Being trained to use a smartphone to report reflects the view of indigenous youth.
“This training is very significant for me since I could use it to empower my community and share with outsiders who we are and what we are living with.”
Mr. Lao Bundinh is a Jarai indigenous youth. He was born in a rural area of Phork Thom village, Phork Nhai commune, Ouyadav district, Ratanakiri province, and he has lived there for 27 years. He did not have much knowledge of story writing as well as photos and video shooting. However, he would like to share his daily life as an indigenous youth, his livelihood, and culture, as well as the environment in his community with other people through social media.
Until when he got to know about the mobile report training organized by Conserve Indigenous Peoples Languages (CIPL) in collaboration with Open Development Cambodia (ODC), he had the chance to learn what he liked and waiting for. He joined the mobile report training, which aims to build the capacity of indigenous youths on how to use a mobile phone to report on natural resources management by writing stories and using photos as the evidence-based mechanism on 21 – 22 September 2022 in Ratanakiri province. It required him to put more effort and time into improving his skills.
His commitment to sharing what is happening within his community inspired him to persevere through the challenges. Currently, he can write a story and edit a video to share on the social media platform. He feels very thankful for the organizer giving him an opportunity to learn what he always wishes to. He posted his own video, “Finished the mobile report training on environment, video shooting, and video editing from CIPL, I could do some practices,” to illustrate the beauty of the forest, environment, and livelihood of his community on social media.
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From trainee to trainer: fostering indigenous youths’ capacity to proactively disseminate knowledge in their communities
The Civil Society Activity (CSS) project made significant progress in empowering indigenous voices, through its partnership with Open Development Cambodia (ODC) and Conserve Indigenous People\'s Language (CIPL) Organization. Acknowledging the limitations of training every community member, the project employed a strategic approach: transmitting knowledge from focal persons to their communities. These designated individuals have become conduits for information dissemination, resulting in a profound impact. Mr. Lao Bundinh is a 27-year-old Jarai indigenous youth living with his family in Pak Thum village, Pak Nhai commune, Ou Yadav district, Ratanakiri province. He had limited knowledge regarding social media, script writing, and other technological tools. Nevertheless, he had a strong desire to share his culture and voice with a wider audience through social media channels. He also faced a significant knowledge gap, particularly in the realm of digital security. Throughout his active participation in project activities, training sessions, and engagement with local authorities, he gained valuable insights and became aware of the knowledge gaps he needed to address. Despite encountering various challenges, including barriers related to knowledge, technical skills, and time constraints, he persevered and continued to pursue higher levels of expertise. He seized the opportunity to undertake the role of a trainer, conveying his acquired knowledge to indigenous youths within his community. His training sessions focused on topics such as Facebook security, Telegram two-step verification, and video production scripting. He also has gained the capability to express his insights and address community issues effectively through social media channels while sharing his knowledge within his community. He takes great pride in his personal growth and achievements, having reached this significant milestone. He remains committed to ongoing knowledge sharing and making contributions to increasing awareness among indigenous communities in the future.
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