A sign of hope and opportunity for young Cambodians, the Youth Leadership Summit is back for its 2024 edition.
An event supported mainly by the Temasek Foundation, OSG Alliance, Shanty Town Spirit and Milestone as organisers for Cambodia, the inauguration ceremony for this 2024 edition took place at the Singapore International Academy on Saturday 22 June, inspiring cooperation between ASEAN, China and India to pave the way for a new generation of change-makers in the region.
The 2024 edition of the Youth Leadership Summit, reimagining eco-cities
The Rector of the OSG Youth Alliance in Singapore will be hosting the ASEAN-China-India (ACI) Youth Leadership Summit in Cambodia from June to August 2024, with the aim of offering young Cambodians the opportunity to demonstrate and develop their talents.
Following the launch of the programme on 22 June, the qualifying rounds will take place on 3 July, followed by the finals on 18 July and concluding with an awards ceremony on 31 August. With thousands of participants for this 2024 edition, the ACI Youth Leadership will select 15 Cambodian candidates who will travel to Singapore.
The Youth Leadership Summit 2024 is an invitation to re-imagine how our cultures might co-create and work together for our future eco-cities. This year's programme focuses on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and more specifically on SDG 7, "Use of Renewable Energy", and SDG 11, "Sustainable Cities and Communities".
Although every country is committed to promoting sustainable change within its borders, the pace is often hampered by geographical constraints and limited resources. The event was attended by His Excellency Hangchuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports and His Excellency CHAM Nimul, Minister of Commerce. This Summit is proving to be a remarkable opportunity for the younger generation to exercise their talents, to innovate with a view to rethinking our interconnected world, and to explore the cultures of the countries in the region.
Sleh Ryan and Peav Kimhab, students at CamEd Business School and MCs for the inauguration ceremony, were able to share their experience as winners of the 2023 edition. A competition that brought together more than 500 qualified students last year for the final stage, the two Cambodian students proved their worth by presenting innovative ideas to Singapore with a view to achieving the SDGs.
"I think this year's Summit will be even more prestigious and bigger in scale. There are currently several thousand participants in the qualifying rounds, and a lot of students are asking me for advice about the competition. This generation is very inspiring and ready," says Peav Kimhab.
"This is just the opening ceremony, it's just the beginning, but it's going to be a great event. This is a great opportunity for all students in Cambodia, and I encourage them to seize this chance to contribute to the development of the Kingdom as part of our younger generation," added Sleh Ryan.
The Shanty Town Spirit association, co-organiser of the 2024 event
"This is your time to shine, to learn, to grow and to contribute to building a better future for Cambodia."
Strong and meaningful words delivered by Ermine Norodom at the inauguration ceremony, as co-organiser with Milestone, represented by Mr Philip Tam. Prince Narithipong Norodom and his wife's commitment to their association only goes to show their dedication to the development of the Kingdom in order to build a fairer world.
"Our work with Milestone and OSG Alliance is to ensure that young people have the resources, knowledge and connections they need to become the change agents and leaders of tomorrow", said Ermine Norodom.
She added: "We believe that through education and empowerment, we can change lives and improve communities. This summit is proof that progress and prosperity are the keys to achieving this."
A promising event for the Kingdom in line with Shanty Town Spirit projects
A summit in favour of young people and the implementation of resilient projects to build a better world for all, the Shanty Town Spirit association can also count on these volunteers and its team invested in different areas such as education, health and marketing with the sale of its candles.
Like Sreyneath Reth, who is dedicated to promoting access to education and professional integration, particularly for women. She joined the Shanty Town Spirit association a few months ago as an Ambassador for Education.
As well as working in business development for the FMC Group and holding the prestigious title of Miss CosmoWorld Cambodia 2023, Sreyneath is involved with Shanty Town Spirit as an English teacher and accompanies the association on field visits and events.
She shared her delight at the 2024 Young Leaders Summit:
"I'm so happy that this type of project is developing in the Kingdom. It's a great opportunity for all the students and I encourage them to represent our country, Cambodia. Whatever the outcome of the competition, it's an experience and they will learn from it."
"Education is the key to success for everything we want to achieve in our lives. It's a necessary first step, and I'm trying to encourage the next generation to invest in their studies", added Sreyneath Reth.
In addition to education, the Shanty Town association is also involved in the field of health, where Pascale Tuseo Jeannot sees herself as the international representative in terms of advocacy and mobilising partners.
Pascale joined the association as an active member as soon as she arrived in Cambodia in 2016. For their part, Ermine Norodom and Prince Narithipong Norodom have, since 2019, become Goodwill Ambassadors of the NGO de Lutte contre la Drépanocytose Madagascar (LCDM SOLIMAD), for which Pascale is President and Founder.
Today, in a spirit of solidarity and friendship, she is committed to strengthening Shanty Town's actions and extending them beyond the Kingdom, in particular by mobilising partners to develop the association's health projects.
"This event in Cambodia is a wonderful initiative, particularly for the young Cambodian generation. I'm very positive about the 2024 Summit," said Pascale Tuseo Jeannot.
The "Youth Leadership Summit 2024" is a real opportunity for all the Kingdom's students and aims to achieve ambitious and resilient projects for the country and its influence in the region.
For more information on the projects of the Shanty Town Spirit association:
– Facebook : facebook.com/shantytownspirit/
—Instagram: instagram.com/shantytownspirit/