“I believe that a better and more peaceful world is not too far ahead of us, if each and every one of us stand up and fight for it. I also believe that we are like snowflakes, unique, and thus have a special gift that we can offer to our community, society, and country.” These are words of my favourite teacher. They are short and simple, yet they have a profound effect on me. Since then, I started to have interest in community service; that is to volunteer in helping the community. My passion is to help, in whatever might I have, rebuild communities and work to encourage other youth to follow suit. In fact, there were two organizations that I were involved with when I was still in Cambodia.
The first one, the Initiatives of Change Association, is an organization that helps to rebuild poor communities and to promote peace in the region. I participate in its monthly “Food Program” in which many youth volunteer to cook food for the poor. I also helped organize youth camping programs for the organization as well. Moreover, at the weekends or on holidays, I would meet with other friends to work on various existing projects in addition to our bi-weekly follow-up meeting at the organization. We try to exchange ideas on how to further improve our existing projects and what else we can do to help our community.
Furthermore, I see education as a tool to ignite personal growth and can be attained beyond classroom activities. Thus I spend lots of time working with some of my friends to initiate project to help promote education. The group is our own independent group, just a group of around 15 students who strive to help Cambodian society. Because of small number of people volunteer, each and every one of us has to sacrifice lots of our time when project is coming. So far, we had done with 3 projects in a period of 18 months. We collected books and distribute to children in a poor community; we brought around 50 teenagers to volunteer in a local orphanage organization; we initiated a workshop that aimed to provide high school graduate with necessary information about college and scholarship.
Actually, the two afore-mentioned organizations, though on voluntarily basis, has given me more than I have given them. Not only do they teach me many good skills such as communication, leadership, advocacy, but also guide me to form my own value of life. Also, it is because of these two amazing places that I have chances to experience many things and meet many wonderful people, from whom I find something special, from time to time. Without these experiences, I believe I would not be what I am today, a person with goals in life, a person, to some extent, has success in life.
Because of this passion, I have to sacrifice lots of my time, even when I was in college in Cambodia. The work, though voluntarily, involved a lot of meetings and commitment. On some weekends, my friends and I met from 8 in the morning until 8 at night to discuss and work on our projects. Nevertheless, it was the passion that was worth sacrificing for. It enriched my personal growth. It gave me challenges that strengthen my spirit to work harder and fight for what I believed the right thing to do. Now that I am studying in the States, I have to leave my team members in Cambodia. I heard they are doing very fine; nevertheless, I somehow miss doing that kind of work, though I receive no payment from it.
Looking back to all those time, I really appreciate everything the Initiatives of Change and own volunteer team has given me. They have changed me to be a better person, a person who cares for others. Now that I am away from those places I feel that I start to miss people over there already. I am definitely going to work with them once I get back to Cambodia.
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