PEPY Exchanges: Learning to Practice Sustainable Tourism in Siem Reap
July 5, 2024
All PEPY programs aim to equip young people with the tools and confidence to find their voice – enabling them to become changemakers and leaders in the community. We believe that helping youth reach their potential, find their voice, and identify their interests, helps shape and uplift our participants’ respective communities and ultimately Cambodia. Our programs’ proven curriculums and activity plans slowly and intentionally break down the many cultural and internal barriers to empowerment that our students face Students have regular opportunities to take ownership of their work expressing their creativity and thought process.
How debate competitions are key to youth leadership development?
Debate Competitions have proven to be essential to our students’ leadership development. We recently expanded our Learning Center and Dream public speaking and debate workshops into structured competitions with judge panels. During their training, students learn how to conduct research, formulate arguments, and practice delivering their ideas in front of different audiences – culminating into them participating in a public debate organized by PEPY and, if they qualify, in regional and national debates.
We are proud to share that 15 of Dream student have gone to be finalists in the National Debate since 2021 and, in 2024, all Learning Center students have gone on to lead community volunteer projects in Siem Reap city and in their hometowns this summer.
In early July, the class of 2024 Learning Center students participated in the final classroom debate – showcasing their progress in the workshops as they prepare for public debates:
The Impact of Youth Leadership Programming
By participating in debates and our additional public speaking and confidence-building initiatives, students leave our center ready to take on challenges that they identify in their communities and throughout their lives – advocating for themselves and others. We are so impressed with students’ progress so far and look forward to seeing them shine in our upcoming public speaking and debate competitions, as well as our volunteer and outreach activities in Siem Reap and in their communities.
