Greetings everyone,
It’s been very busy for the last few months since we started the Attitude Centre for Education. We have four projects up and running that really bring a lot of positive change to the Cambodian community. Please join me in taking note of our accomplishments. Another piece of good news is that I have been granted a scholarship to go to the USA on the 26th of this month for a five-week institute: “Leadership for Healthy Organizations” and “Designing Learner-Centered Training for Conflict Transformation.”
As a representative of the Cambodian Kids Foundation in Cambodia, I want to thank you for all of your support, volunteering and donations toward making Cambodia a better place.
Sokchea SAING
Director, Cambodia
It’s been only a few months since we started the Attitude Centre for Education. We have done so many things, such as setting up the centre, conducting five workshops both in Phnom Penh and the provinces for 248 people who come from different walks of life. Through our outreach program, we have helped Aziza school, Village Earth, after the evictions. Our scholarship program supports poor students who dream to attend university but can’t afford it. There is a school program in Kanpong Thom province that we plan to build 3 classrooms, and another amazing project called Attitude Centre for Education that we just set up with the volunteers and staff in February 2009. The facility is suits our projects well and has seven rooms, along with a kitchen downstairs, a meeting room, one training classroom that should fit 35 students, and another big hall on the last floor for the dormitory and sport activities.
The Centre operates in the best location in Phnom Penh to provide three projects:
Mental Health Course Conducted at Attitude Centre
By Attitude
Being human, no one’s life is without problems. How can we know that we are having problems? How do we solve those problems? Mental health is an area that most people don’t understand. The course will help participants not knowledgeable about mental problems.
When mental sickness occurs, the problem affects not only the person suffering from it but the people who are around them as well. Mental health was the first workshop conducted in the Attitude Centre for Education, on March 1st, 2009. There were 34 participants who joined the forum. There were 15 from NFC, 16 from Lakeside and 3 more from Aziza.
Moreover, this is not an easy course. Attitude’s staff works closely with participants. The attendees had certain concerns that were very deep in their minds, so we all make sure that participants are open and comfortable with sharing to get support for all their problems.
A statement from one of the students who finished the Mental Health course: “After finishing the course that took only one day, I am very thrilled that I got lots of new knowledge. I accepted my mistakes that I did to my family members and friends. I apologized for what I did. I will change and develop my altitude to be better. I would like to give a big thanks to teacher, Sok Chea who work very hard to help us,” Kim Sophearith said.
Child Protection Training (TOT)
By Attitude
Child protection training is a special program for team leaders from Aziza who want to become staff in the future. We used to do the training at the Village Focus International office, but since March 7th, 2009 we have been using the Attitude Centre. It takes just 2 hours per week; there are 7 trainers.
First, the participants learn how to be a good trainer. To be an effective trainer involves eye contact, body language, lesson planning and other technical skills. Each of them had to choose one topic to teach during 15 minutes. Besides that, other trainees will encourage them or give some advice. If someone does not do it well, then they can do it again after encouragement.
For the next step, they were separated into two groups. Each group had a different topic. Even though they were busy, they worked very hard to search and make lesson plans. One group had one hour to practice. They do not have more time to study TOT. The training will finish soon.
Hopefully the entire trainee group will get the necessary skills to become a trainer and to teach the next generation of kids in Cambodia.
Course on Leadership in Action
By Attitude
There were 10 students who joined the workshop. Leadership in action is a new kind of skill for the students. This course is completed differently from the first course (Leadership Development Skills) because it allows the participants to be involved more actively.
The first thing everybody has to do is wear a name tag. It’s a new practice that helps the workshop go smoothly and makes it easier for the coach to call their names. Being called by name has made participants have more confidence.
We let them work in groups when it’s time to discuss. Group members describe what they’ve done. Everyone needs to have their own idea to share and work out about their topic. They have 2 minutes to think about their negative actions along with solutions. In each lesson they have a chance to practice. We also focus on how to be a person who has a good attitude about living, working and studying.
Even though we had only 10 students, everybody seemed to have enough time to talk to each other about how much they understood in each lesson. They tried to talk and encourage their skills, including speaking, listening and eye contact. After finishing discussion they volunteer to tell the class what they have done.
Finally, participants will get some advice or statements from the coach. The coach identifies their negative actions and what they could change or need to improve their life. They also have 15 minutes to write down what they have learned from the course and their impressions.
Leadership Development Course in Prey Veng Province
By Attitude
The weekend of March 28th, 2009, we conducted a leadership workshop in Prey Veng Province. There were 145 participants, who lined up at two tables to get their yellow name tags.
We started at 7:30 and finished at 11:30. The participants had a lot of experience but said they were not really sure what should they do for their future and their community. Most of them are older adults with the roles of government workers, teachers and college students.
In the afternoon, participants talked about their issues, like sometimes having problems with students. There were many issues that they have experienced with their study, work, and family. After giving some examples and very clear explanations, everyone tried to think about the problems and some possible solutions.
Mr. Chick Nimol, who is a university student, said that he is having a problem. He wants things very quickly. He doesn’t like waiting, even for his big goals. He wanted to be a doctor, but it takes a long time to become one, so he wanted to change to having another goal. He wanted an easy job that did not take long time. He would like to find ways to encourage himself.
The next day all the participants improved step by step. They talked to each other well. Teacher Sok Chea told them the conditions for becoming a good leader. The participants had five minutes to share with each other. The reason that they needed to talk to each other is to make them more open-minded and able to communicate. This is also what they do to become an effective leader.
Some students wanted to have their own concerns addressed, so they asked Mr. Sok Chea to speak about their specific problems. They didn’t want to share their private thoughts in detail, but just to have some examples including the basic points. Even during break time, they tried to talk and ask how to communicate effectively.
Sok Chea said he has found three things about the students in Cambodia--difficulty getting a job because they do not have good leadership skills, English proficiency and computer skills. We were all born with the capacity for leadership, but they do not know what a leader is. So it is difficult for them to lead themselves toward a better future in life.
Finally, there were five attendees who shared their feelings with the class about what they learned and their intent to apply all their knowledge that they got from leadership training to daily life and people around them. At the end of the workshop, the monk who was a trainee wished for the teacher and all participants to have happiness and peace.
Leadership Development Course in Sihanouk Province
By Attitude
Sihanouk Province is about 230Km from Phnom Penh. The province is among Cambodia’s most famous and beautiful places to visit. The Attitude Centre conducted a leadership course at Stung Hua in Sihanouk Province. Attitude brought 13 students from Aziza and Lakeside school. They have been practicing, so we could tell how much they have improved. There were 34 participants. Most of them are fishing people and Stung Hau’s staff. Before, they did not have good communication skills, except within their families. They did not express
themselves or work well in groups.
This leadership course was very focused on how to help the participants to be brave, to have good relationships and social life and to make future plan. There were 10 students from Phnom Penh who shared their personal stories as examples and told the difference before and after studying leadership.
Mr. Sokchea worked very hard to help them to be confident. They had a lot to learn to improve their social life skils, but the next day they were much better. They worked in groups and discussed the topic that we gave them. The training encouraged them to be open-minded and made them feel self-confident. The students from Phnom Penh who volunteered also helped attendees understand social relationships. It was also a chance to show their speaking abilities. Most of the participants’ presentations were the first ever for them.
One of the Lakeside students, Chanta, told about his life. He used to live in this community. There were a lot of problems in his life. He used to take drugs and did a lot of bad things, but he has started a new life. The participants were so happy to hear that he has turned his life around to be a good person.
There were several students who wanted to share their feelings with the class, to say thanks and offer good wishes. The last one, Sa Bine, who is a volunteer at Stung Hua, said “I am so thrilled to see my students are improving in necessary leadership skills, especially communication. Thanks so much to Mr. Sok Chea. I wish you good luck, good health and success.”
Leadership Development Course at Tiny Toones Club
By Attitude
Tuy Sobil, who prefers to go by his street name “KK”, was born in a refugee camp on the Thailand/Cambodia border and grew up in Long Beach, California, where he was exposed to break dancing and did it for four years after seeing it in local parks. However, KK became involved in a gang, which caused him to be deported to Cambodia in late 2004. KK’s story is similar to nearly 1500 other deportees who try to survive in their parents’ homeland. Some of them have not been able to adjust to life in Cambodia.
Tiny Toones was founded after kids learned from the Khor Sang staff that KK used to break-dance and asked him teach them.
Now they have moved to a two-story building which about 150 kids comes to for break dancing practice. The kids who come to dance are all from very poor families and live on the street or in slum areas.
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009, Attitude visited Tiny Toones. From 8 to 11 am. There were 29 participants who joined the training. It was not during the weekend. Leadership development skills were the basic goal. The course helps participants to understand how to be an influential leader.
When it first started, the participants talked in the class and blamed each other. They were very confident but not inspired leaders. While working in groups, some of them talked loudly and didn’t care much about the topic. This was the first group work for the course.
During break time, a girl named Sovanna said that she wanted to study in this course because she was not good at communicating. She said she did not know to set goals for herself.
Before the break time Thida shared what he had leaned from the morning session. He was interested in the personal power of a leader and explained that he knows there are many points that he needed to improve about himself. “I requested that all teachers and staff that work in the centre to have helped kids by happy, non-violent and kindness heart,” said Sarmon, HIV trainer.
In the afternoon we talked about the qualities of a leader. Teacher Sok Chea was very focused on this point because it talked about the attitude of leaders. Most of the participants were break dancers.
“I am a break dancing teacher. I was very angry
with the students when they didn't listen to me though I told them a few times,” said Srey Leak.
“I was not a good child. I did not go to school. Sometime I blamed my parents when they made me angry, so I moved to Phnom Penh because I could not live with my family anymore. When I arrived in Phnom Penh I lived with Friend NGO. I was not a good person, so Friend NGO did not allow me to live there anymore. I used to be a street child and used drugs. Then I met Sarmon and some people who live with Tiny Toones. They told me about Tiny Toones, and I decided to live in here. My life in the centre was changing step by step. I could change some,” said Vanarak.
Pektra said, “I was a very bad and easily angered person. When somebody said something wrong I was angry and also wanted to fight them. No one talked loudly or made fun of me because they knew my behavior. I liked violence and using rude words. I tried to change but only a few times that I could. I wanted to get some advice from teachers to encourage myself. I haven’t known how to change my life.”
Many of the people at Tiny Toones have bad backgrounds and still have problems. Conflict resolution was the one of their favorite subjects. At first each of them really wanted to win arguments and did not listen to each other. They liked blaming and fighting. But they work very hard to learn break dancing. After studying they understood and tried to calm down. They do not have bad intentions in doing something. They tried to use their goodness in their mind.
The statements that motivated participants: “Life is decision. If you do not make your decision, other people will make it for you.” “To be a good leader you have to use your good to control your evil.” This was the part that inspired them in the lesson. Actually, the next group work time went well, with sharing ideas and teamwork. Everyone in the workshop did presentations.
Finally, these were some statements in which attendees shared their feelings about the workshop. “I make a lo t of mistakes in the centre I am apologize to everyone,” said Yav.
“I will stop using violence in my family because leadership training helps me to know the meaning of life. If I still using violence, my children will copy it from me. I wanted to be a good leader, husband and father for everyone,” said Yav's husband.
Pahna, will use what he has learnt from leadership training to help him in his daily life. He hopes Tiny Toones will be the best centre: “We really need everybody help and work together. Don't use violence anymore.”
Most of the participants improved a surprising amount, which was amazing. In only two days they changed and improved more than expected. “I am so appreciative,” said Synoeun.
Right now seven members of Tiny Toones are on tour in the US from April 14 to May 5. We wish them good luck on their trip.
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