New Initiatives
Future is Bright Lab and Library
The first of our new initiatives is our Future is Bright Lab and Library. Our lab allows youth to rent laptops, smartphones, hard drives, and additional tech for nominal fees. In the wake of COVID-19, we initiated the lab and library to give PEPY youth access to IT for their work and studies. Before the lab, our participants only had access to computers during class, inhibiting their ability to increase their IT skills.
During lockdowns, this issue became a priority for our organization. For starters, students had difficulty joining and participating in their classes at PEPY and in school. They even had to complete homework assignments on their phones. We knew we needed to address this quickly and launched the library in late 2020.
Today, the lab has enabled students to be more technologically proficient than we could have ever anticipated! Alumni and scholars use IT to promote their businesses, teach online, and are learning how to code! Consequently, we have developed a stronger IT curriculum and created a hub space for exchanging ideas and hosting coding club meetings.
We are currently seeking in-kind donations and raising funds to obtain more second-hand and new computers to meet the needs of our community! If you are able to help please contact us!
Siem Reap Entrepreneurs' Future Innovators Exhibitions
In July 2022, our YISI team spearheaded the first ever exhibition for Siem Reap entrepreneurs. The purpose of the exhibitions are to give all interested entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their service or product to receive valuable feedback. To reach as many entrepreneurs as possible, we coordinate with all active incubator programs in the region. After each exhibition, the data collected will help youth make effective decisions on their business and decide how to best serve their customer base.
In addition to the exhibitionists, musicians and artists, panels, and food vendor entrepreneurs also participate, attracted large audiences.
The first exhibition attracted over 700 participants and the second had over 750! PEPY team and the incubator program partners anticipate the event continuing to grow in scale. We are thrilled that the exhibitions have been so successful! In the future, we plan for more entrepreneurs to join the exhibitions to get exposed to many potential customers and build their business.
PEPY's Community Computer Lab project
To provide resources and services to all entrepreneurs, we launched PEPY’s Community Computer Lab on August 25, 2023. Currently, there is very limited access to technology in our city. Our schools and libraries are not equipped with the resources to support young people’s studies and their professional development. In our lab, we provide high-quality laptops equipped with our online courses and learning resources (including our Khmer Intro to Business Course on Santa Clara University’s MOBI platform), tool kits from skills development workshops, reliable internet, co-working spaces, and spaces for meetings.
The space is centrally located in Prudential (Cambodia) life Insurance Siem Reap Office. Prudential provided a hub for entrepreneurs to connect with potential job recruiters, startup partners, and business investors. We are focused on cultivating a supportive environment so that all lab users are inspired and empowered to further their employment journey. We aim for the lab to have at least 350 members in our pilot year. Due to our limited personnel resources, and in lieu of workshops and events, we currently operate the lab from Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. We are hoping to extend to the evening hours to best meet the needs of our community members when we get more resources to hire additional interns and team members. Come visit our lab or join an upcoming event!