The Teenagers School Continuity Programme receives around 300 kids per day with the objective of keeping them focused on their studies and encouraging those who have abandoned them to resume. Throughout the Project, teenagers receive education, fun and experiences, and most importantly, they have a great time doing things appropriate for their age.
With ages ranging from 15 to 18 years old, these children are on the verge of dropping out from school and working before they should. It is a mission of PSE to avoid this, to keep them focused and motivated in order for them to find a proper job that will benefit them in the long run. The Project is bearing fruit and this is evident when the number of teenagers that want to participate gets bigger every week.
“Activities needs to be complicated and challenging”
Vatana
The biggest challenge working with teens appears to be the same for all the volunteers. “The hardest thing is planning activities that seem interesting and engaging to them”, says Marie, a European volunteer. “An activity needs to be complicated and challenging for them to enjoy it”, adds Vatana, a Khmer instructor. However, Marin, a European volunteer, believes that this challenge gets easier when you start to imagine yourself participating in that activity. “If I would like it, I know they will love it”, he affirms. If they get bored with an activity, they will lose interest in the one that comes after. This is why it is very important for the volunteers to really think through about what they want to prepare. Calypso, another European volunteer, adds that sometimes activities do not go as planned because the teens find a different way of elaborating them and enjoy even more.
Another challenge that is found is the fact that the Programme is not only meant for the children to have fun, but also to educate them. For this reason, the planning for this Project is very specific each day of the week. While Mondays are about activities in the New Land Centre in PSE, Tuesdays and Thursdays are spent outside. Wednesdays are meant for workshops related to different important matters and Fridays are the days for Olympiques, where they engage in sport activities. The Project is focused on balancing relaxing, educational and sports activities.
“These kids are not really kids anymore”
Salomé
The activities on Mondays revolve around education and preparation for the future. The computer room or the kitchen are open every Monday for the teenagers, where they learn about school subjects, future possibilities or take up cooking. “They love playing football and dancing, but they are also happy doing activities where they learn”, claims Salome. Cooking teaches them about different values and, as Marie maintains, it involves a lot of discipline. Other activities are aimed at training their emotional intelligence, having them think about their future and what dreams they want to pursue in their lives. These sort of activities are easy to do with teenagers because, as Salome states, “these kids are not really kids anymore”.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, teenagers go to places like the lake, the cinema, the mountains, the temples, museums, etc. All the activities planned are destined for them to get a wider view about the culture of their country, as well as to expand their horizons. The children love these things that are a first time for some of them. Thanks to these outings, teenagers learn and appreciate healthy ways to have fun and spend their free time, away from drugs, alcohol and other issues that might be a hazard for them.
“They are very curious kids, eager to know and learn”
Calypso
When visiting a museum or a temple like the one in Oudong, Calypso is amazed by how the teenagers get involved. She explains that, from what she remembers from her teenage years, museums and cultural visits did not impress her. “These teenagers are different, they are very intrigued, they take notes and ask questions. They are very curious kids, eager to know and learn”, she affirms. When they went to the Country Club, as it was something totally new to these children, they were wowed and their eyes sparkled. These outings also serve as an escape from their realities, a way to set off steam and relax for a while.
These children lack a lot of basic education about important matters.
Workshops are a very special and essential activity for Teenagers, so they receive them every Wednesday. Matters such as dental hygiene, drugs and alcohol, sexuality, first-aid or the environment are some of the issues that have been addressed. Most of the workshops gather the whole group, but others require separation. Male and female sexuality is a workshop where boys and girls are separated in order to focus on what is important for each gender. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the menstrual cycle or the use of preservatives is crucial information for these kids at their age. Most of them have never been talked to about these matters before, so their knowledge was non-existent. They love to listen, and volunteers agree that, telling by their faces, these children lack a lot of basic education about important matters.
After the workshops, the activities that are planned for that same day are oriented towards the well understanding of the subjects that have been addressed. “These activities enable them to put into practice what they have learnt. First they listen and afterwards it is time for them to think”, explains Augustin, a European instructor. “We do not want them to just enjoy the activities without learning anything”, says Somnang, a Khmer instructor. With this initiative, teens also feel the confidence they might need to share their problems and doubts. “During these times we keep a sort of older brother relationship with them, and it works”, considers Somnang.
The day the Teenagers were educated about the environment, one of the activities was separating garbage according to the different materials, to learn about recycling. Another was picking up litter from all over PSE. After the one on drugs and alcohol, teens had to prepare a theatre show based on the question “How would you react if you saw an acquaintance doing drugs?”. Some children have already been through this situation, but for those who have not, it helps to prepare them.
Due to the short difference in age with this group between volunteers and beneficiaries, it is easy for them to make connections. “Being able to joke around makes it easier to create bonds with these kids”, points out Marin. They receive English support and lessons throughout the Programme, so volunteers and teens get to exchange a lot about their lives. They seem to be very interested in knowing about the lives of the instructors. “You can tell they just want to open up”, observes Marie.
“A friend but also a figure of authority”
Marin
Teenagers are seen as good and collaborative listeners that are eager to participate in whatever is planned for them. Although Panha, a Khmer instructor, clarifies that they are, nevertheless, teenagers with hormones, which means that sometimes they listen and sometimes they do not. This is where the volunteers need to step up. Marin describes the role of a teens instructor as a friend but also a figure of authority. “You need to get along with them and have fun, but you also need to get serious when a kid crosses the line”, he explains.
In this Project, teenagers have proved that they prioritise the comfort of others rather than their own. They love sharing everything they have and teaching their language to the European instructors, in order to exchange more with them. “Teens are thoughtful, curious and affectionate”, as Joselu, one of the European coordinators describes them, they have impeccable behaviour considering their age. The Teenagers Project has turned out to be a true exchange for all the participants. “Whatever you might give them, they return it double”, concludes Calypso.
