JSC Newsletter_vol04_Eng

JSC News Letter vol.04

Jesuit Service Cambodia

Contents 4

Reportage 1

Channel of Communication - 2016 JSC Staff Workshop

6

Reportage 2

Prey Lang is our forest - 2016 Prey Lang Planting trip

7

Reportage 3

Read more, Draw your future!

- 2016 JSC Book Academy

8

Special Letter

Story from Summerschool at XJS

10 Staff Relay

JSC Communication officer, Dawoon Chung

12

Letter from Banteay Prieb

Love of Br. Richie / Homecoming day

14

JSC News

16

Photo Story

Cover Story One of villagers living in Prey Lang(left) and Kropom, a girl from Tahen (right) who attended Prey Lang Planting trip 2016.

“This year is the 2nd time we attend the planting trip.

Today, we saw the trees we planted last year. It bucked us all up! ” Photo by. Dawoon Chung

JSC News Letter vol.4 Publisher Indon Oh, s.j Editor Dawoon Chung, Gyuri Choi Copyright in JSC

Photo credit Dawoon Chung, Sisophon Xavier Jesuit School, Yongguk Jeon, Kwanseok Lee

Channel of Communication

2016 JSC Staff Workshop A workshop for all JSC staff was held at Kep, Southwest district of Cambodia, for four days from November 30th to December 3rd. A total of 88 staff members came together to attend including JSC Phnom Penh head office, each local offices, Banteay Prieb, and special program teams(Ecology, Mekong Wheelchair, Light of Mercy Home, RDAS, Ear Clinic). This annual JSC staff workshop was held in order to look back of the previous year and to plan for the upcoming year with all the staff. Over this reflection and arrangement, every staff and every team tries to interact and understand each other. Specially, the workshop of this year included a lecture about current Cambodian political and social statues by Father S.J. In-gun Kang and a lecture about media guidelines based on human rights by a communication officer Dawoon Chung.

Father In-gun accounted the dynamic current changes of Cambodia and suggested how we can develop our mission in the respond to them. Especially, we looked through the six contextual aspects of Jesuit Mission such as politics, economy, social-culture, environment, religion, and church. After the lecture, we had time to discuss in groups about what are the two most important points of six contextual aspects.

Dawoon Chung, the communication officer, started by emphasizing that the media could be a double-edged sword which can enhance human rights or infringe them. She explained the guidelines we should follow when we take photos of children who are supposed to be the most protected subject in the report. Moreover, she presented concrete examples of practical uses of media either in the proper or improper way. In the group activities, one staff from each group became an imaginary beneficiary and interviewed the rest of the group members him or her so that we could learn how to interview in a proper way.

Likewise, the workshop of this year provided the learning opportunity for all the staff to have deeper understanding of current Cambodian society in general, so that they could practice more plentiful service for others. JSC has conducted mission for 22 years from 1994. For the past years, JSC did try not to settle for the past but consistently tried to proceed in step with changes of Cambodian society.

Sam Sokha (JSC organizational development manager) Q. what did you want to draw out from the 2016 workshop?

A. The main theme of 2016 staff workshop was to interpret “our mission in current Cambodian society�. In other words, we tried to understand what dynamics Cambodian society is going through right now and its need in accordance with the changes. Through this interpretation, we discussed how we should respond to the current needs and changes of Cambodia within our capacity.

Sal Sinuon (JSC Sisophon Office) Q. What did you learn or feel from the 2016 workshop?

A. If we do not reflect ourselves and do not try to keep everything in balance, we could not have a good result in the work just like in our lives. This workshop helped me understanding how to keep on working thus it was very meaningful. I will try to find out if something goes wrong in my work.

“Prey Lang is our forest.”

2016 Planting trip at Prey Lang

Ecology team planted around 1200 trees in Prey Lang, a village with a forest during last September from 10th to 12th.

‘Prey Lang’ project is the campaign to prevent the destruction of the forest named ‘Prey Lang’ because of indiscriminate development. The developers destroyed even the trees that are over 100 years old because of money.

JSC has carried on a campaign with the local community members. For the local community members, Prey Lang is not only the forest but also their home of living.

“Read more, Draw your future!”

2016 JSC Book Academy On the 24th of August, 27 children from Tmov Keo village in Kampong Speu gathered at Craft Peace Cafe in Phnom Penh to attend JS Book Academy 2016. This event is a promotion events of JS Book Production supported by Babonanum in Korea.

Through the program today, they did lots of exciting activities like ‘Narration of the fairy tale’, ‘Making their own book with origami’ and ‘Magic show event’! They enjoyed all the activities and nice foods and snacks served by Peace cafe. After the morning program, we moved to the city to see the Royal palace square and National museum. Tmov Keo village is a remote village where is far from the city so children from there have never been to Phnom Penh city. Thanks to lots of supports by many people, Children could have such a great time! We hope that they might have a good experience to be inspired to read more books!

The story of Summer School 2016 at Xavier Jesuit School On Tuesday the 27th September 2016 at 8.00 a.m., Mr. Kham So, the Commune Chief and Mr. Kham Ma Voeung, the Village Chief, presided over the closing ceremony of the Summer School 2016.

Each of the four classes, red, yellow, green and blue put on short sketches and songs, while the Celtic culture class played three tunes on the tin whistle. The young children’s dance group from Dey Lo demonstrated the Khmer blessing dance at the opening, then the National Flag dance and finally the coconut dance.

56 students, out of 107 starters, received “letters of praise” for 100% attendance at the morning classes and afternoon activities.

Ms. Da Somnang won the prize for the best library reader as she completed 35 books in 11 days and could answer questions about each of them clearly.

The students who had joined the summerschool experienced lots of activities. In the morning, there were revision classes in Maths, Khmer, Science, Social Studies and English. In the afternoons, the students choose two activities from a range of six such as Khmer Dance, Chinese Culture, Music, Visual Arts, Sports, Drama and Celtic Culture. Once again the emphasis is on active learning.

Thanks to all the local teachers and our own kindergarten teachers who made the program so lively and interesting.

Today I learnt Mathmatics and Cambodia dance. I like to learn Mathmatics. Here I can learn many new things. I can learn English with Foreign teachers, I also can learn Society and Science. I”ve never learned those kind of things. The class in this Summer School is totally new to me. I can feel that now I”m learning a lot of things and I can do lots of things as well.

The most fun and impressive memory is learning Khmer dance.

It was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. I will show the dance to my family.

- Jane (A Student of Summerschool 2016)

I learn Khmer, English, Math, Society, Science, Art and Sports in the Summer school. I most like to learn English. Because I feel good when I can speak another language. And also, I like English teachers here. And I was really amazed and felt funny when I”d learnt Music, Dancing and Visual art which are I”ve never learnt before. In the academic years in local school, I only learn Khmer and English. But here I can learn various subjects even Chinese culture. For me these are new experiences. I feel excited about learning dance and Taekwondo which is I could play with teachers using my body. I hope to be a doctor who can help the sick people. For that now I”m enjoying to come to school where I can learn more.

- Chin ly (A Student of Summerschool 2016)

Looking the life with the mind JSC Communication officer

Dawoon Chung Interviewer : Gyuri Choi

1. How did you start this work with JSC?

The first time I came to Cambodia was in 2012 January. I attended a Jesuit university so that I could join the winter-holiday service program of having experience in Banteay Prieb for one month. The memory I got from this one month of Cambodia was stuck in mind so deeply that I spoke to Fr. Indon Oh, the Director of JSC that I want to be with this community. Just in time, even though JSC has run for about 20 years, they have not gotten anyone to do the public communication, so JSC needed a role which can connect between the supporters and the beneficiaries. Thus, I could put my major, journalism, to work by being with JSC from 2015 February.

2. Tell us about the work you do

The main work focuses on public communication, so I publish annual reports and news letters (four times a year) and manage the website and facebook page. Public relations help the worldwide supporters to know how effectively their donations are used.

It is very important because it builds a bridge between the supporters and the beneficiaries. Besides, I write and send reports about current state of affairs and stories of the beneficiaries to the supporting foundations if they ask. Two weeks in a month, I go to the JSC offices in each province to determine the fields and meet the beneficiaries.

I write news based on the interviews of the beneficiary. In addition to that, I also help the book-production and the ecology team in other time.

3. What is the most important factor when you are writing an article? And What is the most memorable episode?

Every story from the interview of the beneficiaries is very special because it is about their lives. I try to describe the beneficiaries not as the passive people who need help but as the ones who are active and leading their own lives. Thus, I only report the stories of people in which their hope and dignity are revealed. There are some stories I couldn’t report remain in memory more strongly than those reported. Once I interviewed a scholarship beneficiary who has microsmatia. The girl was very eager to study hard and she dreamed of becoming a writer. During the interview, the girl’s father came to me and asked very carefully what those photos are for. That was not what I expected because I thought the use of photos and the reason of the interview had

been informed. Since I told him this interview would be in the news letters for the supporters abroad, he denied to keep this interview going. The father, who has the same disorder to his daughter, also had been helped by foreign NGOs many times for short terms. After they interviewed and took photos of him, they stopped contact and he was afraid of his daughter getting hurt from it. He wanted to protect her privacy even though the support can be stopped and his love for his family really touched me. Eventually we decided to cease the interview. After, the story of this family has remained in my mind so that I sent them their family photo personally.

4. Since you are working with Cambodian local staffs, were there any difficulties or any meaningful episodes that you had with them?

In fact, I receive more help from the local staffs rather than offer it to them. Local staffs have thorough knowledge of Cambodian people’s lifestyle and Cambodian affairs in general so they help a lot things to me to go through our mission. Recently, I had a media-guideline lecture in staff workshop which was suggested by Cambodian staffs. This suggestion itself conveyed the message to me that they recognize me as one of their community members, so my heart was moved.

5. What is your dream of a future?

I am going back to Korea on March of 2017. Cambodian staffs usually misconceive that I may get married soon in Korea because I am in the optimal age for marriage in Cambodia. But it is now true. Since when I was a little girl, I have dreamed of becoming an author. To tell a story by writing is very attractive and meaningful for me. Thus I want to focus on writing some stories when I go back to Korea. I want to work more on creating and constructing novels rather than on essays.

6. Is there any books or a quote you want to share?

There is a quote from a book named <Van Gogh; letters from his soul> that I like to share with Cambodian people. This is a part of letter Gogh sent to his younger brother Theo who had always supported Gogh.

What am I in the eyes of most people? A nonentity or an oddity or a disagreeable person - someone who has and will have no position in society, in short a little lower than the lowest. Very well - assuming that everything is indeed like that, then through my work Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to show what there is in the heart of such an oddity, such a nobody.

I met many people who think themselves as unworthy, and I also sometimes think of myself as an unworthy person. However, I also wanted to prove that great and valuable things really exist within us, so I have tried to realize it through my work here.

Letter from Banteay Prieb

JSC News

Annual staff workshop 2016 2016 workshop for all JSC staff was held at Krong Kaeb for four days from November 30th to December 3rd. The main theme of 2016 staff workshop was to understand what dynamics Cambodian society is going through right now. JSC staffs had discussions of what we can do for executing our missions in accordance with the changes.

XJS) The 3rd Summer school program The 3rd SummerSchool which started from the 1st of September has ended. Almost 100 lively students came to the Community Learning Centre. In the morning, they had revision classes in Maths, Khmer, Science, Social Studies and English. In the afternoons, they could choose two activities from a range of six such as Khmer Dance, Chines Culture, Music, Visual Arts, Sports, Drama and Celtic Culture

XJS) Teacher training workshop The curriculum development workshop began on August 1st and finished on August 26th.

There are twenty one teachers attending, eleven from our own Xavier Jesuit School, ten from rural schools and other organizations. The object of this training workshop was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to teach children in an active and child-centered wayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. So teachers were trained for horizontal communication.

to the progressing of secondary school construction, are having class in the new primary school.

The primary school will welcome their new students in upcoming January.

BP) Human rights workshop for school personnel Banteay Prieb faculty members had a workshop on relationship and boundary between men and women from October 11th to 13th.

BP) Homecoming Day XJS) The completion of the new primary school The new primary school construction has been completed on the first week of December. So they hold a ceremony for the completion with the representatives of supporters. For the present, grade 7 students, due

Alumni of about 50 people came to Banteay Prieb for the Homecoming Day on October 28th.

They shared their experiences with the current students. After the programs, they had a happy time having a big dinner and dancing all together.

2016 Sep - Dec JS Books’ New collection

BP) Graduation Day of Batch 29 On December 22 of 2015, There was the biggest yearly celebration of banteay prieb - the graduation day of 105 graduates, batch 28. Please remember them in your prayers.

2016 JSC Librarian workshop On the 19-20th of October, 22 JSC librarians of Siem Reap gathered to Mindol Metta Karuna for the librarian workshop.

They had lectures and practical training about how to organize library, how to read and explain books for children, and how to manage the library and books.

The education program was supported by a French NGO named “Sipar” which works for publish and library services in Cambodia.

The little house

Finders Keepers

Planting trees in Prey Lang Ecology team planted around 1200 trees in Prey Lang, a village with a forest during last September from 10th to 12th.

The 1st JSC Book Academy

Campaign for refraining use of straws Recently, JSC made a decision to stop using the straw in order to protect the environment. It is a simple action but very symbolic step for our Environment program. Let”s do it together:)

On the 24th of August, 27 children from Tmov Keo village in Kampong Speu gathered at Craft Peace Cafe in Phnom Penh to attend JS Book Academy 2016. Through the program they did lots of exciting activities like ‘Narration of the fairy tale’, ‘Making their own book with origami’ and ‘Magic show event’! Also, they moved to the city to see the Royal palace square and National museum for extra activities.

The ant and the candy

The blue truck

ry o t S o Phot Banteay Prieb Graduation Day of Batch 29 Photo by. Dawoon Chung

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