![](\"https:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/writingthrough1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAt the beginning of each academic year, students coming into the Learning Center are generally described as shy, reserved, and unsure of themselves. This is not a surprise for the PEPY staff. In fact, Siem Reap employers and business owners site Cambodian youths’ lack of communication and confidence as one of the top issues affecting their hirability. Although it is clearly needed, soft skill development is still overlooked in current education institutions, but, PEPY actively works to fill the gap between what students can offer versus what is expected by their employer.<\/p>\n
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PEPY Learning Center’s Youth Empowerment Project provides a unique and effective combination of soft skills courses and activities that have shown to vastly improve the self-confidence, team working ability, communication skills, and public speaking skills of our students within 1 year. Such a profound change of behavior may seem unlikely in such a short time, but, visitors observing the students continue to be in awe of their willingness to make conversation and their ability to ask such inquisitive questions, demonstrating their high level of critical thinking. Employers that hire PEPY students also consistently note that they are impressed with the students’ speaking skills and interactions with their coworkers and the public.<\/p>\n
As the academic calendar winds down at the Learning Center, Youth Empowerment Officer Kim Ann stated that, “[the] majority of students capacity of students is increasing, and we can say that most of the students will be more than ready to interview and receive skilled employment.”<\/p>\n
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So, what makes the Youth Empowerment Project so successful?<\/p>\n
One reason could be the courses focused on exposing students to new opportunities and creative outlets, expanding their imagination. One such example would be the students trip to the Cambodian Circus this past winter, where they saw the show White Gold<\/a>. In White Gold, a man and his community experience the harshness of modernization, where money and greed overtake culture, and, they must reassess the true value of rice.<\/p>\n Given their financial and geographical backgrounds, PEPY students had never seen performance art before, and, were amazed to find that art and story telling could be a potential career path. Learning Center student Chanthy called the performance, “real magic.” Students’ ability to think of what is possible for their future was forever changed. Moreover, it provided the students with experiences to share with people from different backgrounds, allowing them to engage further with foreign visitors at the Learning Center and, eventually, in their future work.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/phar.jpg\")
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![](\"https:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/writingthrough.jpg\")
The Youth Empowerment Project has also been exceptional at helping the students learn to better express themselves and communicate effectively in English. On multiple occasions, most recently last February, ![](\"https:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/climbing2.jpg\")
Perhaps out of all the activities, the most important or impactful are those that focus on character development, team work, and gaining confidence. One such program was conducted recently at Angkor Wall this past July, a rock climbing gym where students attempted to scale a wall for the first time. Initially fearful and unsure of themselves, every student attempted the wall at least once, supporting each other through every step and communicating their individual comfort zones to Anghor Wall staff.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/climbing1.jpg\")
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