In 2020, PEPY’s new partnership with PACT Cambodia (USAid) allowed us to expand on our existing projects in the Learning Center to provide youth with the opportunity to put their ideas into action.
PEPY students are eager to make an impact in their communities whether it be through, education, economic development, and empowerment. While they often run community based projects and continue to support their communities after leaving our programs, they and we believe they are capable of so much more if given the resources and support. Through this program, our leadership workshops, Intro to Business Class, and project management training, move from theoretical to practical with students working in groups to conduct field research to design and implement their own business and civic projects addressing a Sustainable Development Goal.
After successfully pitching their proposals to a judge panel comprised of PEPY staff and local professionals/development leaders, the teams will be given funds to start their projects with assigned mentors. The pitching stage of the project is inclusive of alumni who have participated in the project and current students. We look forward to seeing this project potentially leading to the development of small to medium scale business ventures, and to initiatives that support the development of additional youths.
- WeTalks: A webinar series with local leaders and professional speakers sharing their experiences and key lessons learned on their journey to success. These events are hosted publicly through Zoom during COVID, and are joined by PEPY students and youth across the country. This series helps expand youth’s networks and teach them valuable lessons.
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Course: For PEPY, it is important for our organization to do what we can to help promote more environmentally conscious and sustainable lifestyles in Cambodia. Introducing the students to SDGs and having them shape a major project around these goals is extremely important to us and an invaluable experience for them.
After attending the Women in Leadership We Talk, 17-year-old Reaksmey, a 17 year old said, “After joining this talk, I was inspired to learn how to motivate myself and to take risk taking opportunities to be a future female leader and entrepreneur. I believe that women have [the same] potential as men.”
Leakhena, an 18-year-old student, reflects on the SDG course saying, “this is completely new for me to hear and to study about these topics (SDGs). As a young leader and a global citizen, it is good to know common goals that the world aims to achieve together by 2030. Beside learning about the goal, I also get to know facts and figures around child violation, agriculture and how current weather impacted negatively on it. This is what everyone should know.”
Our Impact
