់កំលាំងគ្រប់ៗគ្នាប៉ុន្តែពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាមិនទាន់អាចសំរាកបានទេព្រោះយើងនូវមានកាតព្វកិច្ចចុងក្រោយសំរាប់ថ្ងៃនោះគឺការចំអិនអាហារពេលល្ងាចតាមក្រុម។ដោយសារតែពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាបានត្រៀមរួចជាស្រេចនូវមុខម្ហូបនិងគ្រឿងផ្សំនៃម្ហូបទាំងនោះ ពួកយើង បានចាត់ចែងធ្វើម្ហូបយ៉ាងរហ័សរហួនតាមក្រុមនីមួយៗ។

សកម្មភាពក្នុងពេលចំអិនអាហារត្រូវធ្វើឡើងដោយលាយឡំនឹងការសើចសប្បាយរីករាយពីសមាជិកនៃក្រុមនីមួយៗ បានបង្ហាញនូវការចុះសម្រុងនិងការចេះជួយគ្នាទៅវិញទៅមកដើម្បីសម្រេចនូវគោលបំណងរួមមួយ បើទោះបីជាពួកយើងកំពុងហត់នឿយយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ។

Dinner

រយះពេលមួយម៉ោងបានមកដល់ក្រុមនីមួយៗក៏បានធ្វើរួចរាល់នូវមុខម្ហូបដែលពួកគេ បានរៀបចំ។ក្រុមនីមួយៗបានយកម្ហូបរបស់ពួកគេមកដាក់ជុំគ្នារួចអធិប្បាយបង្ហាញពីម្ហូបតាមក្រុមទៅកាន់សមាជិកនៃក្រុមដទៃទៀត។ក្រោយពីបញ្ចប់នូវការអធិប្បាយមកពេលវេលាដែលពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាទន្ទឹងរង់ចាំបានមកដល់។ មុខម្ហូបជាច្រើនបានតម្រៀបគ្នានៅចំពីមុខពួកយើង។ដោយភាពអស់កម្លាំងនិងនឿយហត់ ពួកយើងបានញុំាអាហារទាំងអស់នោះគ្មានសល់ក្នុងរយពេលដ៍ខ្លី។សំណើចនិងភាពសប្បាយរីករាយរបស់ពួកយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាក៍បានលេចឡើងក្នុងពេលកំពុងញុំាអាហារជុំគ្នាផងដែរ។ក្រោយពេលបញ្ចប់ការញុំាអាហារវាគឺជាពេលដែលពួកយើងទាំងអស់អាចសម្រាកដើម្បីយកកំលាំងសំរាប់សកម្មភាពនៅថ្ងៃស្អែក។ដោយសារតែការអស់កម្លាំងតាំងពីថ្ងៃសមាជិកពួកយើងខ្លះបានលង់លក់យ៉ាងស្កប់ស្កល់ តែអ្នកខ្លះទៀតបានអង្គុយនិយាយគ្នានិងលេងល្បែងសប្បាយៗជុំគ្នាស្របពេលដែលពួកគេកំពុងរង់ចាំចូលបន្ទប់ទឹកដើម្បីងូតទឹកសំអាតខ្លួន។រហូតដល់ពេលអាធ្រាតបន្តិចពួកយើងរៀបចំរួចរាល់អស់ហើយក៍នាំគ្នាចូលគេងទាំងអស់គ្នាតែម្តង។ពេលវេលាគេងរបស់ពួកយើងគឺពិតជាខ្លីមែនទែនបើប្រៀបធៀបទៅនឹងពេលធ្វើសកម្មភាព ព្រោះពួកយើងត្រូវក្រោកពីព្រលឹមរៀបចំខ្លួននិងញុំាអាហារពេលព្រឹកអោយបានមុនម៉ោង៨ព្រឹក។បន្ទាប់មកពួកយើងបានជួបជុំគ្នានិយាយអំពីអ្វីដែលយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាទទួលបានក្នុង

កំឡុងពេលដែលពួកយើងធ្វើក្នុងសហគមន៍រួចពួកយើងបានបន្តដំណើរទៅធ្វើសកម្មភាពចុងក្រោយគឺការចាប់ក្តាមនៅវាលស្រែ។ក្រោយពេលការចាប់ក្តាមបាន បញ្ចប់ពួកយើងក៍បានរួសរាន់ធ្វើដំណើរត្រលប់មកទីក្រុងភ្នំពេញវិញ។

ក្នុងដំណើរត្រលប់មកវិញភាពរីករាយនៅតែមានហើយការអស់កំលាំងក៍នៅតែសល់ទើបនាំអោយមានអ្នកខ្លះគេងលក់នៅក្នុងឡានស្របពេលដែលអ្នកខ្លះទៀតកំពុងច្រៀងដើម្បីបង្កើតបរិយាកាសរីករាយក្នុងឡាន។ក្រោយចំណាយពេលប្រហែលបួនម៉ោងក្នុងការធ្វើដំណើរពួកយើងបានមកដល់ភ្នំពេញវិញហើយក៍បានបំបែកគ្នាទៅផ្ទះរៀងៗខ្លួនជាមួយនិងទឹកមុខញញឹមស្រស់ស្រាយ។

ក្រោយពីបានបញ្ចប់នូវសកម្មភាពជួយសហគមន៍របស់ពួកយើង ខ្ញុំអាចយល់បានថាវាគឺជាពេលវេលាដែលមានតម្លៃនិងមានសារសំខាន់បំផុតសំរាប់ខ្ញុំផ្ទាល់ សំរាប់សហគនម៍ និងសំរាប់សង្គមផងដែរ។វាគឺជាពេលវេលាមួយដែលអាចអោយខ្ញុំបានចែករំលែកនូវចំនេះដឹងដែលខ្ញុំដឹងនិងភាពសប្បាយរីករាយអោយទៅដល់កុមារាកុមារីតូចៗរស់នៅជនបទដាច់ស្រយ៉ាល។មិនតែប៉ុណ្ណោះក្នុងកំឡុងពេលនោះដែរ វាអាចអោយខ្ញុំស្វែងយល់ពីតម្រូវការជីវិតនិងការរស់នៅរបស់ប្រជាជនក្នុងសហគមន៍នោះផងដែរ។ចំនុចដែលសំខាន់មួយទៀតនោះគឺអាចធ្វើអោយខ្ញុំដឹងពីការធ្វើអ្វីដោយឯករាជ្យ ការចេះជួយទៅវិញទៅមក និងការសហការគ្នាយ៉ាងល្អដើម្បីសំរេចនូវគោលការរួមមួយជាមួយគ្នា។សកម្មភាពចុះសហគមន៍នេះគឺជាពេលវេលាដែលខ្ញុំមិនអាចបំភ្លេចបាន និងចង់បន្តធ្វើវាជាបន្តបន្ទាប់នៅពេលអនាគត។

សកម្មភាពនោះវាមិនត្រឹមតែមានតម្លៃសម្រាប់ខ្ញុំនោះទេ តែវាក៍មានតំលៃសំរាប់សហគមន៍នោះផ្ទាល់ផងដែរ ព្រោះថាវាអាចធ្វើអោយមានភាពកាន់តែជិតស្និតរវាងប្រជាជន រស់នៅក្នុងសហគមន៍ដាច់ស្រយ៉ាលនិងប្រជាជនទីក្រុង។ក្រៅពីនោះពួកគេទាំងអស់គ្នាក៍អាចទទួលបាននូវពត៌មានផ្សេងៗអំពីទីក្រុងនិងអាចបង្ហាញប្រាប់ពួកយើងវិញនូវតម្រូវការរបស់ពួកគេដល់យើងទាំងអស់គ្នាផងដែរ។

លើសពីនោះទៅទៀតសង្គមក៍នឹងអាចទទួលបាននូវការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ដោយសារសកម្មភាពរបស់ពួកយើងដែរ ព្រោះថាសង្គមបានទទួលនូវការយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ពីសំណាក់យុវជនខ្មែរដែលជាទំពាំងស្នងឬស្សី។ពួកយើងអាចបង្ហាញអោយសង្គមដឹងពីផលិតផលដែលប្រជាជនមាននិងតម្រូវការរបស់ប្រជាជនក្នុងសហគមន៍នោះ ដូច្នេះសង្គមនឹង ចាត់វិធានការជាមួយនិងសហគមន៍យ៉ាងល្អ។វាក៍ជាវិធីដែលផ្សាភ្ជាប់ទំនាក់ទំនងរវាងសង្គមនិងសហគមន៍តាមតំបន់ដាច់ស្រយ៉ាលឱ្យកាន់តែមានភាពជិតស្និត មិនមានគម្លាតឆ្ងាយដាច់ពីគ្នាពេកនោះដែរ។

Libraries a brilliant learning resource (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

23/06/2011

English text by: Dara Saoyuth

Khmer text by: Dareth Rosaline

“Until Today” reported by DAP-News

June 23, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Conference Notice, Inform

On the same day of the press conference launch of documentary, the event itself is reported on DAP-news website. Below is the original post from the website as well as the web link. Cheers,

[slideshow]

Link of the article to the original post, CLICK HERE

23/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

Invitation to the press conference launch of documentary(saoyuth.wordpress.com)
DMC Film Premiere Screening of “Until Today” (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Finished design project (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
My interview with Radio Australia (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

Libraries a brilliant learning resource

June 22, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Feature Story, LIFT

Library / by: LIFT magazine

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” said Dr. Seuss, an American writer and cartoonist best known for his collection of children’s books. The poem I Can Read with My Eyes Shut was intended to demonstrate the benefits of reading.

The poem may not resonate that much in Cambodia, where reading rates are low compared to foreign averages – especially those of Americans, who always seem to travel with a book in hand. Laziness and illiteracy are often offered as explanations for the lack of a strong reading culture here.

But from my perspective, as a Cambodian who has lived in this country for almost 20 years, I figure the resources and opportunities afforded the average Cambodian may also have something to do with it.

Libraries are usually considered vast reservoirs of written knowledge, but how many Cambodians can truly access this invaluable resource?

In this article, we’ll discuss reasons preventing and discouraging Cambodian students from accessing libraries.

The first, and most important, reason is that the number of libraries in the Kingdom cannot fulfil the public’s demand.

Those living in remote areas don’t even have libraries in their village schools.

According to the website of Working for Children (WFC), a registered, non-profit charity committed to assisting at-risk children living in rural communities within Siem Reap province, “Most of the rural village schools need libraries. Some schools create makeshift libraries out of an unused classroom, while others keep books in boxes or bags.”

The website also notes that this problem often occurs in recently built schools that need to develop more.

Clearly, schools without a library need one. Even school with libraries rarely have librarians, often because they have only a handful of teachers as it is.

A primary school in my home town has been able to build a nice library with government and NGO support, but students hardly have a chance to access it because the door is usually locked.

The school has hired no librarians and the teachers are all busy, so the school director is forced to act as librarian when he gets a free moment, which is not often.

Having a teacher or school director working as librarian creates another barrier to accessing the library. As they already bear a responsibility to teach or manage the school, they may not want the students to read or borrow books because this creates more work –– sorting, lending and shelving – for them.

Librarians’ knowledge and attitude are also important. They should be friendly and eager to help students find the documents they need.

The opposite was true when I was in high school. I used to be scolded just for asking whether the library had a particular book.

Libraries should also update their documents regularly. This is not a huge issue for primary or high-school students, but students in university must be able to access the latest readings for their research.

In some libraries, most of the books are outdated because most are donated by foreign countries and little money is spent on buying new books. In a bookshop, study materials are always updated because patrons are spending money on them.

Opening hours can also be a limiting factor for student library access. Though some libraries have begun extending librarians’ working hours to attract more readers, others maintain a schedule that conflicts with the students’ classes. So, for example, libraries will shut their doors during lunch breaks and at weekends – the times when students are free to use them.

Some students also complain about regulations requiring them to wear uniforms whenever they enter the library. This poses the question: which is more important, wearing a uniform or gaining knowledge?

Some people go out for the day without planning to go to the library, but if in their free time they suddenly want to go, they will be denied access for lack of a uniform.

Comfort is also essential, and if a library intends to attract patrons, it should, at the very least, have a place where students can sit comfortably, with good lighting and no distracting noise.

LIFT interviewed Dr Ros Chantrabot, a writer as well as acting vice-president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, about Cambodian literature and literacy.

“I don’t think Cambodian youth do not appreciate reading. The main point is that Cambodians don’t have enough reading resources.”

I think it will take time to change the reading habits of the average Cambodian.

Based on what Ros Chantrabot said, I’d say the first step is to extend the availability of resources by building more school libraries, and improving the facilities of those already in existence.

22/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on LIFT, Issue 76 published on June 22, 2011

My interview with Radio Australia

June 22, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Personal Interest/Experience

Yesterday, I was interviewed by Radio Australia in a topic related to DMC batch 08 video production as well as today press conference of the documentary launching. I’ve attached the full interview clip below for you as a fan of Student Blog. Cheers,

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTtRK17vwcA]

22/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

DMC Film Premiere Screening of “Until Today” (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Finished design project (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Invitation to the press conference launch of documentary (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

Invitation to the press conference launch of documentary

June 21, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Inform

1 Comment

To whom it may concern:

Department of Media and Communication of Royal University of Phnom Penh is pleased to invite all the press and related institutions to the press conference on the launching of our students’ production of documentaries titled “Until Now.”

The press conference will be conducted on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 9am in the Department of Media and Communication with the honor present of H.E. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Ministry of Information.

Please find the attached press releases in Khmer and English for more information.

Media Advisory

What: Release of new video documentary “Until Now: Outgrowing the Shadow of Democratic Kampuchea.”

When: Wednesday, 22 June 2011, 9:00am

Where: Department of Media & Communication, RUPP (IFL Campus)

Who: Filmmakers from the Department of Media & Communication and distinguished panel speakers.

For more information please contact Mr. Dara Saoyuth

Mobile: 012 832 008

Email: dara_saoyuth@yahoo.com

P.S. Please confirm if you can come.

[slideshow]

DMC Film Premiere Screening of “Until Today” (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Finished design project (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

Finished design project

June 17, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Inform

1 Comment

I’ve attached our final designs here, so please enjoy and feel free to share your comment for future improvement!

[slideshow]

Besides from writing, designing is what I’d like to do in my free time. Recently, my friend and I had been assigned to work on a design project that we just managed to finish this afternoon.

Being year 3 students at the Department of Media and Communication, we all have to join a group of two people to shoot a short documentary under varied themes. This year, we all worked under the theme related to Khmer Rouge Regime called “Until Now”. There are only 19 students in our batch 8th, so 9 films were produced and also brought to screen in 3 provinces in the Kingdom: Siem Reap, Battambang, and Kampot.

From those screening, we received plenty of comments and suggestions from our audiences and at some points, we’ve decided to cut or add more visual footage.

These films are also needed a DVD case with Cover Design, Label, and description paper. This come to our task!

My friend, Lang Mesa, and I was assigned to responsible for designing and doing PR tasks. Though we had some hard times changing design layouts according to classmates and lecturer’s taste, we really enjoy it and also feel that we’ve learnt more from this project.

17/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

Constructive Cambodian: Cambodian local investment

June 15, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Commentary, LIFT

1 Comment

When you enter a store in Cambodia, how do you decide between local and foreign products? Foreigners might choose products from their countries, but, surprisingly, most Cambodians also decide to choose foreign products.

Many reasons contribute to this situation, but the major one is Cambodians’ perception of local products.

Volume two of Cambodian Commodity Chain Analysis Study, a publication by COSECAM and Plan Cambodia, suggests that negative perceptions by consumers that Cambodian products are of poor quality relative to imported products from Thailand and Vietnam is one of the barriers to the industry growth.

According to an article published in January, 2010 on the website of Louie-Thomas, a Vietnamese/European family-run company that focuses on making boutique products, the overall worth of Vietnamese products consumed in Cambodia is US$988 million.

Vietnam’s major exports to Cambodia include instant noodles, plastic products, tobacco, confectionery, seed corn, household products and vegetables.

The 71-page-publication of COSECAM and Plan Cambodia mentioned above also said that while the perception that Cambodian goods are of lesser quality is often accurate, some products are still successfully competing well against imports due to the fact that at the local level, they are better able to meet consumer taste requirements and have a competitive advantage.

If the above statement is true that local products better meet local consumer tastes, you might ask why many people still do not use local products.

But if you pause a bit and think about the prices of the products, you will see that some of the same kinds of products have different prices between the imported and local versions, and usually the imported products have low prices because production costs in Cambodia are a bit higher.

With reportedly 30 percent of the population living on less than two dollars a day, I’m sure that Cambodians will select the cheaper one available.

Another reason causing Cambodian products to not get support from local consumers is weaknesses in marketing.

Since Cambodian advertising and marketing industries have just emerged, the concept of promoting products is not very developed, unlike in other countries. Watching advertising spots of local products and foreign products, and you’ll see the difference. Some local companies don’t even have enough money to produce spots and advertise through media for a long period compared to foreign products. As a result, some local products remain unknown in the heart of Cambodians.

Some negative aspects might arise if Cambodians continue to not support their local products. First of all, the local company might face bankruptcy because of lack of support. Also, we will spend a lot of money on other countries’ products while only a little for local ones. As a consequence, Cambodia will have no local strong brand to compete for the regional, as well as the international, audience and that will affect imports and exports as well.

For example, according to the US Department of State website, in 2009, the amount we received from exporting goods was only $3.9 billion, while the money we spent on imports was $5.4 billion.

One more thing is that the current situation might discourage graduated students from investing in industrial business because they realise that no matter how good the quality of the goods is, it’s still hard to convince Cambodians to use their local products. As a result, a lot of human resources end up working as staffers for foreign-brand companies in Cambodia because they think it’s more stable than opening a business on their own.

Nowadays, young people tend to start running businesses, but mostly businesses related to services, such as opening a hotel, a restaurant or an internet café rather than opening a business to produce local products.

However, there are some positive signs that some institutions are working to promote local products.

In 2009, for example, the PRASAC micro-finance institution sponsored a campaign to buy Cambodian products, and the website khmerproducts.com has been created to promote Khmer products. The Cambodian government has tried to promote Khmer products by establishing the One Village One Product (OVOP) National Committee.

As stated on the committee’s website, OVOP is a concept to make products of high quality.

So, if Cambodians begin using local products, and institutions work together to promote Khmer products – for example, by creating more frequent local product exhibitions – producers will try to improve their quality, the economics will improve and the young generation will have more jobs and more chances to use their skills.

15/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on LIFT, Issue 75 published on June 14, 2011

A day in the life of an intern at FAO-UN

June 15, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT

Chhay Chenda / photo provided

Most people enjoy having a stable job, but there are some who continually switch positions in order to gain experience and follow their dreams. With eight different job titles in the past few years, Chhay Chenda definitely belongs in the latter category.

When asked, Chhay Chenda volunteered that she searches for jobs that can improve her personal and professional development. In other words, she looks for employers that help her to help them.

“I think I would choose to work in a place based on the learning opportunities it provides, rather than anything having to do with money or status,” Chhay Chenda said.

At the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Chhay works as a national intern, helping the programme officer to implement a food security project.

The 28-year-old usually begins her working day by checking her e-mail, then adding tasks from her to-do list to her personal calendar.

“Projects cannot start if I forget to put tasks in my to-do list,” remarked Chhay Chenda, adding that, by doing so, she can easily prioritise tasks she has to complete immediately, versus those that can wait until later.

She also emphasised that time management skills “help me remember all of my tasks and prevent me accidentally scheduling two meetings at once”.

And her tasks include more than just sitting around the office, checking e-mail, and writing reports. She has also conducted extensive research, met with key project stakeholders, recruited a national project manager and accompanied a mission from FAO HQ to the potential project implementation areas.

“Ensuring the success of our projects requires us to put in a lot of time and effort, including field work, so we can get a sense of the situation despite not being able to talk with all the people,” said Chhay Chenda, noting further that going to the field also enables her to write reports based on her reflections and analysis.

Since graduating in 2005 with a bachelor degree in business administration, accounting and finance, Chhay Chenda has taken the initiative to improve her accounting experience by travelling to work in Laos, studying for her CAT/ACCA accounting exams and even working as an intern at an accounting firm in New York City.

She was selected as a finalist for the Cartier Women Initiative Award in 2008, for a project titled Your Business Solutions.

She has spent six years working as the finance manager for various business and nonprofits, as well holding positions as the deputy director at Ecole Paul Dubrule School, and office manager at Hagar International.

Chhay Chenda maintains that she tries to avoid demanding things of the world, trying instead to give back by joining social activities and helping to improve other people’s lives.

Because she is passionate about learning in social entrepreneurship and international development, she convinced herself to be part of the UN, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Red Cross.

Chhay Chenda when going to the field / photo provided

15/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on LIFT, Issue 75 published on June 14, 2011

10 Reasons Teachers Shouldn’t Be Facebook Friends with Students

June 14, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

From my fans

Kelly Kaplan, one of Student Blog readers, has just sent me an article which I hope all of you also like to read it. I’ve posted the full article here, and if you’d like to read from the original site, feel free to click the link at the end of the post. Cheers,

From: Original post

You can find just about anybody on Facebook these days. People are becoming Facebook friends with old classmates, long lost cousins and the neighbor across the street. Teens especially seem to have a tendency to add almost everyone to their friends list that asks. So, if one of their teachers should send them a friend request, they’re likely to accept it. If they randomly came across a teacher’s profile on Facebook, they might also send a friend request too, without thinking much about it. A teacher, however, should give the situation some consideration. There are some very good reasons why a teacher should NOT be Facebook friends with their students.

Privacy – The teacher’s privacy and the student’s privacy are compromised when they become Facebook friends. A student (and that student’s friends) may learn things about their teacher that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. This could be detrimental in the class setting.
Harassment – Again, this can go both ways. If the relationship between the teacher and the student is not a positive one, or deteriorates in the classroom, Facebook connections could be used to harass one another outside the confines of the school building.
Work vs Home – Teachers often had a hard time drawing a line between work and home. Since Facebook would be something they would use more for their personal lives than their work, becoming Facebook friends with students just further blurs that already fuzzy line.
Favoritism – Since teachers have many different students each day, if they were Facebook friends with some of their students and not others, they would likely be accused of showing favoritism to those students they had befriended on Facebook.
Intimidation – Some students might see a teacher’s Facebook friendship intimidating. They may be hesitant to accept the friendship because of not wanting their teacher to be privy to their conversations with friends. At the same time, they may fear saying no to a friend request from a teacher, for fear that they will offend the teacher and negatively affect the teacher’s treatment of them.
Age appropriate – Since a teacher would be an adult, there may be postings from friends on their Facebook page, which would not be age appropriate content for their students to be reading or viewing.
Bullying – School bullies love to tease other kids about having friendly relationships with their teachers. Being Facebook friends with students may make them a bigger target for that type of bullying from other students.
Prejudice – As much as teachers try not to allow outside knowledge affect their treatment of their students, it still can have a subliminal effect. A Facebook friendship may cause a teacher to see the student in a whole different light than they did in the classroom previously.
Misunderstandings – Online communications are often filled with misunderstandings about what a person meant by something they typed or did online. A teacher/student friendship on Facebook could create more opportunities for these types of misunderstandings.
Expectations – A student who has a teacher as a Facebook friend may expect special treatment from that teacher. The student may also expect the teacher to answer questions regarding assignments and homework via their Facebook friendship, that should be reserved for the classroom.

If you’re a teacher and haven’t given this situation any thought, now is the time to do so. The easiest solution is to simply make it a matter of personal policy to not be Facebook friends with any student at your school. That way, no one can be offended by your rejecting their friend request, and you can’t be put in a position that you may later regret.

14/06/2011

From: Student Blog reader

Original site: 10 Reasons Teachers Shouldn’t Be Facebook Friends with Students

European Film Festival 2011

June 9, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Inform

European Film Festival, a yearly films screening event, will be hosted again at Department of Media and Communication (RUPP campus) from 10 to 11 June 2011.

5 movies from various countries in Europe will be screened in this two-day event, which is open for public.

Every year, before screening each film, we have ambassador to briefly talk about the film from his/her country and to answer audiences’ questions after the screening session.

What special about this year is that all films were dubbed into Khmer language. If you cannot understand Khmer language, don’t be worry because you still can enjoy English subtitle.

Hope to see all you at DMC on the screening day!

Films Screening Schedule

09/06/2011

By: Dara Saoyuth

Author - Dara Saoyuth

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles