Indigenous youth become confident in expressing himself

8 February 2023
Ethnic minorities and indigenous people
Civil Society Support Project / indigenous people

Participating in discussions and learning about current issues boosts indigenous youth’s confidence.

“Because I participated in various activities and training, I now feel more confident in expressing myself and my community.”

Mr. Mong Samut is a 22-year-old Brao indigenous youth. He was born in a remote area located in Sieng Say village, Ta Veaeng Kraom commune, Ta Veaeng district, Ratanakiri province. This is where he is living with his family. As an indigenous youth, he had few opportunities for further education. He was a young farmer without a confident expression and so preoccupied with his job that he was unaware of the situation outside of the community. However, land and forestry issues have arisen in his community. He wishes to seek assistance and share these conflicts and challenges with others to obtain protective intervention.

Mr. Mong Samut (Red shirt) participating in the meeting on identify topics on NRM and land conducted by CIPL in his village center located in Seang Say village, Taveng Kroam commune, Taveng district, Ratanakiri province.

Until he gets to know Open Development Cambodia (ODC) and Conserve Indigenous Peoples Languages (CIPL) organizations, he has a chance to learn and participate in various activities and training such as mobile report training, data visualization and storytelling, and identifying topics on natural resource, land, and environment. He has learned how to identify problems, edit videos, and gain basic knowledge of natural resources, land, and forestry. Even though his knowledge cannot be compared to that of people living in cities, he is dedicated and always pays more attention to the lesson and discussions.

The desire to express the community’s issues and challenges keeps him go on. He is ready to share what is going on in his community while gathering information from others to share with his own. He pledges to open his community’s culture, livelihood, and issues through what he learned if given the opportunity.