Sometimes you can

enrich the lives of

others just by
saying hello.

Volunteering should not be

limited to a specic time of your
life. Being a volunteer helps you
along the pathway of developing
yourself as a person as well as
helping others. Therefore, giving
of yourself through volunteering
is something that you should do
for the rest of your life.

Phra Paisan Visalo

Caption: A group of excited Laotian kids interact with a visitor.

Place: Luang Prabang, Laos
Photographer: Forest Gagnon

EDITOR'S N TE

Volunteering for Our Selves and Our Societies

Volunteering is an amazing opportunity for young people to chase their dreams and aspirations,
and cultivate their passions in life.
As a youngster, I remember helping to clean dishes from morning offerings at the temple
in my village. In university, I traveled to rural areas to teach students English. Whenever I volunteered
my time to help others, both the smile on my face and my heart grew bigger. I gained so many
wonderful experiences in my life through volunteer work.
Today, we are faced with many challenges occurring in our communities: flooding
and natural disasters, food shortages, children in need of teachers and schools, and elderly
in need of care. Our societies are calling for young people to be part of solutions for the future.
This issue, The ASEAN Volunteer, offers some exciting articles. Our 20 contributors
will take you to 10 Southeast Asian nations in stories about how young people in each country are
volunteering to help their communities. You will find inspirational stories about successful volunteer
efforts from various youth organizations across the region, and you will meet 10 incredible youth
volunteers from each ASEAN country. Plus, we present 10 cool reasons to volunteer that will
encourage you to look for and find volunteering opportunities in your own community.
The Earth is weepingchildren are cryingthe rivers are sobbingthe air is growing
more polluted. What are we waiting for? Start volunteering in your own communities,
and be a part of creating a caring and sharing Southeast Asian society and community.
Pack your bag and go volunteer now!!!

Jaruwan Netting Supolrai

aymmagazine@gmail.com

01 AYM MAGAZINE

CONTENT
45
63

37
28
47

23

01

Editors Note

04

Letter to Editor

06

Todays Youth Speak out

about Volunteering

10

Country Updates

15

Update from ASEAN Youth

Forum 2012

16

Waves of Volunteers in
Southeast Asia

44

Let 10 Successful Volunteer

Stories Inspire You

67

Meet 10 Inspiring ASEAN

Youth Volunteers

76

Discover 10 Cool Reasons to

Volunteer

78

Book Review

80

Movie Review

66
Cover Designer: Gail Rae Javier

The cover art, basically, is a sum of the personal takes of the artist on volunteerism,
diversity and unity among the ASEAN member countries. The leaves and the
blue-colored curves signify the geographic and spiritual connection with the ASEAN
youth. Meanwhile, the youth doing volunteer acts signify the various volunteerism
work done in the member countries. The words written all over the artwork are of
various languages with the help of our friends from the region

AYM MAGAZINE 02

PUBLISHER

ASEAN Youth Movement

Thai Volunteer Service

EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jaruwan Supolrai

CONSULTATIVE EDITORS
Kannika Kuankachorn
Somkid Mahissaya
Supawadee Petrat

EDITORIAL STAFF
Atchara Simlee
Premvadee Serirak

CONTRIBUTORS

Banung Ou, Ines Sothea, Chanvetey Vann, Touch Yin Vannith,

Kritsadathan Pantawan, Atchara Simlee, Premvadee Serirak,
Nisrina Nadhifah R., Clara Wong, Fann Sim, Hoa Quynh Le,
Chan Myae Khine, Su Mwan Phroe, Thinzar Shunlei Yi,
Jesse Pizarro Boga, Bryl Jan S. Yucara, Kang Soon Chen,
Ryan Febrianto, Maulida Raviola, Farhanah Faridz

COPYWRITERS

Hlne Masson
Tarik Abdel-Monem
Jeanne Ross Atchinson

COUNTRY UPDATE VOLUNTEERS

Awangku Zulhelmi Kamal, Im Chanboracheat, Setia Peradana,

Dr. Imelda Soriano, Kristen Han, Atchara Simlee, Trang Mint,
Yeji Yoo, Fang, Salai David, Josefina MA. Erriols-Pavico

GUESTWRITERS

Grace Bangoy, Atchara Simlee, Jesse Pizarro Bago, Chau Sophon,

Pimsiri Petchnamrob, Riki Andi Saputo, Patharaporn Trakarnthai,

TRANSLATORS

Areewan Sombunwatthanakun, Premvadee Serirak,

Mancharee Pongsutthi, Areeya Tivasuradej, Atchara Simlee

PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS

OUR YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS!

Carol Villafuerte, Kern Khianchuen, Suon Sopheaktra,

Zack Aphivong, Jaruwan Supolrai, Shantoy Hades,
Huong Fox, Trang Mint, Shawn Byron Danker,
Blessings in a Bag, Voluntary Internship Program,
Teach For The Need, Student Community Outreach Team,
Green Summer Voluntary Campaign
of Ho Chi Minh City Open University

GRAPHIC DESIGNER & ART WORK

Sumana Wangchoothum
Gail Rae Javier

Supported by

VOLUNTEERS

Thidarat Patala, Salakchit Kaewkham, Sonthaya Kotpanya,

Ngoc Minh Vu, Ekgawit Binsaikasem, Mayuree Dorndeelers,
Chheang Rithy, Dorian Roffe-Hammond, Juthathip Thiemthud,
Joel Mark Barredo, Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc, Kitty Lim, Pyi Pyi Thant
Ministry of Social Development and
Human Security, Thailand

ASEAN Peoples' Forum

Thai Volunteer Service

UN Volunteers
03 AYM MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL OFFICE

Thai Volunteer Service

409 Soi Rohitsook, Pracharajbampen Rd.,
Huay-Kwang, Bangkok 10320 Thailand
Tel/Fax: (66) 2691 0437-9
aymmagazine@gmail.com
www.aseanyouthmovement.org

PRINTING HOUSE

TQP Company Limited

Letter to the Editor

!

The purpose
of education
is not only to
benefit an in
dividual; inst
ead it allows
person a chan
each
ce to contrib
es I h
s my
OV
ute somethi
back to soci
GRO he masterpiec gazine catcheue
ng
ety. I really
t
Ma
iss
appreciate
Of all
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Cheng Litas
outh
v
Y
e
r
N
p
ar
ticle Peace
he
ASEA
Generation:
ost. T
quite
It is Time to
read,
the m
es is
Rock the Pe
n
iv
t
g
io
a
t
in
ace, which
n
t
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a
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lt
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shows the de
fas
nal A
votion of yo
lways
ull of
catio
uth to
Edu
and f
was a
promoting pe
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,
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in
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ace in the In
p
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p
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o
donesian
s
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l
I
eyen.
community.
choo
I look forwar
matio
fter
d at s
r
a
a
d to
b
infor
h
jo
dy
more interest
up in
ying
o stu
ing and prac
rown
h-pa
g
ig
told t
e
tical
h
v
articles to en
I ha
find a
joy in the ne
old
ever,
w
is
could
o
h
t
xt
h
n;
that
issue!
uatio
e.
roves
u
p
r
grad
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t
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lf
h
a
iety t
nly h
a soc
e is o
advic

es
onatel rnativ
ti
a
c
u
Al ave ever
Y Ed

ia
ann,
mbod
etey V
nt,
nh, Ca
Chanv edia stude Phnom Pe
f
m
21, a niversity o
U
l
a
y
Building
Ro

CROSS-LINKAGES
ons
between ASEAN and non-ASEAN nati

that this
Magazine stories, personally I think
Good job! After reading all the AYM
s that
value
and
s,
norm
rstand local ideas,
publication can help us to better unde
in
tool
tial
essen
an
me
knowledge has beco
exist in Southeast Asian society. This
lly
essfu
succ
to
is
aim
e
ASEAN community, whos
contributing to the strengths of the
forth
ght
brou
has
local way of life, AYM
integrate by 2015. In focusing on the
the
s, especially insufficient progress in
issue
of
root
the
remarkable insights into
As
orts.
supp
l
socia
or
lity
ts towards sustainabi
Mekong region. Of concern are effor
est
sugg
to
like
d
woul
I
ent,
further developm
a thought-provoking idea for spurring
such
een ASEAN and external groupings,
betw
ages
-link
cross
that AYM address the
t
heas
Sout
the
g
lopin
deve
as a benchmark for
as European or East Asian countries,
Asian region of the future.
in Regionalism, Melbourne, Australia
Katsamaporn Rakson, 28, PhD candidate

EDUCATION for a New Burmese Generation

I am currently studying at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
I am writing to you regarding a topic appearing in Volume 3 which I think is a fantastic
issue. I would like to share with you my recent thoughts about education.
My country, Burma, is hopefully heading toward a period of positive political,
economic and societal change so that the basic tool of international standardized
education can become a first priority to redirect its immediate future. Thus, education
for me means amassing effective knowledge to be shared and applied, especially to be
implemented by a new generation for the betterment of the nation and the world.
Khin Yadanar Tun from Burma/Myanmar

AYM MAGAZINE 04

You put huge smiles on our AYM

teams faces. Ed is happy to hear
that our small publication has
helped you to focus the direction of
your education and life.
The purpose of education is not just
to gain labor skills; it is also to
educate ourselves on how to
appreciate the value of living life
and help each other to build a
peaceful and harmonious society.
Keep living a meaningful life for
yourself and others in society --- Ed.

Nothing is sw
eeter than he
aring that
our readers
enjoy readin
g and
learning from
our magazin
e.
Your
suggestions
are very usef
ul
fo
r a
future issue. It
is important to
co
ve
r
the cross-lin
kages betwee
n
ou
r
region and
other region
s as you
mentioned ab
ove. We shou
ld first
start right aw
ay with our ne
ig
hboring countries
ASEAN +3
(C
hina,
Japan and Ko
rea); moreove
r
w
e
very
much look
forward to
re
ce
iv
ing
story contribut
ions from our
fri
en
ds
around the w
orld. It is your
m
ag
azine, for yout
h and by yout
h --- Ed.

Education is one of the essential

ingredients to feed people and to
help shape our countries brighter
future. Ed thinks that in this changing world, just the basic tool of
international standardized education is not enough for our young
people to get into the core meaning
of education. An education that
teaches our young generation about
our cultural roots and how to
cultivate a social awareness is also
important --- Ed.

Voiced out CONCERNS for ASEAN community

I would like to express my concern regarding certain issues
within the ASEAN community. I think communication within the
community and its youth is not yet sufficiently developed.
Furthermore, the understanding expressed by the youth
regarding both ASEAN itself and the radical action needed for
the regions improvement is insufficient. I think our region
increasingly needs more partnerships between the ASEAN
community and entrepreneurs/ NGOs, the reason being that
sometimes programs organized by these entities, and where their
names are visible, are easier to develop and become a magnet
for the participation of young people.
As a result, the increased participation of youth through such
programs will lead to considerable progress in our region.
Moreover, by participating in those programs, ASEAN youth will
have a chance to show their outstanding potential and talent to
the world. So I hope the ASEAN
community will make an effort in
Establishing
this area so as to provide greater
a CUTURAL BRIDGE
opportunities for its youth who are
its future.
between Burmese

and Americans

Atika Mutiara,
15, Junior
High School,
Purbalingga,
Central Java,
Indonesia

Nebraska Guy,
Nebraska,USA

of dozens of
discover the presence
prised than I was to
e made the
hav
ly
No one was more sur
tain
Nebraska. I cer
living here in Lincoln,
t Asian nations
eas
uth
Burmese immigrants
So
m
of many students fro
r
yea
t
pas
the
g
rin
acquaintance du
there are hundreds of
in the city. Moreover
ska
bra
Ne
of
y
rsit
970s.
ive
attending the Un
braska since the mid-1
tled elsewhere in Ne
set
e
hav
o
wh
en
als
wh
e
ion
other Asian nat
s in the region cam
nce of Burmese familie
ste
exi
the
of
s
en
nes
Kar
rative. The
My recent aware
munity gardens coope
r from the local com
cultivate crops
and
m
I received a newslette
far
to
plot of land nearby
e
larg
a
d
nte
gra
en
my part I
Burmese have be
ir home country. For
when residing in the
did
y
the
as
t
jus
e.
for themselves
ablish a cultural bridg
them this year to est
will be working with

Because you are so very young, Ed

is
pleasantly surprised by your idea of havin
g
a wider vision for the future of our ASEAN
Community. Youth is the agent of change!
Youth participation is very important for the
ASEAN Community at the local, national
and regional levels. The ASEAN Governments should provide better support as
well as invest more into youth empowerment programs in all education institutes
across Southeast Asian countries. At the
same time, we dont have to wait for
governments to do something for us: we,
the youth of the region, can take action and
start doing something for our communitie
s
right away ---Ed.

Our world was globalised once people

started traveling and settling down in
different places. Thats when mobility
arrived and our cultural perspectives
broadened (hopefully). From time to
time, the concept of pluralism
educates people in our global community to learn to respect each others
differences. Ed is very excited that there
will be cultural bridge out there in
Nebraska, and we are looking forward
to learning more about how you will
strike up a friendship with our Karen
Burmese friends. Keep updating us!
---Ed.

In this fast-paced and modern world, we have been overwhelmingly

bombarded by unlimited information technology which has made us
,
become a borderless world. A social network like Facebook becomes an
Facebookers
important tool for online goers to spread their news, ideas, projects and
lets put
other interesting things to others in the online community. Countless posts
your
found on their walls and fan pages are really informative, creative, and
awesome
inspiring. Many of them even hit a hundred of likes and comments from
EAS
viewers. My point is .... why just let these world-changing ideas become only ID
known by the online world? Instead, make it real! Simply sitting in front of into
ACTION!
computers, posting, commenting and clicking like on such impressive
posts means nothing and does nothing to make the world a better place in
A Go-Getter,
25,
which to live unless you make the ideas or plans happen for real. Dont just
Mukdahan,
post, comment and click like but TAKE ACTION TOO!
Thailand
05 AYM MAGAZINE

If
we
communicate
on
Facebook, Ed wants to click
LIKE on your post 10 times.
We are lucky to be in an era of
information revolution where
everyone owns media and
benefits a lot. This makes it
easier for us to raise social
awareness and quickly spread
the news asking people to
participate in our volunteer
activities. Lets hope that every
5 people out of 100 click-LIKEs
on Facebook will soon get
bored of sitting in front of
their laptops and iPhones and
go out to volunteer! Ed.

YOUTH VOICE

INTERVIEW COMPLIED
BY ATCHARA SIMLEE

1. Why do you volunteer and how is volunteering

important to your life?
Volunteering can enhance my future employment prospects and enable employers
to see that I have developed the necessary skills I may need in their organization. It is
especially useful when completing application forms and during job interviews to
illustrate the skills I have developed through these voluntary experiences. I have
noticed that volunteering helps me to improve some skills, for example, communication and people skills, organizational and time management skills, planning and
budgeting skills. Volunteering can help open up fresh opportunities and is a way to
explore new career paths. And best of all, volunteering is fun and fulfilling.
Faikha Fairuz
Firdausi, 23
an international
relations student,
University of
Muhammadiyah,
Indonesia

In my opinion, volunteering is giving a piece of our heart to others

who need it. It is indeed useful and important both to my life and others'
lives. For me, volunteering can grow awareness and empathy in my
heart, as well as teach me how valuable this life is. The important thing
is that it makes me believe that I really am useful to others and I can do
beneficial things for others, which, of course, just makes me happy! I
really respect this life because it is beautiful and precious, and I want to
do more good things than ever.

Volunteering is my way of giving back for all the blessings that

I've been receiving all year long. Also, volunteering is important to
me because it ALWAYS gives me a fresh, new look at life, and
unexplainable joy from seeing the fruits of my volunteer work.
The smiles of the people who have benefited from my service is
something money can't buy.

Myo Kyaw Thu, 22,

a Burmese youth
studying business
economics, City
University of
Hong Kong

Nguyen Thi Thuy, 23

an international
economics student,
Foreign Trade
University HCM,
Vietnam

Gail Rae Javier, 26

a production ninja
of Filquest Media
Concepts, Inc., the
Philippines

I had faced lot of emotional and physical needs in my life. Therefore,

whenever I see a person who needs something, I just cannot ignore him or
her. And there are a lot of people like this in my surroundings. This is the
reason I started to take interest in volunteer work. Moreover, I was inspired
by a sentence from a movie called Into the Wild, Happiness is real when
shared. I always feel happy whenever I do something for someone without
caring about getting something in return. This is the absolute happiness.
Nothing can replace it.

I want to volunteer because I love it. There is no pressure, and

I feel so relaxed and I do the work that I like and I enjoy it! Its really
useful for me because it teaches me to do everything from my
heart and with love and to become a more responsible person.
Besides that, I have had so many good experiences from
my volunteer work!
AYM MAGAZINE 06

Elsa J. Araujo Pinto, 25,

a peace studies student,
National University of
Timor Lorosae ,
Timor Leste

2. If you have to compare VOLUNTEERISM" to something, what would

it be? Why?
"Volunteerism" is like a good lecture room.
You can learn a lot from it. Participating in
different volunteer opportunities is like listening to the lectures of different professors.
You can get life experiences which will not
appear in academic books, and you can also
increase your personal skills. In order to fulfill
the needs of others, you will start to think
from the other people's point of view. Your
interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence
and many other things which you cannot
easily learn will be taught to you through
your volunteering experiences. These skills
are lacking in many of the youth nowadays,
and if you are one of the people with these
skills, you will have better success in everything you do. So, I would compare "Volunteerism" to "a good lecture room".

Bopha Soth, 20
a teaching English as
a foreign language
student, University of
South-East Asia

Volunteerism is like eyeglasses for

me because it helps me to see
things more clearly, or see
something that I haven't noticed
before. For example, after joining
the group Youth Voice Anti
Corruption (SPEAK), I can see that
corruption is a problem that causes
extraordinary damage. Before I
joined SPEAK, I thought corruption
was not my problem because it was
not MY money that was being
stolen. I didn't realize that
corruption is what makes my school
fee so expensive! I didnt know that
corruption was affecting public
facilities that I always use in my
daily life such as the streets and
public transportation, etc.

Myo K
yaw T
hu, 22
a Bur
,
mese
yo
study
ing bu uth
s
iness
econo
mics,
City
Unive
rsity o
f
Hong
Kong

To compare it to something, I could

say Volunteerism is like a mobile phone
or hand-phone. The connections and
communication links that have been
programmed make things easier and
more efficient. Even though a mobile
phone is small, it can reach far, even to
the other side of the world. Like a
volunteer, it connects people and
community, and it can do a lot of
different things, depending on what is
needed. Volunteering can be done in
any field such as the environment or
health, and it usually brings together
enough people to allow everyone to
play their important role, based on their
capabilities, so that the work can be
done faster and on time. Volunteerism
connects people of many groups,
genders, ages, backgrounds and
countries, joining hand in hand, one
heart freely giving whatever it has to
contribute.

I would compare Volunteerism

to a HEART and a HAND. If you
want to volunteer, it means that
your HEART wants to do it without
being ordered to, and that you
want to give a HAND to others
by sharing.

Fatin Arifin, 25
a program &
research executive of
Asia Inc Forum
Green and
an executive
director of Prints
Brunei - social
environmental
enterprise,
Brunei

Volunteerism is like diving into

an ocean full of hidden treasures.
As you dive through the hardest
and deepest of trenches, you will
see more of its beauty, just like
volunteering. As you go through
the heart of volunteerism, you
will discover how priceless and
life-changing it is.

Amalia Ayuningtyas,19
a communication
science student,
University of
Indonesia, Indonesia

07 AYM MAGAZINE

Javier, 26
Gail Rae
tion ninja
a produc
st Media
e
u
q
il
F
f
o
ts, Inc.,
p
e
c
n
o
C
ippines
il
h
P
the

3. If you do volunteer work, which group of people or organization/issue do

you want to work with most? (For example: environment, health, peace,
education, wildlife, human rights issue and so on.) Why?
Andre Kang, 15
a student of
Sembawang
Secondary School,
Singapore

I would like to volunteer for

projects that help wildlife. I have a
thing for animals, regardless of
whether they are seen as pests to
the community. Many animals are
close to being extinct, and I think
I'd love to volunteer with projects
to help save the wildlife. Of course,
it isnt simple. For example, deforestation destroys the habitat of
animals and that has drastic
consequences. There are many
ways of helping wildlife that have
yet to be attended to. I would be
more than willing to address these
issues when I am of a much older
age.
Amalia Ayuningtyas, 19
a communication
science student,
University of Indonesia,
Indonesia

I have chosen to do my volunteer

activism in the anti-corruption issue
with SPEAK. Once I started doing it,
I cant stop easily! As we all know,
Indonesia has a complex problem with
corruption and we have ranked poorly
against other countries in fighting
corruption. Indonesia has about 62
million youth, which means, we actually
have 62 million soldiers to fight
corruption. I want to be part of an
organization whose vision is like
SPEAKs, creating a new generation of
young adults with leverage to bring
about a new non-corrupt Indonesia. We
want to raise awareness among young
Indonesian people about corruption
and maximize their abilities to act as
agents of change.

Somvilay
Chanthavong, 22
a business
management
student, National
University of Laos,
Lao PDR

Yeji Yoo, 24
M.A. candidate
Department of
Political Science,
Sogang University,
Korea

I think education is a key to developing the human resources needed for

National Development. I think that it
is very difficult for a country that offers
poor education to its citizens to ever
grow responsibly. We need to be able
to offer quality education to everyone
because we dont know which child will
be really good at any particular skill.
Those children will be our future, and
our countrys future. Well educated
adults can discuss the benefits and
downsides of any changes that need to
be made. Besides, we know well that
countries and companies are competing
for employees with high educations, so
we'll have more chance to gain good
jobs in the future and hopefully do
something really wonderful along the
way.

As a volunteer, I would like to work at

an environmental organization like
Focus on the Global South or TERRA
based in Bangkok, Thailand. In
Southeast Asia, many governmental or
foreign corporation large-scale
development projects affect our
ecosystem, and common people's lives,
for the worst. I think we need to
monitor the projects continuously and
speak out with our critical voice
concerning their harmful effects. So, I
would like to give my small hand to the
environmental organizations.

Clara Wong, 25
from Singapore
a sociology with law
graduate student,
University of London,
England

Im seriously interested in working

with Thai youth. I have been involved
with this kind of work for many years.
Beginning when I was young, I was one
of a few who had a chance to learn
from my seniors all about interesting
things like Thai and local history, the
environment around us, participating in
social work, and learning about
different cultures from such work.
Therefore, I want to give a chance to
Thai youth in my community, and all
over country, to learn and experience
the same things that taught me so
much. Also, I want to be a part of
helping them become the new
generation of volunteers who are
willing to work for their own community
and their country.

I would want to work with an

organization that focuses on the
underprivileged or underdeveloped
countriespeople and places that have
been left out from the positive effects
of development/modernization or have
been left to suffer because of them. I
would also like to work with youth as
they are the generation that has the
potential to create a better world as
future changemakers.

AYM MAGAZINE 08

Jakkarin Sirimongkon, 24
a community youth
leader, Khaochamao
group ,Thailand

4. If you did volunteer work before, what are the positive changes you have
found?

Doan Thi Hong Hai, 22

an international
studies and finance
and banking student,
Hanoi University,
Vietnam

I have found that what we do helps bring lots of positive changes

for the community. I help solve the current issue (for example,
water pollution in an area or help a poor family send the children to
school). I help raise the community awareness about an issue to
help prevent it. Moreover, I help educate the volunteers about the
sense of belonging and responsibility to the community they
belong to. I help sharpen their skills which are of much importance
in their future career (for example: teamwork, presentation, leadership, or organizing an event).

What surprised me at the very beginning was that my English skills improved very
quickly. However, I believe volunteerism helped shape who I am now. The things
I did and people I met have brought me various life experiences and inspired me
to keep learning in hopes of gaining a greater wisdom.

Andre Kang, 15
a student of
Sembawang
Secondary School,
Singapore

Nelia Menezes, 25
a community
development student,
National University of
Timor Lorosae ,
Timor-Leste or
East Timor

The number one change that is always the most obvious is that
you become a better person through volunteering. You feel
happy that you've managed to do something good for the
community. It makes you feel proud of yourself. Secondly, the
people you've served are happier people too. They get to live
happier lives in improved living conditions. You also get to know
more about things you never really knew before. It's enriching
because you get to learn many, many new things and you also
get to serve people. It humbles you because you find yourself
stooping down to serve these people, instead of expecting them
to come up to some other level.

Chatchai Krongyut, 23
an English and
communication student,
Ubon Ratchathani
University ,Thailand

The positive changes that I found in myself since I joined the

volunteer team work are: Firstly, I am not a shy girl anymore but
I have self confidence to participate in any event! (In our
Timorese culture, women are born for work only and the
decision making belongs to the men.) Secondly, I have found
that I am able to know how to manage organization! I have
learned how to organize seminars, workshops and international or national conferences, and I really enjoy it! I am able to
do all this in the context of peace building and human rights.

I discovered that through volunteerism I could involve more

people and could educate them too. I once worked with an
organization which was into saving our mother earth and I
was interviewed by a radio station in Manila. To my surprise,
many of my colleagues then became even more aware of the
issues and started to ask questions about the little things
that they could do to help us in saving our mother earth.
09 AYM MAGAZINE

Julius Christian C.
Macalagay, 19
a communication
student, De La Salle
University Dasmarias,
the Philippines

COUNTRY UPDATE
Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

National Youth Day 2011 Celebration

Cambodian Thai Exchange Program (CTEP)

Awangku Zulhelmi Kamal

Im Chanboracheat

More than five thousand young people

throughout the country witnessed the
annual National Youth Day celebration on
the 26th of September with a theme,
Creative and Innovative Youth; A Driving
Force for the Development of Creative
Industry. The event, held at the Indoor
Stadium of the National Sports Complex in
Berakas, Bandar Seri Begawan, was graced
by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam himself.
The major activities included the official
announcement of the start of Bruneis very
own National Service Pilot programme for
Bruneian young people aged between 16
and 18. We hope the programme will instill
the spirit of nationalism, leadership and
self-discipline. It was also announced that a
Youth Park would be established within the
National Sports complex by the Ministry of
Culture, Youth and Sports. This development
intends to engage youths in exciting
outdoor activities and creates a platform for
creative industry and entrepreneurship.

The first Cambodian-Thai Exchange

program was held from 6th-13th November,
2011 at Picnic Resort in Sihanouk Ville,
Cambodia. The program was organized by
Initiative of Change Association, Thai
Volunteer Service Foundation, Research
Center for Peace Building; Mahidol University,
and American Friends Service Committee.
The 37 participants were mostly university
students and they were getting ready to
discover the truth and make peace. Since
Cambodia and Thailand have encountered
centuries of bloody wars, bitterness and
hatred toward each other, the program was
organized to strengthen relationships and
build mutual understanding between people
of the two nations. The program proved a
great success as peaceful relationships were
created and it was not just an exchange
program but a moment in life which the
participants can never forget.

AYM MAGAZINE 10

Indonesia

Korea

Supplying of Comprehensive Sexuality

Educationfor HIV Prevention
Setia Perdana

Yogyakarta was the host for the Fourth

National Meeting to discuss AIDS this year.
There were 2004 participants from across
Indonesia who are concerned with issues of
HIV and AIDS, including governments, policy
makers, stake holders and key population
communities. The event was held from 1st to
6th October 2011. This shows a great
involvement of youth in an equal partnership
with governments and communities.
There was a Youth Community Forum
managed by Aliansi Remaja Independen
(ARI) and Youth Association (YOTHA) to draft
a policy on Comprehensive Sexuality
Education, Youth Friendly Services and Youth
Petitions. About 160 young people from
18-24 years old with diverse backgrounds
such as students, street young people,
religious youth, LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Transgender), and PLHIV group (People
Living with HIV/AIDS) joined in this forum.
The diversity of participants makes the
drafting recommendations more representative.
Therefore, to provide a Comprehensive
Sexuality Education is one of the ways of
preventing an HIV and AIDS epidemic for
Indonesian youth.

Act Now for Our Right to Education!

Yeji Yoo

A Candlelight demonstration for

tuition cuts was held in Cheonggye
Square, Seoul at 7pm in September 29th,
2011. This demonstration was organized
by a Civil Coalition for Tuition Cuts
mainly composed of college students
and some activists. Over 3,000 college
students from Seoul, Incheon and
Gyunggi-do gathered to protest about
the Governments failure to implement its
Half-price tuition policy. Also, Civil
Coalition for Tuition Cuts has organized
a relay of one-man demonstrations at
Gwanhwamun Square in Seoul for seven
months starting from April 12th, 2011 till
next general/presidential election in
2012. This is an important and meaningful protest as these college students try
to enforce their right to affordable
education.

11 AYM MAGAZINE

COUNTRY UPDATE
Myanmar

Malaysia

Run for Peace

Fang

On October 2nd 2011, a program called

"Run for Peace" was held at a stadium of
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang,
Malaysia. It was co-organized by Soka Gakkai
Malaysia, USM Association Internationale des
Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC), USM Right Livelihood
College, Gandhiji Ashram Penang and Taiping
Peace Initiative. The 4 hour run started at
6.30am and around 4,000 people from all
races joined enthusiastically.
Run for peace was a non-competitive
event aimed to raise awareness of a peaceful
and healthy existence in multi-racial society in
Malaysia. Indeed, October 2nd is the United
Nations International Day of Non-Violence as
well as a birthday anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi. Therefore, the non-violence contributions of Gandhi, King and Ikeda had been
highlighted in an exhibition. We believe it is
vitally important to develop a culture of peace
starting by transforming within ourselves and
our community.

Celebrating International Youth Day 2011

Salai David

On 12th August 2011, many young people

celebrated the International Youth Day (IYD)
in cities and some provinces with two main
activities. Firstly, more than 150 young people
had a candlelight demonstration using peace
candles for people involved in wars and
conflicts domestically and globally and sang
together Heal the World song. This event
was held at the Local Resource Center (LRC)
Yangon city. In addition, it was organized by
Interfaith Youth Cooperative Action for Peace
(IYCAP) and Mekong Peace Journey (MPJ)
alumni Secondly, with the slogan Our Year
Our Voice around 20 youth organizations
and their crew from United Nations Information Centers (UNIC) shared their thoughts on
their own organizational status quo and
overarching goals. This event was to encourage Myanmar youth to work together and to
establish a good network among themselves.
Moreover, participating in this event, they can
express their voice and find the right place to
stand in this world to change their country
positively.

AYM MAGAZINE 12

The Philippines

Singapore

YOUTH COMMUNITY ACTION DAY

Initiative Promoting Peace between
Muslims and Christians
Josena MA. Erriols-Pavico and Dr. Imelda Soriano

In Imelda Village, Midsayap, a province in

North Cotabato, the Phillippines, Muslims and
Christians young people joined hands in
cleaning up the drainage system. Akmad Isla,
president of Imelda Village Homeowners
Association, gifted each youth volunteer with
a kilo of rice for their well-done job. The
volunteers celebrated their achievement with
basketball games. Imelda Village is a true
model of Muslims and Christians living
harmoniously and peacefully in one community.
The Community Action Day was organized
on 5th September 2011 by the partners the
Center for Environment and Sustainable
Development (CESD), a host organization of
Pinoy Competence (PC) and Integral Development Services (IDS).

Photo by Shawn Byron Danker

9th World Day Against the Death Penalty

Kristen Han

On 9th October 2011, activists in Singapore

gathered at Hong Lim Park in solidarity with
the global anti-death penalty movement to
commemorate World Day Against the Death
Penalty (officially on 10th October). Nearly 20
people were present at the event to express
their opposition to the death penalty in
Singapore.
As countries continue to move towards,
abolition, Singapore retains not only the
death penalty but also the mandatory death
penalty, which does not allow judges to
exercise their own discretion in sentencing.
The event was organized by various civil
society groups in Singapore such as Think
Centre, the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty
Campaign (SADPC) and We Believe in Second
Chances.

13 AYM MAGAZINE

Thailand

Vietnam

Building Peace among Mekong Region

Young Adults

ASEAN We are in!

Atchara Simlee

People will be easily influenced by one-sided

information such as media mainly controlled by
government without serious reflection and
understanding on the root-cause of conflict as
well as respecting ethnic and culture diversity.
From time to time, the new young generation will
continue to learn history which promotes hatred
and misunderstanding of neighboring countries.
In July 11th-28th, 2011, Mekong Working
Group for Peace and Thai Volunteer Service
Regional Program brought together 25 young
people with various backgrounds from six countries. Chinese , Vietnamese, Cambodian, Lao,
Burmese and Thai young people from Mekong
Region met together for A Regional Training on
Peace Building for Young Adults in Mekong
Region 2011 (Mekong Peace Journey: MPJ). A
program took place in Surin province, Thailand
and Uddor Meanchey province, Cambodia.
MPJ is part of A Learning Process on Peace
Building for the Young People in Mekong
Region, theoretically focusing on in-housetraining: of nationalism, identities and pluralism.
In addition, in terms of practice, it focuses on field
visit: visiting the conflict area along the border
and talking to the village. It mainly aims to build
trust and inner peace among young generation in
the Mekong region as well as to start strengthening cooperation and networking in the Mekong
region. It is hoped that those young peacemakers
will play active roles in peace missions locally and
regionally.
AYM MAGAZINE 14

Trang Mint

ASEAN We are in: A loud and clear

message that was sent to ASEAN community by
more than 30 Hanoi youths during their participation in a flash-mob event on March 23th, 2012.
On supporting for ASEAN YOUTH FORUM
(AYF) and ASEAN PEOPLES FORUM (APF) (March
26th - 31st, 2012, Phnom Penh, Cambodia),
Flash-mob event was held by Vietnam Peace
Team with two contributors: Huyen Ho and
Wingsteam as an opportunity for youths whose
passion and enthusiasm are for the development
of ASEAN community.
Youths gathered together and communicate in
one common language: Flash Mob! They easily
came closer, making parts of an exciting performance with their shape dancing moves. The
actual meaning behind the event is an invitation
from AYF to the youth to share their opinions and
raise their voices; What are the three greatest
challenges that Vietnamese youths are facing?
and What are the recommendations and
solutions to those challenges? were both asked
and answered.
Ms. Quyen, the youngest participant (14 years
old), expressed her excitement: I have never
participated in such an amazing event where
I can become a part of the performing crew,
make new friends and have so much fun. With
this event, the Youths in Vietnam had chance to
join, this program awoken hope in every single
Youth. Now we are willing to Start - Start to join,
to change, together, step by step. Now,
Vietnamese youths are ready to say aloud:
ASEAN - We are in!
Watch the video clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6nnIoUB2_g

Asean Youth Forum 2011

By Chau Sophon

CAMBODIA, March 26-28, 2012, this year Phnom

Penh was honored to welcome the ASEAN Youth Forum
(AYF), gathering over 100 young people from Thailand,
Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and
Philippines and China.
The AYF is a regional platform providing a space for
diverse ASEAN youth to meet, not only to discuss and
share one anothers experiences and concerns about
youth issues, but also to strengthen our good relations
regardless of differences in culture, traditions and
languages.
During three days, ASEAN youth actively work
together to produce a youth statement raising concerns
over common regional youth issues. This year, we
addressed five main themes: (1) a sustainable and
quality education for all; (2) meaningful youth participation in all parts of the region; (3) engaging young
people at the heart of democratization, peace building
and conflict transformation; (4) better protection and
promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights,
policies and services; and (5) sustainable development in
the protection of, and responsibilities for, the environment.

As a result of our dynamic and productive

discussions, and a strong willingness to find effective
solutions, we successfully composed a final regional
youth statement which clearly addressed the key
common issues facing ASEAN youth. We made
recommendations which we request our governments
consider and implement in order to facilitate the full
actualization of our humanity (spiritual, physical and
emotional).
So that this statement not be taken lightly, we
arranged for it to be seen and heard not only by our
governments but also by the people and civil societies
as a whole, by distributing it at national and regional
levels through the media, especially the print media.
As in previous years, we worked hard, and we will
continue to do so in order to improve our work
without fear of failure because we strongly believe that
our meaningful participation will be recognized and
accepted as an effective mechanism to foster ASEAN
development.

15 AYM MAGAZINE

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.
But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
Mother Theresa

The Pow
er of Giv

ing

Caption: What is the future for people who have lost everything-family, shelter and livelihood? How can you say that
tomorrow will be better? Can anything really be done?
Place: "Ka Mar Par Village", Kun Chan Khone City, Yangon Division, Myanmar/Burma
Photographer: Myo Khaw Thu

WAVE OF VOLUNTEERS
Volunteering is an ideal approach to creating a caring and sharing community.
Volunteerism contributes to the well-being and quality of life of all people in our
societies. The challenges are immense. Rapid economic development in the
region is continuing to cause multiple crises on social, environmental, economic
and political levels. Volunteer efforts have the potential to help nations through
times of crisis, and advance progressive and sustainable development towards
peaceful futures. AYM contributors in this issue report on trends and practices in
volunteerism from all 10 countries in Southeast Asia. Lets learn more about the
amazing things volunteers are doing in communities throughout our region!

BURMA/
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA
MYANMAR DARUSSALAM

P.17
MALAYSIA

P.31

P.20

P.23

SINGAPORE
THE
PHILIPPINES

P.34

P.37

AYM MAGAZINE 16

INDONESIA

P.26
THAILAND

P.39

LAO PDR

P.28
VIETNAM

P.41

Trends in Volunteerism

BURMA/MYANMAR

By Chan Myae Khine

The influence of Buddhism,

social needs, and a struggling
economy have all influenced
volunteerism and charity in
Myanmar. Once Cyclone Nargis
occurred in 2008, youth in Myanmar became more aware of
environmental issues and volunteerism became trendy. Individual
volunteers supported disaster
victims by forming small local
groups to provide charity. Charity
includes both money contributions
and labor for organizing,
mentioned Maung Maung San, a
youth technology activist. And it
(Charity) is quite rewarding to be
able to see firsthand how your
money or donated goods made
people happy, said Tin Aye Nyein,
a youth volunteer in Yangon,
Myanmar.
However, young adults who like
to support less fortunate people,
orphanages, and so on, have to
face a number of challenges.
Challenges are still sticking with us
whether we welcome them or not,
explained Nyein Chan Htwe, the
founder of One Dollar Fund (ODF
Myanmar), discussing what he has
learned by running such an
organisation. According to several
youth who are working for charity
organisations, the most challgening
part is getting sponsored for the
events they wish to hold. Local
businesses play an important role
behind some volunteer organisations, especially because the
government emphasises more
traditional programs such as
establishing libraries in remote
areas, activities which do not
provide many opportunities for
volunteerism. Local businesses
sometimes support tree planting
and stationary and/or clothes
donation drives as a tool for
marketing while volunteer organisations remain the main initiators.

The influence of Buddhism, social needs, and a

struggling economy have all influenced volunteerism and charity in Myanmar. Once Cyclone Nargis
occurred in 2008, youth in Myanmar became more
aware of environmental issues and volunteerism
became trendy.

Ye Hein, the founder of Raven

Blood Donation, explained, We
have helped Htoo Trading by
operating the water generators
when there was no electricity in
Yangon during Nargis.
Whenever the word volunteering is heard, people in Myanmar
think about NGOs first. But the
ironic fact is that there is rarely an
effective connection between
NGOs and independent volunteer
organisations or individual volunteers. NGOs usually work for health
issues mostly in remote areas, while
volunteer organisations pay
attention to more random needs.
Soe Sandy Lin, a full time staff
person from a Japanese-based
NGO thinks there are opportunities
in volunteering. Individual
volunteers may work in NGOs for
knowledge and experiences, and
they might get promoted to full
time NGO staff positions, thats the
only relationship between NGOs
and volunteers I can think of, she
said.
At the very least, NGOs and
volunteers are on the same track of
supporting the countrys development and needs. Due to awareness
AYM MAGAZINE 17

raising by NGOs, youths across the

country have become more
involved in volunteering. Volunteerism not only helps those who
receive donations and service, but
it affects the volunteers as well. In
other words, the moral outlooks
and behavior of teen volunteers
have become influenced by
volunteerism and youth leaders.
I become to realize more about the
nature of people and importance of
team work, explained Eaindra
Myat Su Wai, a young volunteer
from Myanmar Story Teller on what
she had learned after being
involved in volunteering efforts.
The more that the youth have
become aware of issues related to
development, the more they have
become interested in the international community, especially
ASEAN. Although Myanmar is
usually considered a very closed
country in the region, the youth are
very interested in knowing what
their peers in other countries are
doing, and how it could affect
Myanmar as a member of ASEAN.
Once it was confirmed that

Myanmar will chair ASEAN in 2014,

several international political
figures visited Myanmar, and Hillary
Clinton was one of them. I would
love to go back to Myanmar in
December, 2013 in order to
volunteer for SEAGames there,
expressed Nyi Htwe about his
thoughts when he knew SEAGames
2013 will be held in Myanmar.
When youth realized what was
happening in the ASEAN region,
volunteering online in the area of
technology became a hit as well.
Online volunteerism in Myanmar
led to raising awareness in the
country about Unicode standards,
contributing to Wikipedia, localizing web applications such as
Wordpress, and even building a
Linux OS with languages from
Myanmar. Moreover, youth
volunteers founded unique groups
for telling stories to children,
donating their own photos of
Myanmar to internet sites with
Creative Commons licenses, and
teaching tutorials online. All these
actions are contributing to a better
future for volunteering. It (Future
of Volunteering in Myanmar) will
be flourishing, said Maung Maung
San. The more educated people
and the more middle class families
we have, the more consideration/
sympathy for other people and the
next generation. Yet there is a
question about sustaining volunteerism. The answer will depend on
youth and the way they transfer
knowledge and experience to the
next generation. Time will tell.

.. 2008

.. 2008

(One Dollar Fund
Myanmar)

18 AYM MAGAZINE


(Raven Blood Donation)

Myanmar Story Teller

(MST)

.. 2014

.. 2013

.. 2013

(Unicode standards)
(Wikipedia)

(Wordpress)
(Linux OS)

(Creative Commons license)

AYM MAGAZINE 19

Trends in Volunteerism

Brunei Darussalam

By Touch Yin Vannith

From the perspectives of some

youth volunteer organizers, the
number of young Bruneian
volunteers are relatively low.
However, it is hard to know if this is
true or not. A few important
questions to ask are How much
information about volunteering do
Bruneian youth have? Is anyone
encouraging them to volunteer?
Finally, do they know what the
benefits of volunteering are?
According to Zoul Helmi Kamal, a
member of the Club of Volunteering, said he helps encourage young
people to get involved in organized
volunteer activities. So far this club
has received numerous applications
for membership from youth across
the country. It was my best friend's
idea to create the club, and it has
turned out to be a success. They
were really interested in participating in various volunteering activities after seeing our photos on
Facebook. According to them, it
looks fun. This suggests that, in
order to get more people to
participate in such activities, we
have to make it look as exciting as
we can, said Zoul Helmi Kamal.

He also claimed that a number

of youth may not know how to get
involved; where to go; and who to
contact. As much as they want to
get involved, some of them may
also be too shy to approach these
agencies. According to Zoul,
encouraging youth to form small
clubs of their own would promote
such activities. It enables more
individuals to participate. Additionally, it makes volunteering a social
effort, which helps encourage
young people to get out and
volunteer with friends. Changing
youths mindset towards volunteering is crucial to getting more youth
involved.
Iswandy Ahmad, 29, now a
president of Brunei Darussalam
AIDS Council, used to work for
many organizations as a volunteer.
He first started volunteering in the
field in 2000. He said that he may
not be rich in terms of cash, but he
does have a wealth of new friends,
experiences, and awareness of
social issues in this country. Hes
also traveled extensively, received a
lot of awards, and even been
featured in various media.

20 AYM MAGAZINE

Iswandy suggested advocating

for meaningful and active youth
involvement and participation
through empowerment of young
people is very important. One
challenge is that the lack of
effective marketing and communication from some volunteer
organizers does not promote a lot
of participation from youth.
For example, young people are
attached to the internet. But the
organizers are still using newspapers only to disseminate information. We need to adapt to the
young generation's needs, while
staying true to our values, he
added.
Volunteerism is a life-long
learning process. To me, doing
volunteer work is being able to
teach participating youth how to
learn life-lessons, values and
appreciation. It also creates an
understanding about the hardships
of less fortunate people and how
we should be grateful for what we
already have, said Nuur Aqilah Hj
Zainal Ariffin, a student at University Brunei Darussalam.

Meeting, communicating and

working with people from various
backgrounds gives you broader
perspectives. I have improved my
communication skills too. But the
most important thing is that
volunteering makes me a good and
happy person, she added. For
youth interested in volunteerism, I
would suggest that first, they
should organize and form groups.
Whether it is a small or big group,
it does not matter. Get involved in
such activities. Parents and
educational institutions should
encourage them to participate.
Secondly, promote volunteerism as
an exciting and beneficial activity
for the individual as well as the
community, explained Zoul Helmi
Kamal.
Nuur Aqilah Hj Zainal Ariffin also
added, By doing volunteer work,
you create a special relationship
with the community. You help
lessen the burdens of people who
are in need of help. By creating
relationships like this, it will
eventually create a harmonious
society.

For youth interested in

volunteerism, I would
suggest that first, they
should organize and
form groups.
Whether it is a small
or big group,
it does not matter.
Get involved
in such activities.
Parents and
educational institutions
should encourage them
to participate.
Secondly, promote
volunteerism as
an exciting and
beneficial activity for
the individual
as well as
the community.

AYM MAGAZINE 21

20
(Club of Volunteering)

 29

..
2000

22 AYM MAGAZINE

Trends in Volunteerism

Cambodia

By Banung Ou and Ines Sothea

In todays Cambodian job
market, employment seekers are
required to have at least some
social experience under their belt in
order to find a job, especially a
well-paying one. Consequently,
most university students have split
their busy study time by taking
part-time jobs or volunteering,
mostly with non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
Somony Pen, Executive Director
of Cambodian Volunteers for
Society (CVS), has been volunteering for many years now; he says
that there is an increasing number
of young people taking a long look
at volunteerism nowadays as they
have figured out that it provides a
lot of advantages to their country
and communities, and especially
themselves in terms of capacity
building, working experience,
networking and so on. He also
claims that: By volunteering or
participating in social activism, or
both, people can be empowered
with the confidence, skills and
knowledge necessary to effect
change in their world.

What is significant here is that both

appeal to different people, at
different times, providing them
with a rich array of opportunities to
get involved in actions that can
contribute to positive social
change.
People need only look back at
the century-long hard years of
French colonization in Cambodia to
see how volunteerism shaped this
kingdom into a peaceful, free and
independent society. History tells
us that Cambodians came together
during the 1950s as a youth-forpeace volunteer group for the
purpose of ending colonization and
making Cambodia fully independent. This goal was achieved in
1953, mainly as a result of youth
volunteerism. Cambodians have
had the habit of volunteering ever
since ancient times, says Chantraboth Ros, an expert in Cambodian history; in fact, in years past,
Cambodians in rural areas used to
volunteer to help
with the rice
harvest in each
others
communities.
Soprach Tong,
the Phnom Penh Posts
Khmer-language columnist,
confirmed that
volunteering really
provides a lot of
great opportunities
for youths in this society.

While I was a student, and well

before getting this current position,
I first learned leadership and
democracy skills while volunteering, more than by attending
seminars and conferences.
However, Rithy Seng, Secretary of
the Khmer Youth Association, felt
that in todays globalized world,
especially as regards Cambodian
youth, the trend is to volunteer
mostly to accumulate more
working credits and experiences for
future careers rather than helping
society, as he has found that there
are far less people today working
with the right volunteering spirit.
At this time, not only the
Cambodian Government but also
entities such as NGOs, universities
(both private and public), and
businesses are leading and
supporting volunteer projects in
almost every sector. For instance,
universities require that students
conduct a seminar in a rural area
for the purpose of

People need only look back at the century-long hard years of French
colonization in Cambodia to see how volunteerism shaped this
kingdom into a peaceful, free and independent society. History tells
us that Cambodians came together during the 1950s as a youthfor-peace volunteer group for the purpose of ending colonization
and making Cambodia fully independent.
AYM MAGAZINE 23

sharing knowledge and experience

with others, especially with a mind
to providing motivation and
getting people to come together.
There is no doubt that there
presently exists increased
knowledge-sharing with others in
the fields of education, health,
environment, gender equality etc.
This is a result of efforts made by
the Government and the private
sector to get involved in volunteer
work, said Somony Pen. However, I have observed that most
volunteer projects are led by NGOs,
civil society organizations and
donor agencies rather than by
government.
Both volunteering and social
activism are tools for improvement,
especially to help meet development objectives that fall within the
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) framework since they are
important strategies for fostering
peoples participation in social
change and human development.
Obviously, volunteerism plays an
important role in this developing
country and among its people
towards implementing their goals
for the future.

(Cambodian
Volunteers for Society (CVS)

24 AYM MAGAZINE

.. 1950

.. 1953

Phnom Penh
Post

 Khmer Youth Association

(KYA)

(
)

(Millennium
Development Goals; MDGs)

25 AYM MAGAZINE

Trends in Volunteerism

INDONESIA

By Maulida Raviola & Farhanah Faridz

Volunteerism responds to the social needs within Indonesia. Gradually,

volunteerism is becoming not only inspirational for youth but
working on a voluntary activity is now cool to do.
A sunny Sunday in Jakarta is
usually the day when most youth
spend their time at malls or other
public areas with their friends and
familiesbut probably that fourth
of July, 2010, was an exceptional
day. That was the day when four
hundred young people attended
the Indonesian Youth Conference
(IYC), perhaps one of the most
significant events that was held by
Indonesian youth in this decade.
IYC has attracted many young
people to participate and volunteer, together creating an event
where they can learn and raise their
awareness of various social issues
such as democracy, environment,
education, and human rights. In
the end, these energetic youth
know how they can actually
contribute and make change in
their communities. Continued then
as annual event, IYC constantly
invites questions on how well they,
as an organization, represent the
concerns of Indonesian Youth, and
what contributions to society they
can make. However, one thing can
be emphasized here: Indonesian
young people want their voices to
be heard!

During the 2000s, more and

more young people have become
involved in activities like volunteerism and activism. Unlike the
previous decade when young
people were banned from gathering and assembling, Indonesian
youth these days are way more
liberated. They speak their voices
and make change in the community. They respond to social issues
that bother them, from environment and media literacy to sexual
rights and fair trade, and they
network and empower themselves
to speak their minds and try to
solve those various social problems.
Aquino Wreddya Hayunta, one
of the current leading figures of
youth activism in Indonesia, points
out the connection between the
politicalsituation and the emergence of contemporary youth
volunteerism. After receding in
2002, youth volunteerism
re-emerged due to the controversy
of the Pornography Bills draft in
2006. Many young people realized
that their freedom of expression
had been threatened. But it was not
the only factor that drove young

26 AYM MAGAZINE

people to be more participative in

volunteerism and youth movement, said Aquino.
Aquino argues that there are
other influential factors as well, like
the rapid flow of information which
allows young people to gain access
to information about current social
issues and activism. Clearly, the
development of technology has
also made networking so much
easier.
Volunteerism responds to the
social needs within Indonesia.
Gradually, volunteerism is becoming not only inspirational for youth
but working on a voluntary activity
is now cool to do. Youth is the
most specific and strategic agent of
change. They hold the key to the
energy needed for change, and
they are proving that young people
can respond proactively to social
and environmental problems
happening around them.
It is really clear that volunteerism
can empower a society. Each
person who volunteers is first and
foremost part of the society they
are trying to help. What could be
more powerful?

4 .. 2010

(Indonesian Youth Conference: IYC)

IYC

IYC

2000

..
2002

...
.. 2006

AYM MAGAZINE 27

Trends in Volunteerism

LAO PDR

By Su Mwan Phroe and Kritsadathan Pantawan

One day in 1997 in Vientiane, a
group of Lao youth saw a sign
which said, Volunteer for the
Environment, hanging on the door
at an international NGO called CWS
(Church World Service). The sign
caught the attention of the youth,
and made them wonder what a
volunteer was.
At that time, I was really in need
of volunteers to help empower
school drop-outs by facilitating
creative activities in the community
of Nong Bua Thong, said Xuyen
Dangers, a senior social worker
consultant. She has been involved
in social work programs for 17
years, mainly working with youth in
public schools and villages to help
them develop their communities in
positive ways.
Fourteen young volunteers
heeded the call. They were teachers, weavers, story tellers, dancers
and law students, who all came to
Nong Bua Thong village to teach
local people games, songs, poem
chanting, Lao dancing and woodwork storytelling. Later in 1998,
Xuyen established the Donkoi
Childrens Development center in
Vientiane. The Center provided
education in rice planting, harvesting, sewing, weaving music and
theatre, as well as promoting
reading with a library and playing
games.
Like other countries in Southeast
Asia, volunteerism is also not
something new for Lao people.
Villagers have a culture of sharing
and caring through Bun,
traditional community events. They
all come to help with cooking,
carrying tables and chairs, and
setting up tents as directed by a
village committee. Whenever
neighbors build new homes, or if

there is a new birth or a funeral in a

nearby village, young and old
people join together to help out at
the event. These examples reflect
the fact that volunteerism was a
part of Lao society long before the
term Volunteer arrived in Laos.
Volunteering has changed my
life. In the past, I could not feel the
beauty in daily life. I never listened
to people deeply. Since I have
become a volunteer and met
people from various walks of life, it
has taught me to be a small person
in order to be able to listen to
everybody. Because of that, I am
very aware of how I live and how I
treat people around me. My actions
affect everyone in society, said
Zack Aphivong, 24, a community
volunteer in Ban Donsangphai in
Vientiane.
Among the variety of volunteer
groups in Laos, the Women
International Group (WIG) is an

28 AYM MAGAZINE

organization with about 250

members from over 30 countries. It
was organized in Vientiane in 1994.
The WIG conducts activities like
building schools and school toilets,
and providing medical services for
rare conditions such as heart
operations, cleft lips, or treatments
for Noma disease. Volunteer
doctors from France, Vietnam and
Australia would come once a year
to provide medical treatment for
those difficult cases. A huge annual
WIG Bazaar is held annually to raise
fund for those activities.
Major government organizations
such as the Womens Union, Youth
Union and Trade Union also
organize members to provide a lot
of volunteer work when there are
disasters or big events. The
National University of Laos (NUOL)
had developed a curriculum
called the Bachelors of
Sociology and Social Development (BSSD) in 2006 that recently

changed into a Bachelors of Arts in

Social Work and Development.
It has been offering a course
named Volunteerism and Social
Services in which many Lao
students are given the opportunity
to volunteer in schools, hospitals
and healthcare centers for the
disabled such as the national
rehabilitation center for the
disabled and deaf, blind, and
amputees.
It makes me want to volunteer
more! Though Im now working for
a peace organization as a paid job,
I will try to find opportunities and
time to volunteer. This may or may
not be through formal organizations, Said 25 year old Khamsa
Homsombath, a BSSD student from
NUOL. Volunteerism is a way of
life. I feel proud that I can work for
and help others. From my experiences, I have gained selfconfidence, and improved my
leadership skills in building
relationships with people, he
added.
Both men and women are
important to the social development of Laos. Volunteer work
benefits the development of youth
in local villages. Volunteerism
should be taught so that the young
people can understand the
meaning of it and enjoy it. They
need someone to help encourage
them and keep this spirit of
volunteerism alive long past
individual events, said Xuyen
Dangers.

..1997

Church World
Service (CWS)




17

14

.. 1998
(Don Koi Children
Development)

Like other countries in Southeast Asia, volunteerism is also not something new for
Lao people. Villagers have a culture of sharing and caring through Bun, traditional
community events. They all come to help with cooking, carrying tables and chairs,
and setting up tents as directed by a village committee. Whenever neighbors build
new homes, or if there is a new birth or a funeral in a nearby village, young and old
people join together to help out at the event.
AYM MAGAZINE 29

 24

Women International Group: (WIG)
.. 1997 250
30

WIG Bazaar

.. 2006
(NUOL)

25



-

30 AYM MAGAZINE

Trends in Volunteerism

MALAYSIA

By Kang Soon Chen

Volunteerism goes back a long

way in Malaysia. In the Malay
language, the word gotongroyong will be on everyones lips
when calls are made for people to
help clean-up the village or to set
up tents in a wedding.
The roots of volunteerism can be
traced to the race-based politics of
the country, with the political
parties of each race, specifically the
Malay, Chinese and Indian parties,
setting up bureaus to look after the
welfare of their own communities.
Penetrating the grassroots, these
networks mobilized donation drives
and other activities to help its
members who were in need. The
Chinese community in particular is
very active in protecting its own
interests. Until today, many
Chinese-medium primary and
secondary schools are supported
by donations from parents and
wealthy businessmen in the
community.
Fortunately, volunteerism goes
beyond the political parties and
race-based associations today in
Malaysia. Acting on their interest
and passions, many groups are
forming non-governmental
organisations (NGO) such as the
Malaysian Nature Society and
PAWS (an active animal welfare
society in Malaysia). From these
societies, many volunteerism
activities are organised to address
the current issues in the country.
For instance, there was a huge
outcry in September when cases of
animal neglect in pet hotels were
exposed. Members of animal
welfare societies immediately took
heed and went on a rescue mission
to release trapped animals from the
pet hotels. Furthermore, the
emergence of social media has
further enhanced the NGO and
volunteer

network. Quite often, members

who like a certain page form a
new NGO to fight for select causes.
Facebook pages Malaysian Dogs
Deserve Better and SCRATCH
helped to generate a lot of
sympathy to the issues concerned,
and serve as a platform to inform
the public about the volunteer
activities organised. After seeing
pictures of abused cats posted on
the SCRATCH page, animal lover
Ashley Seow joined the NGO and
volunteered to take care of two
cats. The online platform has
brought the people who share the
same interest together to fight for
the causes they believe in, said
Seow.
Nevertheless, religious-based
organisations remain one of the
main drivers of volunteer activities
in the country. This could be due to
the fact that these bodies already
have very solid organisations with
active youth groups. These
organisations start recruiting
members in schools and universities, as it is not uncommon to find
very active religion-based organisations on campuses. Still, it is
worthwhile to mention that the
majority of the volunteer activities
organised by the religious communities are impartial to the race,
religion and gender of its beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, government agencies also support the formation of
youth volunteer organisations in
the country through its Youth and
Sports Ministry. In the early 90s,
volunteer services were incorporated as one of the activities of a
youth programme called Rakan
Muda. In recent years, the government launched MyCorp, a national
institutionalized youth platform on
which youths can engage and
participate in community welfare
AYM MAGAZINE 31

Nevertheless, religiousbased organisations

remain one of the main
drivers of volunteer
activities in the country.
This could be due to the
fact that these bodies
already have very solid
organisations with active
youth groups.
These organisations start
recruiting members in
schools and universities,
as it is not uncommon to
find very active religionbased organisations on
campuses.

and humanitarian activities and

programs. It is also a resource
platform for youths to learn about
their rights and responsibilities, and
expose their thoughts and experiences within the national and
global context. Deputy Youth and
Sports Minister Gan Ping Sieu was
reported to have said that the spirit
of volunteerism among the nation's
youth serves as a barometer for the
nation's maturity.
He said, Although we do have a
lot of NGOs and charity organisations doing volunteer work, the
ministry thinks that it is time to
organise volunteer programmes in
a more structured and organised
way.
Even though it is striving hard to
be a developed nation, urban
poverty remains a serious problem
in the country. Lately, the soup
kitchen trend has caught on in
Malaysia with many groups setting
up their own soup kitchens to
distribute food to the poor in the
cities. As with any popular trend,
many youth are not left out from
helping in the soup kitchen. Soup
kitchens have taken on an international theme, with Kuala Lumpur
having its own Food Not Bombs
movement.
On the other hand, the developing political turmoil in Malaysia
also sows the seeds of a volunteer
spirit among the people. Although
in the strictest sense, the protests
and demonstrations were not
organised to help the needy, these
activities instill awareness among
the people of the role they play in
society, and how they can make a
difference even doing a small bit.

" "

(Malaysian Nature Society

PAWS)

(Social Media)

32 AYM MAGAZINE


"like

1990

MyCorp

"

"

Food Not Bombs

AYM MAGAZINE 33

Trends in Volunteerism

THE PHILIPPINES

By Bryl Jan S. Yucaran

Bayanihan is a Filipino term

which means a local civil effort to
address national issues. For many
years, the meaning of this term
evolved into more complex
interpretations, and it is already a
codename for projects promoting a
spirit of community cooperation.
In the past, the spirit of bayanihan was important in that everyone
helped other members of the
community. Even now many
youths go volunteering in different
communities with organizations
advocating various issues from
health to education to the environment, and other social issues faced
by The Philippines. Over the years,
more and more youths from
diverse backgrounds have become
volunteersfrom academia,
government, NGOs, to the corporate world.
Increasingly, Filipino youths are
presently more inclined to volunteer with organizations concerned
with environmental issues. In an
interview, Nio Pinalva, a member
of The Philippine Youth Environment Network (a network of
Filipino environmental organizations) said that it hopes to recruit
more volunteers as it reaches out
to non-government environmental
organizations and youth councils in
each community. Even though he
is no longer part of the youth
sector because of his age, he still
tries to connect with more schoolbased organizations to strengthen
his present support base.
The business sector, taking the
Aboitiz Group of Companies as an
example, has also taken initiatives
to support volunteering in the
community. The yearly profits of
the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
are dedicated to helping the
community through education,

In the past, the spirit of Bayanihan was important in that

everyone helped other members of the community.
Even now many youths go volunteering in different
communities with organizations advocating various issues
from health to education to the environment, and other
social issues faced by the Philippines. Over the years, more
and more youths from diverse backgrounds have become
volunteersfrom academia, government, NGOs,
to the corporate world.

enterprise development, primary

health- and child-care, and
environmental conservation and
protection. On the other hand
academia has also showcased
volunteerism: the Cebu Institute of
Technology-University Industrial
Engineering Council, which
promotes sustainability, has
inspired more volunteers to join
them as they battle for environmental awareness and education.
The said organizations Project
NOWTBUKS (NOW is the Time to
Build Up Kids for Sustainability)
came in ninth in the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations
(TAYO) contest organized by the
TAYO Foundation, the National
Youth Commission, and the Office
of Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan. NOWTBUKS trained schoolchildren and unemployed individuals to recycle used paper into
notebooks. I want to help the kids
that will benefit from this cause and
at the same time help nature regain
its worth, said a volunteer,
Cheradee Ann Cabanlit.
As volunteering stimulates
progress in The Philippines, the
National Youth Commission (the
leading government agency in The
Philippines specifically addressing
youth issues) honors exemplary
organizations that impact on, and
contribute to, society. Nine years

34 AYM MAGAZINE

ago, the TAYO Award challenge

was created through the efforts of
Sen. Francis Kiko Pangilinan; each
year it seeks to honor youth
organizations that encourage
young Filipino citizens to get
involved. Now, in its 13th year,
TAYO still continues to recognize
Filipino youth organizations
whether they are governmentsponsored or not.
Not only did TAYO inspire
Filipino youth to address the
countrys social problems, it also
inspired youths all over Southeast
Asia to do so, leading to the
creation of the TAYO ASEAN 2006
which awards youth and youthserving organizations that demonstrate a spirit of volunteerism.
Moreover, it had inspired many
Filipino youths to find their niche in
the international arena such as the
2009 CNN Hero, Efren Peaflorida.
Its more fun in The Philippines
is the latest Department of Tourism
campaign ad. Yet, this slogan is not
just fit for The Philippines beautiful
and scenic attractions; it may also
describe trends in volunteerism in
The Philippines. Do you want to
feel the Bayanihan spirit of Filipino
volunteerism? Come and volunteer, and you can then say that its
more fun in the Philippines!

(Sangguniang Kabataan)

(Aboitiz Group of Companies)

(Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.)

AYM MAGAZINE 35

NOWTB.U.K.S (Now is
Time to Build UP Kids for Sustainability (
)

(Ten Accomplished Youth

Organizations)
(TAYO Foundation)

NOWTB.U.K.S

(
)

(TAYO Award)

TAYO ASEAN 2006

36 AYM MAGAZINE

CNN Hero 2009

Trends in Volunteerism

SINGAPORE
By Clara Wong

One Sunday in November there

was a buzz of activity at Sunbeam
Place, a building that serves as a
haven for abused and neglected
children in need of protection. The
children were in groups learning
how to make hand bouquets from
a florist, and paper rockets from an
education company representative.
A few of them were also getting
their hair trimmed by a barber. The
organizer, Jave Terence Ng (29),
was going about making sure that
everything was running smoothly.
He had help to make sure the day
was a successful one from a
handful of friends and people he
had just met. Everyone contributing
skills or whatever available assets,
whether as an individual or a
private company, was a volunteer
that day.
An asset-based community
development (ABCD) approach is
what were spearheading, said
Dora Yip, marketing executive of
the National Volunteer and
Philanthropic Centre (NVPC), the
national non-profit body that
oversees and facilitates volunteer
and philanthropic activities. An
asset is something that one can
contribute with the skills one has,
whether as an accountant,
marketer, lawyer, or just simply
someone who loves to help out.
Whatever one can contribute to the
community is an asset. With the
national volunteer rate at an
all-time high in 2010 (23.3 per cent
according to NVPCs survey), Dora
also observed that there is a rise in
the number of people volunteering
at a corporate level. She believes
that private companies will play a
big role in volunteerism in the
future, especially in terms of
encouraging their staff to
volunteer.

Serene Soh, a staff member of

Kids Invent! Singapore which
conducted activities for the
children at Sunbeam Place that
Sunday as a volunteer initiative,
expressed similar opinions. There
is a growing awareness within the
private sector today. An increasing
number of companies are more
socially responsible than before,
and are thinking of what their
employees can do for the benefit of
society, said Serene.
And like the collaboration of
private companies with individuals
at Sunbeam, Dora said that NVPC is
currently seeing more volunteer
collaboration among sectors. In
fact, the tripartite collaboration of
people (civil society), the private
sector (corporate world) and the
public sector (government) is what
supports the volunteer mechanism
in Singapore.
While this is a good thing, Jave,
the independent volunteer leader
mentioned above, also thinks that
more needs to be done to educate
and encourage the public to
spearhead volunteer initiatives. I
would say that if you ask anyone to
volunteer, given the capacity and
the spare time that they have, they
will do it. But not so many are
willing to lead their own initiatives
as it takes more effort, he said. I
believe more leadership in volunteerism needs to be encouraged. It
will bring much benefit to society
when these leaders can push forth
with their own volunteer movements.
Dora agrees with this point. We
(NVPC) think that it is important
that we catalyze initiatives to
empower activists; to be able to
find and nurture them, and then let
them fly with their own ideas on

AYM MAGAZINE 37

how to bring good to this world,

would be a powerful thing.
Regarding the importance of
volunteerism in Singapore, Dora
said emphatically: Volunteerism is
a key to preserving our souls while
we strive to be efficient, effective
and KPI-driven, which Singapore
very much is. There is no point
having all the good physical stuff in
a society if we dont have any soul
left.
Said Jave: We need to tell
ourselves that even though we
have progressed, we must look
back at those left behind and help
them. Only then can we fully
develop, and our society will
become more understanding and
caring.

An asset-based
community
development (ABCD)
approach is what
were spearheading.
An asset is something
that one can contribute
with the skills one has,
whether as an accountant,
marketer, lawyer, or just
simply someone who
loves to help out.
Whatever one can
contribute to the
community is
an asset.

"

""

(Sun-beam Place)

""

29

(NVPC) "

"
""

""
.. 2010
NVPC (National Volunteer and
Philanthropic Centre)

23.3

(Kids Invent! Singapore)

"

"
NVPC

38 AYM MAGAZINE

"

"

"NVPC

"
"

"

Trends in Volunteerism

THAILAND

Translated by Areewan Sombunwatthanakun

Actually CSR can be seen as a marketing tool and not

real volunteer work, but we have to look at their intentions. If they are sincere in trying to do what is right to
help solve social problems, then help will be quickly on
its way to areas in need. However, if they sponsor volunteer projects for their own benefit, that is very bad.
Crisis is opportunity: a group
of students came together during
the 2011 flooding crisis in Thailand
and became volunteers for a
project called Ruu Suu Flood.
Since they studied mass communication, they used their knowledge
to make animation clips about how
to cope with the floods. They were
admired by many because their
clips were very useful and easy to
understand, and brought an
element of humor to a stressful and
confusing situation. Although they
were students, they were able to
help others through their knowledge and skills. Volunteers are
people who offer themselves to
help society, to prevent and solve
problems and develop communities without expecting anything in
return.
Everyones birthday is an
important day for that person. This
is true for Thai volunteers as well:
the Thai Government has declared
October 21 as Volunteer Day or
Social Work Day. Volunteer work in
Thailand is supported by the
Government, the private sector as
well as non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is the

main government department

supporting volunteerism through
different policies and measures.
For example there is a government
policy allowing government
employees to volunteer for five
days annually without it being
considered as personal leave.
The Mirror Foundation is a Thai
NGO that has been striving for
social development, including
human rights, through the use of
media and information technology.
With the help of volunteers, it has
organized various efforts such as
teaching computers to children,
campaigns to help curb the use of
child beggars, Khruu Bannok etc.,
with a view to creating a better
world. For its part, the private
sector increasingly encourages its
staff in their volunteer activities;
this effort is called Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), meaning that
the private sector must give back
to society. Through CSR activities,
staff members learn to give and
become better citizens while
organizations improve their image.
Actually CSR can be seen as a
marketing tool and not real
volunteer work, but we have to
look at their intentions.
AYM MAGAZINE 39

If they are sincere in trying to do

what is right to help solve social
problems, then help will be quickly
on its way to areas in need.
However, if they sponsor volunteer
projects for their own benefit, that
is very bad, is the opinion of Krit
Chuenarom, academician specialist
at the Graduate Volunteer Center,
Thammasat University.
In time, Thailand will be become
more progressive because of
modern technology. Krit thinks
that this could be a benefit for
volunteer work: When everyone
helps each other and has good
communication technology, it will
be easier and faster than before to
raise needed resources for solving
problems. There will also be a
weak point Krit thinks we should be
aware of: We can organize quickly
but it will not work unless a good
coordinator or manager leads the
effort because everyone comes
from different backgrounds and
various organizations. This means
that decision-making in important
and urgent situations can be a
problem. Finally, Krits message
to volunteers

is that: Sometimes we need to be

followers, and follow the experts.
Do not interrupt them if you
cannot bring added value; otherwise you could cause problems.
However, should the opportunity
arise and you are sure of yourself,
stand up to be the leader. This
way, work will be achieved more
smoothly.
There is a saying that everyone is
a volunteer at heart, but is waiting
for the right situation before having
enough confidence to offer himself
and his skills. What are you waiting
for? If you are confident that you
can make a difference, just stand
up and lets do it together!

CSR

.. 2554
ood

21

(NGOs: Non Government Organization)

40 AYM MAGAZINE

CSR (Corporate Social

Responsibility)

CSR



CSR







.

Trends in Volunteerism

VIETNAM
By Hoa Quynh Le

Sweating, grinning, cobalt

blue; ask any Vietnamese what
they think of when hearing these
words and they will probably reply:
Youth volunteers! Needless to
say, their uniquely approachable
manner and signature uniform
color have made youth volunteers
very identifiable to the average
person.
For the last ten years or so,
Vietnamese society has seen a
mushrooming of this movement in
which youngsters devote their time
and energy to help those in need.
However, volunteering has in fact
been a tradition in Vietnamese
society as far back as over one
thousand years ago during age-old
feudalism. The countrys diverse
typography and strategic geopolitical location have put it under the
constant threat of both
catastrophic calamities and foreign
invaders, conditions which have
nurtured in almost every person an
inherent spirit of volunteerism.
Generation after generation,
people have been willing to give up
their lives in many resistance wars,
and pour the sweat of their brows
into relentlessly taming nature. This
spirit of survival has become so
much part of Vietnamese national
pride that it is even lauded in
childrens history textbooks.
More recently, especially since
the 1986 major socio-economic
renovation, volunteer activities
have been coordinated and
sponsored by various societal
actors, although spontaneous
volunteerism still plays a special
role. The three major sponsors of
volunteerism are the public and
private sectors, and NGOs.
Private sector corporations often
donate to charity funds or sponsor
volunteer campaigns led by other
sectors. For example, the Exam

Season Support campaign,

assisting students who participate
in the annual national collegiate
examinations during their stay in
places where exams are held, is led
each year by the public sector and
generously funded by brands such
as Acer, Avio and PVGas.
Corporations also join the
volunteer movement by donating
money and staple food, and
sending their staff to visit areas that
are remote or suffering due to
natural disasters. Last year when
the central region constantly got
hit by typhoons, my colleagues and
I were delegated by the company
to bring money, rice, blankets and
food stuffs to people in affected
areas, said Doan Hong Trang who
has had a lot of experience in
volunteering ever since her
university days, and now works for
PVI Holdings. Unlike in our student
years when we had more time
available for hard work, now
wechoose to mostly donate money
and food stuffs. Its more practical
and useful to those in need, Trang
shared. According to her, a single
company can donate up to
hundreds of millions of Vietnam
Dongs to volunteer activities each
year. The amount varies according
to the size of the business. Sometimes they also contribute human
resources to volunteer movements
at the local community level, but
on a rarer basis.
As to the public sector, its most
noticeable programs are run by the
Vietnam Youth Association and the
Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth
Union. All Vietnamese reaching 18
years of age are automatically
qualified to be members of
Vietnams Youth Association. The
Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth
Union is more selective, preferring
to recruit those who can prove
AYM MAGAZINE 41

having high moral into the extracurricular agenda of schools at

different levels. At local communes,
they are considered as representing
authority. Therefore, their volunteer
programs have nationwide coverage and are quite well-known by
the average citizen. Their numerous volunteers are easily recognized by their trademark cobalt
blue uniform. Green Summer is
by far their best known volunteer
program, sending young people to
underdeveloped regions to help
eradicate illiteracy, build roads and
bridges, set up charity houses,
provide healthcare, deforest certain
areas, to name but a few. This
program does not only run during
the summer, as its name suggests,
but year-round. Recently, it was
reported in the mass media that in
Ho Chi Minh City alone, some
100,000 youth volunteered, as part
of the program Green Summer
2011, to build 130 charity houses,
and provide healthcare and
free medicine to more than
70,000 people in the
southern area of
Vietnam,

Cambodia, and Laos.

Last but not least is the NGO
sector. Their programs probably
best reflect the volunteering spirit
of people standing up on their own
to help their communities without
depending on the authorities or
being profit-driven. They boast a
very diverse range of activities,
tackling poverty, education, the
environment, reproductive health,
etc. Their programs are also the
most accessible to youth as there is
no layered bureaucracy involved,
meaning that everyone can
contribute equally. Due to the
increased emergence of young
people in this sector, there is a shift
in the role played by different
parties in running volunteer
programs.
A few years ago, NGO staff were
the key organizers and youth the
assisting force; nowadays the
young are empowered to run their
own youth-led programs. The
empowering process is carried out
through training workshops and
hands-on experience transferred to
leaders, or agents for change of
youth-run clubs, said Ha Quynh
Nga, project officer of Live&Learn,
a local NGO in the environment
field. She is also the coordinator of
the Vietnam Green Generation
Network (VGGN), the most
prominent network of youth
environmental clubs.
During recent years, we have
witnessed a close cooperation
among these three sectors in
organizing volunteer campaigns.
The private sectors involvement is
often through financial sponsorships, the public sector through the
legal dimension, and NGOs
through direct implementation.

Despite being varied in the types

and fields of work, volunteerism in
Vietnam is deeply rooted through
an age-old legacy passed down
from past generations. Within its
national society, Vietnamese youth
has proudly emerged as the key
force in pioneering the way and
propelling the whole movement.

"
"

Green
Summer is by far their
best known volunteer
program, sending young
people to underdeveloped
regions to help eradicate
illiteracy, build roads and
bridges, set up charity houses,
provide healthcare, deforest
certain areas, to name but a few.
This program does not only run
during the summer, as its name
suggests, but year-round. Recently,
it was reported in the mass media
that in Ho Chi Minh City alone, some
100,000 youth volunteered, as part of
the program Green Summer 2011,
to build 130 charity houses, and
provide healthcare and free medicine
to more than 70,000 people in the
southern area of Vietnam,
Cambodia, and Laos.
AYM MAGAZINE 42

.. 1986

Exam Season Support

Acer, Avio
PVGas

PVI Holdings

"

18

.. 2007

6.1

Green Summer

(Green Summer)

Green Summer .. 2011

130

2-3

Live&Learn

AYM MAGAZINE 43

Green Summer

(Green Summer)

10 SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEER STORIES

There are a huge variety of volunteer groups and organizations in Southeast
Asia working on issues ranging from community development to human rights.
Interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities? AYM searched for 10
outstanding examples of youth volunteer organizations across the region. These
organizations have sown the seeds of volunteerism in their home countries, and
have positively changed the lives of both volunteers and the people and communities they serve.

BURMA/
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA
MYANMAR DARUSSALAM

P.45
MALAYSIA

P.56

P.47

P.49

SINGAPORE
THE
PHILIPPINES

P.58

P.60

44 AYM MAGAZINE

INDONESIA

P.51
THAILAND

P.62

LAO PDR

P.54
VIETNAM

P.64

Myanmar Story Tellers (MST)

By Chan Myae Khine

Youths are creative, and this

creativity certainly applies to
volunteering. Thant Sin Soe, Paing
Soe Oo, Nyein Chan Phyu, and
Ogga in Myanmar were inspired by
traditional stories, and founded a
cool group on September 30, 2009
to maintain Myanmars traditional
stories. What do they do? They tell
stories! For young children
throughout Myanmar, the group is
involved in active storytelling.
Myanmar Story Tellers (MST) have
created unique approaches to
educate children about ethical tales
in a fun way, to maintain traditional
stories, create youth networks
based on storytelling art forms, and
promote youth activism. To prepare
for storytelling activities, the group
chooses the stories they want to
present, determines what the best
fit is for their audience, and then
prepares and rehearses their
storytelling.
MST, founded with less than 10
members, has grown to an organization with about 80 members and
has organized about 90 story
telling events during 2 and half
years. We dont have a single most
successful achievement. We give
our best effort at every event, and
all of them are successful, said
Nyein Chan Phyu, one of the
founders of MST.
Not only is their main mission
creative in nature, but the way they
manage their organization is also
unique. One of the founders of
MST, Ogga explained, Theres no
top-down approach, we dont have
a president or secretary. All of us
are leaders for different tasks. Plus,
they have survived without regular
financial support. Each member
contributes 500 kyat (0.7 USD) per
month to the group, which is
mainly used for travel expenses

Myanmar Story Tellers (MST) have

created unique approaches to
educate children about ethical
tales in a fun way, to maintain
traditional stories, create youth
networks basedon storytelling
art forms, and promote
youth activism.
when they are going to a storytelling event outside Yangon. They
often partner with other volunteer
groups and events. If a group is
going to donate stationeries to
orphanage, they would go with
them to tell stories to local
children. If there is a charity bazaar,
they will partner with event
organizers and sell story books and
draw caricatures.
Apart from storytelling, MST
usually also conducts workshops on
performance, presentation and so
on. They encourage people to
enjoy and learn more about
traditional ethnic stories about
famous events like BarCamp
Yangon. Currently, they have a sub
group called MST (Yay Sa Kyo)
which is a similar group founded in
a small town called Yay Sa Kyo
where they have organized a story
telling event for children.
I know how to deal with people
more than before, Eaindra Myat Su
Wai taled about one of the benefits
of joining MST. I truly enjoy
cheering up orphans by telling
them fun stories.
While many volunteers emphasize a focus on current situations
and problems, MST works towards
shaping the future leaders of
Myanmar, the young children.
Learn more about MST at
www.storyteller.myanmarsar.org

AYM MAGAZINE 45

, ,


30 .. 2009

?

Myanmar Story Teller (MST)

Myanmar Story Teller (MST)

MST

MST

: www.storyteller.

myanmarsar.org
MST

Myanmar Story Teller (MST)

46 AYM MAGAZINE

500
(0.7 )

MST

BarCamp Yangon

MST (
)

MST

MST

Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAC)

By Chanvetey Vann

By involving youth in this

volunteer work, we are assisting
our government, especially the
Ministry of Education, Ministry
of Health and Ministry of
Culture, Youth & Sports in
engaging young people and the
society on HIV & AIDS issues.
We are seen as the "educators"
on HIV & AIDS and
"facilitators" of youth
empowerment program.
Being involved in volunteer
work [at BDAC] has definitely
shaped me into a better character,
helped me to recognize my
undiscovered skills and allowed me
to earn valuable work experience,
said Nadirah Daud, a Physical
Education student at University
Brunei Darussalam and a volunteer
at BDAC.
Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council
is a non-profit organization
established in 2000. Its main
objectives are to raise awareness
on HIV/AIDS in Brunei and educate
people (especially young people)
on related issues regarding
Sexually Transmitted Infection,
Unwanted Pregnancy and Social
Issues. Although BDAC wants to
make a big impact on society, it
relies on public donations and
sponsorships from companies,
government agencies and
individuals.
To reach its objectives, BDAC
engages youth in voluntary works,
trainings and outreach programs
because Advocate. Educate.
Empower. is the motto of BDAC.
Our work is mainly raising
awareness on HIV & AIDS to the
community especially to the young
people. We do this with positive
peer influence, voluntary work,
empowerment program, and
capacity building through
trainings,

Iswandy Ahmad, the current

among young people about
President of Brunei Darussalam
teenage pregnancy and sexually
AIDS Council says in an email.
transmitted infections. By conductHe continues, Utilizing young
ing this program, not only can
peoples favorite past-times like
volunteers share their knowledge
sports and hangouts, BDAC
with other youth in the community,
organizes programs that contribute
but they also can earn hand-on
to the development of young
learning experiences. HAPPY has
people. Sports can be used to
earned its recognition both
spread awareness and establish
nationally and internationally.
networking, and hangouts can be
By involving youth in this
used to organize youth trainings to
volunteer work, we are assisting
develop the ability of young people
our government, especially the
by building their capacity."
Ministry of Education, Ministry of
To effectively engage youth in
Health and Ministry of Culture,
volunteering, BDAC created a youth Youth & Sports in engaging young
division called The Penyinar Club
people and the society on HIV &
in 2001. The club has more than 50
AIDS issues. We are seen as the
potential and active members of
"educators" on HIV & AIDS and
ages ranging from early teens to
"facilitators" of youth empowerlate 20s, who come from different
ment program, Iswandy explains.
institutions across the country.
Volunteerism apparently benefits
In this club, youth are offered
the volunteers as much as it does
opportunities to create and
the public, The fact that these
organize their own projects and
young volunteers whole-heartedly
activities within the main objectives
want to make a change in their
of the organization.
society shall not be overlooked. It is
One of many successful
like the old quote that states there
programs run by Penyinar Club is
is nothing stronger than a heart of
HIV Awareness Program for Peers
volunteer. To me, volunteerism is
and Youth (HAPPY). Twice a year,
serving others for free but for a
HAPPY is conducted at schools
good cause, said Nadirah, volunthroughout the four districts of
teer captain of Penyinar Club at
Brunei Darussalam by volunteers
BDAC.
from Penyinar Club to increase
awareness
Learn more about BDAC at www.bdac_penyinar.webs.com
AYM MAGAZINE 47

(BDAC) "

"
BDAC
.. 2000

BDAC

"
"
BDAC
BDAC "




"
BDAC


BDAC

"
BDAC

"" ..
2001

BDAC

30
50

HAPPY (

)
"HAPPY"
2

"

"

"

"


"
ARI :
www.bdac_penyinar.webs.com

48 AYM MAGAZINE

Youth For Peace (YFP)

By Sothea Ines and Ou Bannong
For the next five years we intend
to focus on peace and development among indigenous youth,
said Long Khet, a director of Youth
for Peace (YFP), a Cambodian NGO.
He goes on to explain that if a
country develops without a
concept of peace, its people will
suffer from that development.
YFP was founded in 1999 and
has offices in five provinces; so far
it has worked in the field of youth
and leadership. In 2011, there
were about 200 youth volunteers
throughout the country. One of
YFPs projects is aimed at helping
communities resettled out of
Phnom Penh by the Government:
volunteers work in the fields and
train resettled families in appropriate skills to earn a living. Each of
its projects weds the concept of
peace and the role of youth. By
concentrating their efforts in field
workcommunity servicesyouth
volunteers increase capacitybuilding at the grass-roots level.
They work directly with communities, and are in close contact with
local authorities, monks, and
residents.
Morn Nacha (21), a third-year
psychology student at Phnom
Penhs Royal University, volunteered in 2010 to work with YFP for
one year. She is now working on
her own project with a group of
seven other young people coming
from different backgrounds. At
first, just learning to work together
represented quite a challenge for
the groups members, but now
were getting better at it since we
were able to consult with a senior
member of YFP, she says. Any
time they can get free, her group
trains villagers to raise chickens in
Kandal Province. This is the first
time she does this type of skillbuilding in a rural area.

Nachas YFP training consisted of

seven short courses before she was
sent off to work in the community.
She finds such work more rewarding than earning a salary, and feels
really appreciated for what she is
doing, adding that although I
dont see that Im making such a
big impact right now, I do believe
that in the future I will do something bigger for my society base
because of lessons learned through
my YFP work and training. She
now has the confidence to identify
a communitys needs and
problems, as well as to deal with
them.
Nacha does not think it strange
that she studies psychology while
working in the agricultural sector,
as long as she can participate in
improving society in some way.

Although I dont see that Im making

such a big impact right now, I do
believe that in the future I will do
something bigger for my society
base because of lessons learned
through my YFP work
and training.

AYM MAGAZINE 49

 (YFP)

(Youth For Peace: YFP)

YFP .. 1999
5
YFP
..
2011 200

YFP

YFP

21
Phnom
Penhs Royal University
YFP 1

YFP

YFP 7

YFP

50 AYM MAGAZINE

YFP

Aliansi Remaja Independen (ARI)

By Ryan Febrianto
Created in 2006 with the support
of several Indonesian National
Youth Ambassadors, Aliansi Remaja
Independen (ARI), known by its
slogan "We Speak, We Act!" has an
ambitious vision to raise awareness
among young people through
positivity. Specifically, the group
promotes comprehensive sexuality
education for youth, including in
the areas of HIV-AIDS and human
rights.
Indonesian Fact asserts that
youth movements need to collaborate with well-established adult
organizations if they want to be
trusted. Young people still haven't
earned the support and trust to
form independent organizations
under the government. Therefore,
many of todays youth organizations in Indonesia were built in the
shadows of formal organizations
and interests.
But Aliansi Remaja Independen
(ARI) has made a big difference,
they have succeeded in making a
truly independent youth organization focused on sexuality issues
among youth in Indonesia, without
working under the auspices of any
formal adult organization. Their
commitment in promoting their
grass-roots programs and their
passion in promoting diversity are
the keys to success of their 7-year
existence.
Aliansi Remaja Independen is
proof that young people are able
to make big differences, and solve
many kinds of problems through
social action. One of the most
well-known activities that ARI has
conducted was its National Youth
Forum, which was attended by
hundreds of youth activists from
around the country. Also, in the
name of promoting

anti-discrimination of the LGBTIQ

(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning) and
sex workers communities in
Indonesia, ARI has conducted
several forums, gatherings, and
events to empower those communities to uphold their human rights.
By engaging in youth-based
actions, advocacy, and several
grass-root programs, ARI has
already involved many young
people aged 15-28 years old under
its branch organizations around the
country. ARI has grown in size and
now has branches in 6 regions
across Indonesia.
ARI is amazing! I still cant
believe I can have a great opportunity to be involved in such a diverse
organization like this. The members
come from diverse backgrounds,
such as young sex workers,
homosexuals, trans-gendered, and
young people living with HIV-AIDS.
ARI teaches us to celebrate
diversity by respecting each other,
and working with each other with
no barriers, no discrimination. This
is one of the unique aspects of ARI
which you might not find it in any
other organization! said Nia, a
member who will also be ARIs
representative for the InternationalConference on Population and
Development (ICPD) in New York,
this March.

AYM MAGAZINE 51

ARI is amazing! I still

cant believe I can have
a great opportunity to
be involved in such a
diverse organization like
this. The members
come from diverse
backgrounds, such as
young sex workers,
homosexuals,
trans-gendered, and
young people living with
HIV-AIDS. ARI teaches us
to celebrate diversity by
respecting each other,
and working with each
other with no barriers,
no discrimination. This
is one of the unique
aspects of ARI which
you might not nd it in
any other organization!

One other thing, everyone can be

an ARI member, as long as they
want to respect other peoples
rights, respect diversity, and are fully
committed to the programs, Nia
added.
Additionally, ARI has cooperated
with CHOICE for Youth, a 'Sexuality
and Youth' organization located in
Utrecht, Netherlands. ARI has also
been funded by several donors,
such as UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNESCO,
etc. It ultimately shows us that the
professionalism of this organization
deserves to be taken into account.
"Until now, we have 6 branches
around the country, and in each of
them we have about 15-25 youth
volunteers, and this number of
volunteers is still increasing," said
Fita, the General Secretary of ARI. So
far, ARI has more than 500 members
from all around Indonesia.

ARI .. 2006

(Indonesian National Youth

Ambassadors)
!

Indonesian Fact

Learn more about ARI at

www.aliansiremajaindependen.org

52 AYM MAGAZINE

ARI

ARI

ARI
(National
Youth Forum)


(LGBTIQ)
ARI

ARI

15-28

ARI
6

ARI !

,
,
ARI

ARI

ARI !

,
,

ARI

ARI

AYM MAGAZINE 53

ARI

International Conference
on Population and Development
(ICPD)
ARI

ARI
CHOICE for
Youth

Utrecht, ARI

UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNESCO,

ARI

6

15-25

ARI ARI
500

ARI :
www.aliansiremajaindependen.org

The Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC)

Translated by Atchara Simlee
Nowadays, many sectors
consider development to be
important. However, how to make
development bring the most
positive changes and cause the
least negative effects is considerably challenging for involved
agencies.
Sustainable development is an
approach that a Lao-rooted and
not-for- profit organization called
The Participatory Development
Training Center (PADETC) has
adopted since 1996. Currently, it
has distinctive development work
and has gained recognition
nationally and regionally.
The ultimate goal of PADETC is
Education for Sustainable Development. It focuses on enhancing
young peoples potential. Sisouvanh Chanthalangsy the 31-yearold Head of Training Service Unit,
Eco-Forest Learning Center
emphasized We expect Lao youth
who have been trained by PADETC,
to become quality young people
with traditional hearts. They also
learn to be inquisitive, selective and
adaptable to a changing society.
Moreover, in the near future, they
will have to work effectively with
other organizations in order to
develop Laos in a sustainable way.
One of PADETCs projects
focusing on developing young
people through education is The
Quality School Program. The
program has been running since
2002 working with 10 primary
schools in Vientiane. It aims to
improve the quality of education
through developing lesson plans
and creating locally-based teaching
aids. It also supports Experiential
learning and Child-centered
approaches to learning via extracurricular education. In addition,

the program also encourages full

participation from parents,
Buddhist monks and local organizations in communities. Now this
initiative has been successful and
was accepted by the Lao government. So far, more than 60 schools
throughout the country have
become part of the program.
The success of the Quality
School Program inspired PADETC
to open a demonstration school
called Sompanya School in 2009.
The school provides education for
students from kindergarten to
grade 9. The educational level will
be extended to grade 12 in the
near future. The school offers
opportunity for Lao young people
to work as teacher assistants who
can practice their working skills
with other involved people.
Sisouvanh added.
Lamngeun Manywong, one of
the PADETC staff who started by
volunteering with this organization
said the Quality School Program
encourages me to think differently
from others. Volunteer work is not
what most teenagers here are
interested in. However, this kind of
work opens to young people the
door for helping Lao society. I did
not get paid when I volunteered
but my vision and working skills
considerably improved
Regarding the sustainable
development model and the
success of Quality School Program,
PADETC plans to establish a
university where Lao young people
can learn in depth about working
process and thinking skills. They
will not only get a degree but also
develop concepts of sustainable
development in order to work for a
living and develop Laos at the
same time This future project

54 AYM MAGAZINE

mentioned by Sisouvanh is going

to be another promising project
which will bring more concrete
sustainability in developing Laos.
Learn more about PADETC at
www.padetc.org

We expect Lao youth who

have been trained by PADETC,
to become quality young
people with traditional hearts.
They also learn to be inquisitive, selective and adaptable
to a changing society. Moreover, in the near future, they
will have to work effectively
with other organizations
in order to develop Laos
in a sustainable way.

 PADETC

PADETC (The Participatory Development Training Center)

.. 1996
PADETC

PADETC

31

PADETC

PADETC

PADETC

(Quality
School Program)
.. 2002
10

60

PADETC

.. 2009

25
PADETC

PADETC

PADETC
AYM MAGAZINE 55

PADETC
www.padetc.org

PADETC

Tzu Chi Youth

By Kang Soon Chen
Religious-based organizations
are the main drivers of volunteer
activities for youth in Malaysia. Tzu
Chi Youth, the youth arm of the
Buddhist-based organization Tzu
Chi, originating from Taiwan, is one
of the most active youth volunteer
bodies in the country.
It is hard to miss the Tzu Chi
Youth when they go out in the field
with their white trousers uniform,
and the female members have their
hair plaited neatly. According to
their leaders, the imposition of a
strict dress code is to instill
discipline among its members. Even
though it is not a registered society
in most campuses, Tzu Chi Youth
recruits its members from the
universities through word of mouth
spread by its senior leaders.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary
recently, Tzu Chi Youth implements
a system to integrate its new
recruits into volunteer activities.
It has a no-frills system to accept
non-members and interested youth
who join its activities on an
on-and-off basis. Many students
join as observers when they go on
trips to visit the old folk homes and
leprosy centres.
Later on, they are recruited as
members and participate in more
labour-based volunteer act such as
collecting recycling items and

organising charity dinners for the

orphans. Tzu Chi Association
commissioner Tan Lay Choo said
the missions of Tzu Chi and its
youth wing is to help others in
need. She is proud that many
students who have joined Tzu Zhi
Youth stay on to become members
and volunteers with the Tzu Chi
Association.
Janice Lee, 26, started participating in activities organised by Tzu
Zhi Youth since she was in secondary school. The experience of
volunteering with Tzu Zhi Youth
changed my perspective in life.
I have learned to count my
blessings, she said.
Looking at those who are less
fortunate, I realise that I am very
lucky to be blessed with a comfortable life and have family members
who love me, she added.
Coming from a privileged
background, Janice said it was a
humbling experience for her to
meet and serve the leprosy
patients, orphans and the old folks.
The senior citizens in the
leprosy hospital and the old folks
home reminded me of my own
grandparents at home. I feel that
I appreciate them more now and
I want to take good care of them,
said Lee.
Learn more about Tzu Chi at
www.tzuchi.org

56 AYM MAGAZINE

The experience of
volunteering with Tzu
Zhi Youth changed my
perspective in life.
I have learned to count
my blessings.

15

26

AYM MAGAZINE 57

Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER)

By Chanvetey Vann
Young Filipinos, like youth
everywhere else, have been quite
concerned about one issue facing
them today: sexual and reproductive health. This is why the Youth
Peer Education Network (Y-PEER)
was established in the Philippines
in 2009 by Mario B. Balibago. It is a
groundbreaking and comprehensive youth-to-youth initiative
pioneered by UNFPA, reaching
some 52 countries around the
world. It aims to promote a healthy
lifestyle and empower youth at
different levels in important areas
such as: Meaningful Youth
Participation, Universal Access to
Reproductive Health, and Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Education. Leo
Christian Villacortes Lauzon, a
22-year-old Y-PEER Focal Point,
said: In a country with a 70% rise
in teenage pregnancy in the past
ten years, there is a need to enable
and empower young people.
We are training them to make
informed decision about themselves, especially in terms of their
sexual and reproductive health.
Y-PEER is mostly comprised of
youth volunteers wishing to
improve their community, acting as
peer educators, trainers and youth
advocates. Various training
activities, workshops and
campaigns are conducted throughout the country. Some of the
networks member organizations
also undertake to provide HIV/AIDS
education. We have a school ready
to educate young people on the
disease, and

we even go to communities to
bring the information to people at
the grassroots level, said Leo.
Although vital to a young
persons jobs prospects, the Y-PEER
experience brings much more to
the young volunteer. Anzaira B.
Roxas, 26, the current Filipino
Y-PEER Focal Point In-Charge,
explained that: Y-PEER volunteering does not only provide me with
opportunities for employment but
most importantly, as an individual,
it changes my mindset, behavior
and attitude towards life. Becoming a Y-PEER volunteer is not
meant to serve an individuals
personal interests but to contribute
to making a bigger impact on the
community. Leo explained that
volunteers are made aware of the
issues and changes in social and
political development involved due
to their effort, They are constructively engaging and influencing
policy-makers and decisionmakers, and they are contributing
to the improvement of basic social
services, good governance, human
rights, and youth participation.
Moreover, this is in accordance
with the attitude of Asian youth
toward volunteerism, as Leo
claimed, I can say that it gave me
a sense of worth and identity.
Nevertheless, one good
characteristic of Asian youth
volunteers is that we are
resilient, we rise above the
odds and we continue to
flourish in doing our task as
stewards of a brighter future.

In a country with a 70% rise in

teenage pregnancy in the past
ten years, there is a need to
enable and empower young
people. We are training them
to make informed decision
about themselves, especially
in terms of their sexual and
reproductive health

Learn more about Y-PEER at http://www.facebook.com/ypeerpilipinas

58 AYM MAGAZINE

 (Y-PEER)

*)

Youth Peer Education
Network (Y-PEER)
..2552

(UNFPA)
UNFPA 52
Y-PEER

Y-PEER
22

70%

Y-PEER

70%

*
AYM MAGAZINE 59

Y-PEER 26
Y-PEER

Y-PEER
http://www.facebook.com/ypeerpilipinas

nge

Indiv

ke cha
an ma
c
l
a
u
d

Volunteerism is a powerful means

of engaging people in tackling
development challenges, and it
can transform the pace and nature
of development. Volunteerism
benets both society at large and
the individual volunteer by
strengthening trust, solidarity, and
reciprocity among citizens and by
purposefully creating opportunities for participation.
United Nations Volunteers
(UNV) programme

Caption: A volunteer, amongst others, is working on her dirt work in the village.
Place: Kratie Province, Cambodia
Photographer: Chanty Sam

The National Youth Council (NYC)

By Clara Wong
As an advocate, connector and
enabler for youth in Singapore,
The National Youth Council (NYC)
encourages youths to bring about
positive change in the community.
Some of its key aims are to instill
leadership qualities and social
awareness in youths. One program
that supports this endeavor is the
Youth Expedition Project (YEP)
which advocates for volunteers to
head their own overseas community service projects.
Since 2000, YEP has supported
youths on community projects.
To date, more than 26,000 youths
have organized about 1,300
projects in ASEAN member
countries, India and China, as well
as some other parts of Asia. Youth
volunteers form their own teams,
and decide on a social cause and
related organization in a country in
the region where they would like to
aid in a minimally 10-day expedition project. YEP provides funding,
leadership training and other
supporting resources, whilst
volunteer leaders handle aspects
such as project conceptualization,
member recruitment and fundraising.
Jackson Soh, 23, an undergrad,
led a YEP project in an
orphanage in a rural village
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
in 2008. His team provided
classroom activities such
as English and art lessons
for the children, as well
as organized field trips
for them. Upon returning,
Jacksons team went
even further in raising
funds for the orphanage
by selling Cambodian
handicrafts.

Explaining to what extent this

experience was invaluable, Jackson
mentioned that: Besides learning
practical skills in project management, the experience made me
more aware of what is happening
outside my comfortable surroundings. It certainly left a deep
impression on my teammates and
me. The YEP experience was so
enriching to some of the volunteers
that they flew back to the orphanage and continued to volunteer.
According to Mr. Jedidiah Tan,
Assistant Director (Programs) at
NYC, it is common for many past
participants to continue serving in
both local and overseas communities. YEP encourages the growth of
sustainable projects to achieve
greater impact and visible results.
Through the program, Singaporean
youths also learn to appreciate
what they have back home and be
empowered to make a change
within the local community.
Jackson, who has been an active
volunteer in his own community
since the trip, said he appreciates
the exposure it has given him and
the values he has learnt.

AYM MAGAZINE 60

Values like respecting your elders;

these are things we may have
forgotten in our cosmopolitan
society. Projects like these remind
us of what is truly important. In the
midst of helping these communities, we gain something that is
immeasurable by all counts.
Every journey begins with a small
step. For more information on YEP,
please visit www.yep.nyc.sg

Besides learning practical skills

in project management, the
experience made me more
aware of what is happening
outside my comfortable
surroundings. It certainly left a
deep impression on my
teammates and me. The YEP
experience was so enriching to
some of the volunteers that
they flew back to the
orphanage and continued to
volunteer.

 (NYC)

"
(NYC)
.. 1983
NYC

NYC

""
(YEP) .. 2000
15-35

10 YEP

23
YEP .. 2008

"

"

NYC

...

YEP
www.yep.nyc.sg

61 AYM MAGAZINE

Thai Volunteer Service Foundation (TVS)

Translated by Areewan Sombunwatthanakun
The Thai Volunteer Service
Foundation (TVS)s mission is to
create opportunities for the young
to learn and gain experience by
working in rural areas, and to
support non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) by providing
human resources.
In 2006, there was an increase in
conflicts between local communities and the State, including the
business sector. Consequently TVS
implemented the Human Rights
Lawyers Project; it recruited law
graduates to solve these conflicts
using law as a tool, while at the
same time providing them with the
opportunity to learn through work
on the ground, and to support
human rights efforts.
Montanaa Duangprapa, Human
Rights Volunteer batch 2, works for
Environmental Litigation and
Advocacy for the Wants (ENLAW);
she says that being a volunteer has
allowed her to learn from real
situations outside the classroom.
She found that limitations and
obstacles sparked critical thinking
and analysis, as well as the

questioning of given situations.

What is important is whether law
means justice: If a factory admitted to polluting the water, it had to
pay appropriate fines according to
the law. That was supposed to be
the end of it but in reality, what
about the polluted water? the
water-users? water recovery?
final responsibility? So I have
questioned the existing law; it is
not the end of it. Where is justice?
Montanaa is also impressed by
TVSs opening a space for law
graduates to learn about working
on social issues. This is not a
high-paying job like working for a
legal consulting company or being
a judge, but we touch real people
and this is a way to clean our hearts
as well. She says working like this
satisfies our sense of morality more
than working in other sectors. She
also got to meet people like her.
I have made friends with people
who have just graduated from law
school like me. During the one
year we worked and lived together,

we found that although we went

our own way at the end, we now
have the same way of thinking in
that we all want the best for our
society.
In the past, there were less than
10 human rights lawyers in
Thailand. Then, the Human Rights
Lawyers Project has built more
human resources to double the
amount of human rights lawyers.
This projects alumni also organize
the Human Rights Lawyer Volunteers Network which plays a
central role linking lawyers and
legal experts on human rights to
work on supporting and protecting
the rights and freedoms of people
under human rights principles for
the respect of human dignity. TVS
is proud of this project and its
mission of encouraging young
people to serve society, hence its
motto: Weaving faith to build
society.
Learn more about TVS at
www.thaivolunteer.org

This is not a
high-paying
job
like working
for a legal
consulting co
mpany or be
ing
a judge, but
we touch rea
l
people and th
is is a way to
clean our he
arts as well.

AYM MAGAZINE 62

 (.)

()

.
..
2523
...
. .

.. 2549

...

10

.

www.thaivolunteer.org

63 AYM MAGAZINE

Vietnam Green Generation Network (VGGN)

By Hoa Quynh Le

Recently, Earth Hour, Clean up

the World, Say NO to Plastic
Bags and such campaigns have
gained wide popularity among the
average Vietnamese. Not everyone,
however, is aware that these
reputable campaigns are led by
affiliated organizations of a youth
network called the Vietnam Green
Generation Network (VGGN).
Building networks is a fruitful
approach for connecting and
creating synergy of learning and
action from people with shared
concerns and interests, shared Ha
Quynh Nga, VGGN coordinator, to
explain the dynamics behind its
establishment.
Back in mid-2008, a group of
young environmental activists came
up with the idea of VGGN after
realizing that environmental youth
volunteer clubs were mushrooming
all over the country, partly in
response to ecological challenges
faced by Vietnam in its rapid
socio-economic growth. However,
it was not until July 2009 that the
network was officially founded with
support from NGOs like Live&Learn
the British Council and Oxfam.
According to Nga, VGGNs
mission is to empower Vietnamese

youth to fight against climate

change through numerous activities. We hold training workshops
to enhance youth capacity and
network them together, share
educational materials on the issues,
and provide technical support for
environmental youth-led clubs
across the country, she said.
Although at the outset it had a
membership of merely five to ten
organizations, presently VGGN is
made up of some 77 youth-led
environmental clubs in 22
provinces and cities with thousands
of members. Considering that it is
the first of its kind in Vietnam, its
rapid growth is really remarkable.
What helps us sustain and grow
is our methodology. We empower
youth to be agents for change so
that they can spread the changes
to other actors in society, affirms
Nga. Indeed, through training and
supporting activities aimed at key
members of different youth clubs,
VGGN turns them into the
so-called agents for change.
Being such agents means they can
retrain other members of their
clubs, and advocate for and launch
their own youth-led initiatives. In
this way,
AYM MAGAZINE 64

youth power in tackling local

environmental issues is unleashed
and rapidly multiplies.
Thus far, members of VGGN have
held both localized international
campaigns (Earth Hour, 350 and
Clean up the World) and
campaigns on their own initiatives
(Say NO to Plastic Bags, Go
Vegetarian, 26oC+ and
I Agree). The most noticeable
change these and other campaigns
have brought to the community is
the average persons improved
awareness about environmental
issues. For example, Earth Hour
has effectively raised public
awareness of energy saving since
2008.
Besides awareness-raising, other
positive changes have been
fostered. Go Vegetarian, for
instance, called for 6000+ people in
2010 to change to meat-free diets
all over the country. Meanwhile, the
aptly named campaign Say NO to
Plastic Bags features groups of
young volunteers visiting small
shop-owners and giving away
eco-friendly bags in an effort to
warn them about the ecological
and adverse health effects of using

plastic bags. In 2011, 500 free

eco-friendly bags were given away
in Da Nang alone, sponsored by
the VGGN fund. The campaign is
now spreading to other cities in
Vietnam.
The above are only two among
countless other programs VGGN
has implemented. VGGN is
empowering youth to be the green
heart of a green change wave that
is sweeping through all sectors of
society. VGGN is the launch pad
for youth initiatives and activities.
It supports us in terms of skills,
knowledge, funding and networking. Coordinators are so enthusiastic that they even fly from Hanoi to
Ho Chi Minh City to support our
program, said Nguyen Thanh
Hung of the Wildlife Protection
Club, a VGGN affiliate. Talking
about his experience with the
network he added: My time with
VGGN is valuable. My professional
skills such as report-writing and
event-organizing have improved. I
have a wider network of friends to
exchange with and learn from.
Hungs willingness to share
partly explains why VGGN is
increasingly popular among young
environmental

Earth Hour, Clean up the world

VGGN is empowering youth Say No to Plastic Bags
to be the green heart of

a green change wave

Vietnam Green Generation
that is sweeping through
Network (VGGN) VGGN
all sectors of society.

VGGN
enthusiasts in Vietnam. Recently, "
even the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment, and

the Ministry of Education and Training decided to sponsor and techni- " Nga
cally support its programs.
Its VGGN
members strong faith in the
network plus recent attention from
authorities are indeed optimistic
indicators that forecast a bright

future for the Vietnam Green

Generation Network. Hopefully, it
VGGN
will thrive strong and true to further
spread the wave of change in
Vietnamese society.


Learn more about VGGN at

http:www.thehexanh.net
65 AYM MAGAZINE


"Go
Vegetarian .. 2010
6,000

Say No to Plastic
Bags

VGGN

VGGN

VGGN "

"
Hung
VGGN

VGGN
VGGN

VGGN VGGN

VGGN
http:www.thehexanh.net

AYM MAGAZINE 66

VGGN

VGGN

10 Inspiring ASEAN Youth Volunteers

Youth are the agents of change and promise for the future. AYM interviewed 10
inspiring youth volunteers from across Southeast Asia. On the road less travelled
that these volunteers have taken, their hearts are filled with aspirations and
dreams for positive change in their communities and the region. Lets feel their
hearts and get inspired!

BURMA/
BRUNEI
CAMBODIA
MYANMAR DARUSSALAM

P.68
MALAYSIA

P.69

P.68

P.68

SINGAPORE
THE
PHILIPPINES

P.70

P.70

67 AYM MAGAZINE

INDONESIA

P.69
THAILAND

P.71

LAO PDR

P.69
VIETNAM

P.71

BURMA/MYANMAR

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

CAMBODIA

Ogga, 24

Iswandy Ahmad, 29

Ly Bunthea, 29

Many people suffered when Cyclone

Nargis hit Myanmar in 2008, particularly
in Yangon and Ayeyarwady divisions.
Ogga began his journey then as a
volunteer by providing relief to victims
of Nargis.
Giving up the chance to pursue an
MBA, Ogga chose to dedicate his time
to helping Nargis victims. He studied at
the Buddhist Youth Empowerment
Program (BYEP), believing that an
education there would help further his
dreams as a volunteer. At BYEP, he
formed a core group of activists with a
mission to teach Buddhist values and
youth leadership skills to local children.
He is also a member of the Myanmar
Story Tellers (MST) organization, which
goes to different towns and villages to
support children and families in poverty
by telling traditional stories. Children
love MSTs activity, and the organization
has also been successful partnering with
other volunteer groups. Ogga also
founded the Writers Reference Center, a
library for children interested in learning
to become writers with the help and
insight of famous writers throughout
Myanmar.
Ogga is fond of working in low
profile volunteer jobs. I believe more
youth in Myanmar should become
volunteers for the sake of the countrys
development, but if some youths dont
have a passion for volunteering, it will
end up not being productive. While
MST is the achievement that he is most
proud of because of its unique
activities, he is aiming to share his
knowledge about socially engaged
Buddhism, and hopes that the
traditional customs of various ethnic
groups in Myanmar live on.

Iswandy Ahmad, 29, President of

the Brunei Darussalam AIDS
Council (BDAC) maintains that
volunteerism helps a great deal in
instilling patriotism, a sense of
belonging, and a feeling of
satisfaction. He has volunteered
with BDAC since 2004, striving to
increase public awareness of
HIV/AIDS. Through his efforts, a
proper national body has been
created to lead on this issue.
I would say that my work has
inspired other young people to
believe in the cause, not necessarily
to become HIV advocates, but I
have seen duplication of my
initiatives in others programs, says
Iswandy.
Nothing makes him prouder
than seeing those he reached out
to being inspired, wanting an
education and finally, feeling
empowered to take action. He
hopes that his work, namely
educating the public about
HIV/AIDS and working with youth,
will provide future professional
careers for others in Brunei.

Ly Bunthea, 29 year-old, is the Youth

Empowerment Officer for Youth
Resource Development Program (YRDP)
based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He
has also been one of the active youth of
the Mekong Peace Journey ever since
2010.
After graduating, Bunthea was not
certain of what he wanted to do. When
he got a job in the field of peace
building, he learnt about himself and
started to like it so much. The more
you work the more you know about
yourself, and to a point you will know
what you want to do he said.
He is currently holding two projects
containing one focuses on peace
through ethnic/cultural understanding
while the other is on peace through
history understanding (with concentration on Khmer Rouge regime). The
former target groups were youth from
different ethnic backgrounds, for
instance, Vietnamese and Islamic living
in Cambodia. For those who joined the
aforementioned projects, they
contributed towards two books titled
Peace starts from us in 2009 and
Peace in a multi-cultural society in
2010.
As long as the youth get the
concept, they can alter their attitude
and the two books are the results of
their change, Bunthea shared his view.
He continues that he does not expect to
change the whole mindset of the
society but engaging seven to ten
youths is the first step forward.
He says how silent and invisible the
movement of youth is now. However, in
ten years ahead, Bunthea wishes the
power of youth movement will
influence the policy makers.

By Chan Myae Khine

AYM MAGAZINE 68

By Touch Yin Vannith

By Sothea Ines

INDONESIA

LAOS

MALAYSIA

Setia Perdana, 22

Phonesouphan Diyangwai, 27

Joe Yap, 30

Setia graduated from the faculty

of computer science in Bina
Nusantara University Jakarta in
2011, and is now a well-known
activist with real potential to
influence media matters.
Setia is a National Media
Coordinator of Independent Youth
Alliance Indonesia, a youth-led
organization that focuses on
education and health for youth and
adolescents. He is also a youth
advisor at GWL-INA (The national
network for Gay, Transgender, and
MSM in Indonesia).
Setia tries to deliver information
to young people through the
project: One Person One Action.
Its useful to advocate, socialize,
mobilize, and raise young peoples
awareness. The project reaches out
to teenagers who have not been
exposed to technology or the
internet, such as street youth, labor,
and so on. Setia knows that media
will make youth and adolescents
care about the issues. Lets check
www.brondongmanis.com to learn
more about his work.
The issues of youth, MSM (Men
who have Sex with Men), and
transgender youth in Indonesia are
very diverse, especially in regards
to the right to be treated
humanely.
I hope, someday Indonesian
teenagers will have the opportunity
for meaningful involvement in
influencing policies which directly
impact us. added Setia.

Phonesouphan has had the promising characteristic of being a giver ever

since she was a first year student in
Social Administration and Development
at the National University of Laos. She
enjoyed being a volunteer at the
Donkoi Children Development Center.
Right after graduation, she turned her
back on the big city and headed back to
her hometown to put her energies into
an organic farm named Pomalok.
But Phonesouphan did not stop her
beloved volunteer work. She became a
community volunteer and successfully
persuaded young people to volunteer
by painting schools and building
restrooms as well as teaching kids in
their own community. Moreover, her
farm was established as a sustainable
living learning center that is based on
alternative agriculture. The benefit
Phonesouphan gains has nothing to do
with money, and it may seem like it only
results in a minute change, yet working
with people in her community brings
her a great deal of happiness and pride.
The path Phonesouphan will walk on
in the future will be here, in her village
and her community. She will expand her
work methods as if she were developing
streets, expanding cities. Some steps in
her life of volunteering will not be
smooth, as demonstrated by the roads
through her remote village, but the
images of villagers walking to rice fields
or forests remind her how valuable it is
for people and nature to live together.
Phonesouphan would never know
about these meaningful things if she
had never volunteered. She knows that
sharing and caring work in benefiting
her community.

Joe Yap, who is in her early 30s,

used to have no qualms about
throwing used tissue paper at the
waterfalls where she enjoyed a
great time with her family and
friends. It was until a friend ticked
her off for her behavior that she
began to realise the damage she
could inflict on nature.
Imbued with a passion to save
the environment, Yap founded the
Waterfalls Survivors group in 2008
with a Facebook page and a blog.
The group organises the Save Our
Waterfalls Campaign to recruit
volunteers to clean up the waterfalls nationwide during weekend
excursion trips.
The Water Survivors group has
turned into a social enterprise with
over 4,000 members now.
I enjoy the waterfalls a lot
myself and I feel that I owe it to the
future generations to make sure
that the waterfalls stay clean and
pristine, she said.
I just felt like I had to do it, I had
to take the first step in starting the
course to save the environment,
Yap added.

By Nisrina Nadhifah R.

By Kritsadathan Pantawan
69 AYM MAGAZINE

By Soon Chen

THE PHILIPPINES

SINGAPORE

Alona Alod, 17

Mohd Farhan Bin Mohd Firdaus, 26

Seventeen-year-old Alona Alod

does not want any girls to experience what she had been through.
As a child her road was rocky, full
of domestic violence and corporal
punishment, leading her to
campaign against such treatment.
She now leads NAKAMATA, a
Davao City-based alliance of
adolescent (9-17 years old) girls
from the streets, organized in 2005
and currently boasting 113
members.
NAKAMATA seeks to collectively
push for, claim and get accountability for the rights of young girls.
Alona believes that corporal
punishment, discrimination, sexual
and child abuse and neglect
happen repeatedly in school and
community, and even at home,
oftentimes leading to trafficking.
Her aim is that every girl lives in
a community where she can enjoy
her rights. Its inevitable for
children to make mistakes, she
shared. But I hope that young
people like me wont be punished
to the extreme. There is a difference between disciplinary action
and punishment.

Last year, Mohd Farhan Bin Mohd

Firdaus led a team of secondary
school students to Jakarta,
Indonesia. The undergraduate
student is bringing 11 students to
build a multi-media room and
library for the children at Sahabat
Anak Mangga Dua. This is not his
first time leading youths on an
overseas service learning (OSL) trip
but he is still as excited as ever to
be able to do something for others.
As a seasoned volunteer, Farhan
feels that some Singaporean
youths are volunteering for the
wrong reasons. Secondary school
students in Singapore are required
to perform a minimum of six hours
of community service per year.
Some of the volunteers Farhan has
met are volunteering just to fulfil
that mandatory criterion. "I've
asked myself this many years ago
-- are Singaporeans selfish?" said
Farhan. "And I asked myself again
its very hard not to be selfish in
Singapore, right? We have such
busy lifestyles and things like

volunteerism doesn't come to

people's minds," he added.
He started volunteering in the
local community only four years
ago after an OSL trip to the
outskirts of Thailand near Burma.
Before that, volunteering locally
had not crossed his mind because
as a kid, he was taught that
Singapore was a developed
city-state and finding poor or
needy people there was unlikely.
"It was that trip to the Mon
village--where I saw impoverished
children on the brink of death--that
changed my mind. I came back to
Singapore and started volunteering
with the Children's Society," said
Farhan.
He was recently conferred a
SHINE Award for his contributions
to the local community service
scene as well as overseas community service trips. He currently
volunteers for the Singapore
Kindness Movement, National
Youth Council and Peoples
Association Youth Movement.

By Fann Sim

By Jesse Pizarro Boga

AYM MAGAZINE 70

THAILAND

VIETNAM

Yingcheep Atchanont, 26

Huynh Thanh Thao, 25

Yingcheep, 26, became one-year

iLAW (Internet Law Reform
Dialogue) volunteer on the Human
Rights Lawyer Project through the
Thai Volunteer Service Foundation;
the year is over but he is still
working with iLAW. He also works
as the moderator of the TV
program Khadee Lon Thap on
Share TV, and as a volunteer at the
Chan Choroen Learning Center.
Despite high expectations held
by his family and others regarding
the comfortable salary they think
he should be earning, Yingcheep
still chooses to dedicate his time
working for others. Knowing what
we are working for and for whom
makes our efforts and goals
worthwhile, and it is enough to
make our lives meaningful, giving
us the necessary strength to
continue. He believes it is
important for planning purposes
that a volunteer to have good
management skills, especially in
financial management.
He wishes to continue volunteering but would like to do more
because it gives him a lot of
experience and a greater appreciation of life. He feels that putting
his heart into his work will bring
added-value to other people. Even
though its just a small thing.

With her sheepish smile,

sparkling eyes and eleven devoting
years of community volunteering,
Thao is lovingly dubbed an angel.
Except that her wings are her
wheelchair, and her mantra is: Give
away what we have; the happiness
we take back will be two-fold.
At 25, Thao has been disabled
since birth due an Agent Orange
birth defect and the Osteogenesis
Imperfecta syndrome (a genetic
disorder that makes ones bones
glass-fragile). Her mobility is gone.
Her health is undermined with each
passing day.
Adversity notwithstanding, Thao
has managed to support herself
and help those in need. Being
disabled myself nurtures in me the
determination to integrate into the
community and help those who are
at a greater disadvantage than me,
said Thao.
Starting in 2000 as a volunteer
teacher for little kids in the
neighborhood, she has organized
various volunteer programs in Ho
Chi Minh City and adjacent areas
with a group of friends called
Spontaneous Flower Gardens.

Together, they fund-raise to donate

and visit orphans, homeless senior
citizens, Agent Orange victims,
patients with terminal diseases, to
name but a few. As long as
someone really needs us, we will try
our best to help them, Thao said.
Her latest program since 2011 is
Sending Love, which gives 30
donations to Agent Orange victims
and people with disabilities in Cu
Chi, a suburban district of Ho Chi
Minh City.
In 2012, her plan is to keep on
working on her current projects
and launch a new one to bring
people with disabilities in her
neighborhood together through
networking. However, moving
around in a wheelchair is indeed a
limitation. I really need the help of
volunteers, Thao shared.
Let us spread her story to ensure
that it is heard by many other
volunteer hearts so that her spirit
will fly even higher and wider.
More importantly, let us wish Thao
an excellent health so that she can
continue to bring her angelic magic
to more of those in need out there!

By Hoa Quynh Le

By Areewan Sombunwatthanakun

71 AYM MAGAZINE

24

29

.. 2008

Buddhist
Youth Empowerment Program (BYEP)
BYEP

BYEP

Myanmar Story Teller

(MST)

Writers Reference Center

MST

MST

29

(BDAC)

BDAC
8 .. 2004

AYM MAGAZINE 72

29

22

27

29

(YRDP)

.. 2010

2
(.. 2009)
(..
2010)

7 10

Bina
Nusantara .. 2011

(Independent Youth Alliance Indonesia)



GWL-INA (

)



, ,


,

www.brondongmanis.com

Don Koi Children Development

73 AYM MAGAZINE

30

17

.. 2008

(social enterprise)
4,000
"

17

NAKAMATA
Davao ..
2005
9-17
NAKAMATA 113

NAKAMATA

AYM MAGAZINE 74

26
(iLaw)

1
iLaw

ShareTV

...

26


11

(Overseas Service Learning OSL)

4
OSL

(Children Society)

(SHINE Award)

(National Youth Council)

Singapore Kindness Movement
Peoples Association Youth
Movement

25

11

25

.. 2000

Spontaneous
Flower Garden

.. 2011

Cu Chi
.. 2012

75 AYM MAGAZINE

10 Cool Reasons To Volunteer

By Su Mwan Phroe and Thinzar Shunlei Yi

Doing volunteer work is like growing flowers in your garden. The benefits for us and others in
society are just like beautiful flowers blooming in our hearts. Fill that empty gap in your life,
and add color and meaning to your young spirit by volunteering. Our AYM interviewed youth
volunteers across Southeast Asia and came up with the following simple 10 cool reasons why
ASEAN youth should go volunteering!
2

Discovering Yourself

1
Learning to Give!

Life is a never-ending road of learning! You might not be sure

what kind of job you want to do after graduation. Volunteering
gives you a free form to explore different fields and interests
where you can try doing something new and exciting at the same
time. Being a volunteer helps you develop many practical skills,
from personal improvement to professional competencies,
depending on the type of work you perform and in what field.
Not only you do discover yourself, you are also in pursuit of
knowledge, advocating social inclusion and becoming an active
citizen.

Learning to give is one of main reasons you

should volunteer. Mahatma Gandhi once said
that the best way to find yourself is to lose
yourself in the service of others. Volunteers do
not measure the worth of their efforts in the
form of money. Because when you discover a
communitys needs, there is no doubt you learn
3
to give, you contribute to a cause you care
Expanding Your Horizon
about in your life, and definitely get to love
doing it with passion and enthusiasm. Travel is one of the best teachers in the world. Getting out of your
S.M.I.L.E.S is the only thing volunteers get paid! comfort zone, immersing yourself in a new culture and learning
new languages are some of the priceless experiences volunteerism can offer you. Whether you volunteer within your home
4
country or overseas, you will meet inspiring people from various
backgrounds and walks of life. You will learn to respect the diverBuilding Bridges with
sity of their values and adapt to a wider space where differences
Helping Hands
are beautiful and cultural mutual understanding is born.
Most scholarships require some community
service. It is one of the ways we promote volun5
teerism. Some students volunteer to obtain
scholarships, and in this case volunteerism
It is One Young World!
serves as a bridge to open another window
Volunteering connects young persons with activism. Yes,
into ones life. Volunteering can enhance our
youths are still learning and have a way to go before adulthood.
future employment prospects and enable
We are full of endless energy and countless creativity! This is to
employers to see that we have developed the
admit that even a group photo of dynamic volunteer youths on
necessary skills they may need in their organiFacebook can put a smile on your face. Its contagious. Perhaps
zations. It is especially useful when completing
it will lead you to volunteer next week after seeing it, if you have
application forms and during job interviews to
never experienced it. Yes, go on. Like-minded friends are
illustrate the skills you have developed through
waiting for you. This way, youth volunteers inspire someone to
experiences gained as a volunteer. So go,
volunteer who will somehow inspire a thousand other youths,
ASEAN youth volunteers, and gain some
too. Because youths make up one young world!
invaluable experiences! GO!
AYM MAGAZINE 76

Sharing While Caring!

We are Volunteer Addicts!

Ko Khant, a youth volunteer from Myanmar/Burma says:

I wish to make my society flourish as much as I can by
contributing. For example, Im a doctor. I can give medical treatment. But people in district areas dont have an
awareness of healthy lifestyles; they dont have money
to be treated. So I treat them and share my medical
knowledge. Its my donation - my mind. Sharing is not
only for those who are highly educated. Everyone has
his/her own unique walk of life. Yes, share your life!
Volunteers share tears and laughter with people in need
of help. And all of these volunteers know thats the
greatest treatment ever!

Every person needs to find a good fix in life. Why volunteer? Heres a good answer: I volunteer because I like
volunteering. Its very simple. Some of you might
answer the same way too. Thats because we are
addicted to something precious volunteerism! Heres
a thumb up for the happiness that volunteering gives
back to us. We feel satisfied when we do something
helpful for others, and those who receive from us are
happy to get what they really need from us. It is a
win-win situation. Just like the following saying: Those
who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it
from themselves by James Matthew Barrie. Yes, we are
volunteer addicts!

An Obligation for Our Generation

Youth constitutes 18 percent of the global population.
Approximately 60 percent of youths live in Asia, says
Advocate for Youth. According to Facebook, there are
72,010,060 people living in Southeast Asia who are aged
18-30. Moreover, the UN maintains that the worlds
youth population is increasing the fastest in countries
with lower economic growth. Youth is a motor for
change, not only an agent of change. A motor needs
movement and dynamism. The number of youths is
huge even in our region; this means that we need to be
more concerned and to volunteer, for the good of our
generation and future generations. We are the future!

10
You are Making a Dierence!

Engaging Yourself within

the ASEAN Community
Volunteers expect to learn more about the world. All 10
Southeast Asian nations will be united as the ASEAN
Community in 2015. One of the ASEAN Communitys
slogans says that it is a Caring and Sharing Society.
Social or environmental issues are happening right
around the corner in all areas of our region, and we are
all facing some of the same problems. Obviously our
community needs many helping hands! It is very
important for ASEAN youth volunteers to get
connected and work together. You may do volunteer
work in your own country, be it Cambodia or Indonesia,
but you can always share the information you learned,
the experiences you had, and the best-practice you
developed by volunteering, through social media such
as Facebook, Twitter or by blogging. Act locally, think
regionally and volunteer collectively!

Community Vitality is one of the 9 domains of Gross National Happiness (GNH); the practice of giving and volunteering is essential for the social well-being of people in society. It is an indicator measuring the quality of life rather
than only the economic indicator of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Volunteers always have a sense of community
and are aware of problems that exist due to global warming, hunger, poverty, discrimination, corruption and so on.
You can start solving these problems simply by volunteering. By doing so, you are keeping a community healthier
and our planet happier! Yes, you are making a difference in the world!
77 AYM MAGAZINE

Volunteers are paid in six gures... S-M-I-L-E-S

Gayla LeMaire -A Y Indian Princess Mom

Cost of making children smile? Priceless- Read along session with street kids.

Caption: A member of the organization from the College of Education is reading a childrens book to the kids who were all
ears as the teacher animatedly reads aloud the story to them.
Place: University of the Philippines Diliman campus, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Photographer: Don Rodney

book REVIEW
700 PLACES TO VOLUNTEER BEFORE YOU DIE: A TRAVELLERS GUIDE
Author: Nola Lee Kelsey, 2010
Everyone can be great because
everyone can serve said Martin
Luther King. So what are you
waiting for? Start volunteering now!
For those who still have no idea
about which group of people to
volunteer for, what kind of volunteer work to do, and how, when
and where to start, then this
definitive guidebook by volunteerism guru, Nola Lee Kelsey can
certainly be your helpful assistant.
The book offers one of the most
varied listings of volunteer projects
available throughout the world. It
also provides insider tips from
industry leaders, advice made by
renowned travel writers and

serial volunteers, detailed project

descriptions of over 750
volunteer-based travel opportunities around the world, as well as
project comparison according to
skills, regions and types of volunteering.
Lets grab the book, pack your
luggage, and race off to volunteer
while travelling for a better world
to live in now.

Reviewed by ATCHARA SIMLEE

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND THE POWER OF NEW IDEAS
Author: David Bornstein, 2007

In this book, author David

Bornstein describes how people
use their passion to create systemic
change around the world through
social entrepreneurship. The
concept of social enterprise is not
widely known, but the information
in these true stories of what is
being done around the world may
spark greater interest and lead to
more positive change. As its title
suggests, with determination and
innovation, even a single ordinary
person can make a surprising
difference.

For anyone seeking to make a

positive mark on the world, this will
be both an inspiring read and an
invaluable handbook which has
been translated into 20 languages.
It will change the way you see the
world and encourage and motivate
you to take action for a better
society to live in.

Reviewed by GRACE BANGOY

78 AYM MAGAZINE

HAILEYSTONES

Author: Kristelle Rizardo, 2011

Haileystones started out as the
journal of 16-year-old Kristelle
Rizardo Omar. It was a home to her
thoughts and feelings. Everything
I write down actually happened to
me, it's what I feel and how I react
to things, Kristelle said in an
interview.
Her scribbles transcended from
her bound notebook to a real
book! Haileystones compiles 40 of
Kristelles best stories about her
family and feelings, her crazy life as
a teenager, politics, and the things
that happen in school. She bravely
(and profoundly) voices the things
that can happen during a girls
teenage years which can be very
difficult for any young person to
do.
Teens are often misunderstood
by their parents, but Haileystones is

able to bridge that gap; her book is

read by teens and adults alike!
Some parents really like the fact
that they had insights into how
their children feel, because,
apparently, teenage years are really
really hard to understand Kristelle
comments.
Check this out book now! It will
surely encourage you to voice your
own feelings, ideas and right the
world in a positive way. Start with
yourself and spread your courage
to others. After all, its really easy
for people with a big, patient and
brave heart like you to say YES! to
any kind of volunteer work.
(Haileystones is published by the
Mindanao News and Information
Cooperative Center (MNICC) in the
Philippines).
Reviewed by JESSE PIZARRO BAGO

MOUNTAINS BEYONDS MOUNTAINS: THE QUEST OF DR. PUAL FARMER, A MAN

WHO WOULD CURE THE WORLD
Author: David Bornstein, 2007
This book was written in 2003 by
Tracy Kidder, a winner of the
Pulitzer Prize. It is the story of Dr.
Paul Farmer, a Harvard educated
doctor who went to Haiti in 1983
and volunteered to use medical
practices to save the lives of the
desperately poor villagers. He lives
by the philosophy that the only
real nation is humanity.
The title Mountains Beyond
Mountains comes from a Haitian
proverb and is a metaphor for lifes
challenges: as you solve one
problem, another problem presents
itself. You will never stop climbing,

never be finished. In Dr. Paul

Farmers case, his mountain is the
struggle to provide medical help to
all poor people.
For everyone who yearns to
make a difference, this story of
one mans quest to cure the world
will inspire you. There will definitely
be a discouraging question like
Are you sure its a good idea?
because we are all so well-trained
in being cynical and doubting. But
arent all great and seemingly
impossible changes achieved when
you decide to follow your own
heart and trust your own inner
voice?

AYM MAGAZINE 79

Reviewed by PATHARAPORN TRAKARNTHAI

MOVIE REVIEW
MOUNTAIN PATROL
Director: Lu Chuan, 2004

Mountain Patrol is a sensational film inspired by a documentary entitled 'Balance'. This moving
film depicts the powerful story of a
half-Tibetan journalist from Beijing.
He travels across the outskirts of
Kelexili with a small group of
Tibetan mountain patrols. Their
mission is to track poacher groups
and stop the illegal slaughtering of
endangered Tibetan antelopes.
This group of volunteers has to
confront the poachers while at the
same risk themselves in a land of
merciless winds, freezing water,
sizzling plains, and treacherously
snow-covered mountains.
This movie shows the spirit of
ordinary people who volunteer as
antelope protectors without
expecting anything in return.

What they want to do is to maintain the existence of the antelopes

even though it is such a risky thing
to do. The movies can be a great
reminder for us to always keep in
mind that not only human beings
need help and protection, but also
wildlife, especially the endangerd
ones, and other animals. Sadly, only
a few people realize that wildlife
can be just as valuable as human
beings so that they deserve
protection. The kind of heroic
action portrayed in the movie
indicates that the mountain patrol
group is not merely protecting
Tibetan antelopes but is helping all
kinds of endangered animals from
immorally selfish hunters throughout the world.

How to make a world better than

today? There could be many
different answers. An 11-year-old
schoolboy in Las Vegas, Nevada
named Trevor McKinney has got an
assignment from his social studies
teacher Eugene Sumonet to make
a plan and bring into action
something that can make the world
better. Trevor's plan is just simple
and fresh, based on the networking
of goodness. He calls the plan "Pay
It Forward". His efforts result in a
change not only in his own life, but
also those of his alcoholic mother,
his emotionally and physically
scarred teacher and many other
people.

This novel-adapted movie serves

all the big ideas in a package that
reflects the reality in our life. It is an
advantage that the movie is so
simple, emotional, and easy to
watch without forgetting the
content.
If you are looking for an easy
and inspired movie then Pay It
Forward should be in your list. For
your information, there are many
organizations/movements established and inspired by this movie
and of course bring the same ideas.
So, who wants to be the first chain?

Reviewed by PIMSIRI PETCHNAMROB

PAY IT FORWARD
Director: Mimi Leder, 2000

80 AYM MAGAZINE

Reviewed by RIKI ANDI SAPUTO

THE THIRD WAVE

Director: Alison Thomson, 2007

This highly recommended movie
is about a group of three
independent volunteers who set up
a first-aid station after a disastrous
tsunami in Sri Lanka and quickly
find themselves in charge of a
refugee camp caring for over three
thousand people. What was
originally a two-week journey
spirals into a year-long odyssey of
hope, heartbreak and setbacks as
the villagers slowly begin to rise up
against the volunteers when the
world's donated tsunami money
never materializes.

This film is an eye opener to

those who are curious about how
volunteers work. Sometimes, if not
most of the time, people volunteer
because they can get to travel or it
will be good in their resume, but it
should be more than that and such
things are not supposed to be on
the agenda. The motive behind a
genuine volunteer is to help, with
no hesitation and with no hidden
agenda. In a world of increasing
natural and man-made disasters,
more and more people are needed
to get out there and do their part.
Reviewed by GRACE BANGOY

WE CANT CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT WE WANNA BUILD A SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA

Director: Kenta Fukusaku, 2011

The story is about four Tokyo

university students who raised
money to construct a school in
Cambodia. The fact that this film is
based on a real life account gives it
persuasiveness and revives our
hope in humanity.
This true story vividly depicts an
ordinary university student who
gains better understanding about
the meaning of life, his own
identity, and the society around
him by volunteering to build an
elementary school in Cambodia.
Kota, a medical student, realizes
that there is
something more to life than his
comfortable daily existence.
After witnessing a much harsher
reality than they have ever
imagined: a village strewn with land
mines, a hospital for patients

suffering from AIDS, a museum

dedicated to the victims of Khmer
Rouge, and the rundown state of
the existing village school and even
thoughtheir spirit sinks, they all
gain a philanthropic awakening.
Their lives eventually change when
they reach out to help those in
need.
Building a school might be
tough work which not every one of
us can manage to do. However, in
order to change the world, you
don't need to start with lofty ideas.
The easiest thing we can do is to
have sympathy and understanding
towards our fellow human beings.
Your seemingly small actions of
kindness may seem like no more
than a drop of water, but when
drops of water get together, they
can form a vast ocean.
Reviewed by PATHARAPORN TRAKARNTHAI

AYM MAGAZINE 81

The Winds of change shall not discourage the volunteer.

Lorna Wilson

We
will
overcome!

Caption: Volunteers are helping reconstruction in the area hit by massive earthquake last year.
Place: Miyako city, Iwate, Japan
Photographer: Hiroyuki Hosoya