Brave dreams: Klahan9 is inspiring young people in Cambodia

"I regret not continuing my studies because now I can’t find a good job like those with high education and skills and am stuck working as a labourer." - 24-year-old Vuthy.

Vuthy lives with his parents who are street vendors in Phnom Penh. His parents weren't making enough money to support their family, so he had to drop out of school when he was 10 years old to help. Now, without having completed his education, he has found himself restricted to low-skilled jobs.

He isn't alone – many young Cambodians, who make up almost half of Cambodia’s workforce, face challenges integrating into the labour market and finding decent employment. There are many reasons for this including a lack of education and training, limited knowledge on how to search for job opportunities, and poor links and coordination between the formal education system and the labour market.

I took up these challenges through Klahan9, an initiative that empowers and supports young Cambodians and which has been focusing on improving their ability to secure decent work.

In 2018, when I was 21, I joined the Klahan9 team as the youngest member.

Starting out then, I didn’t know much about the impact media and communication can have on people’s lives - but I believed our work could inspire and motivate young people to think and act for themselves. Then I saw it for myself, when I helped to deliver our Roadshow Academies, a series of multi-day Klahan9 branded events targeting over 5,800 young Cambodians living in rural parts of the country.

What could be more exciting than supporting young people on these issues and making a difference in their lives? 

We developed these events as an opportunity for young people to build skills, connect with and get inspired by experts, and receive information from local gatekeepers. Bringing Klahan9 to their communities made it really exciting for participants as many of them were fans of our Facebook page and TV programmes already.

Our popular youth-led television series, Klahan9House, launched in 2020, combined entertainment, comedy and real stories, by bringing together three young adults to live in the same house in a small town. We know that audiences respond positively to seeing people ‘like them’ on screen, and so we based the characters on profiles we created from our audience research.

Each episode presented specific problems such as finding a job, managing finances and developing relationships with parents and employers. We also showcased issues faced by those from vulnerable backgrounds, such as people with disabilities, young parents and those identifying as LGBTQ+.

We aired 15 episodes of Klahan9House on three popular television channels at a prime-time slot. The programme was watched by nearly one million 15-24 years olds. From our survey, the viewers found it educational and inspiring, as well as funny and entertaining, and it has formed an important foundation for our third phase of Klahan9.

On digital platforms, we produced content to provide information on issues relating to jobs and livelihoods, challenge gender stereotypes, show young men and women as role models and overcoming challenges, and highlight success stories. What is most exciting is that the Klahan9 Facebook page is very popular now with over one million followers. We are reaching an average of three million users per month.

I’ve been happy to be part of the enthusiastic team that is bringing Klahan9 to different media platforms and conducting outreach work in remote communities. We were able to showcase issues that were barely discussed in the media, yet very important, such as balancing work with being a young mother or the struggle of young people with disability in looking for support.

A pathway to more resilient livelihoods

Klahan9 is unique in the way that we bring these complementary outputs together to specifically target groups that are facing the greatest challenges and barriers. But most importantly for me, we reached young people at scale.

"The programmes encourage me not to give up, know myself, get support from family, have better thinking, dare to face problems/accept mistakes and listen to reasons," said a Klahan9 audience member from Kampong Thom.

Our content across TV, digital and outreach reached nearly half of young Cambodians (47% of 15-24s) in 2020. Our work has helped young people increase their knowledge, skills and confidence, and supported them to take actions. Some 91% of those aged 15-24 reached by Klahan9 had learned something new, and 65% had taken actions such as negotiating with parents, communicating more with others, making career plans, and finding support to improve their ability to deal with challenges.

These actions look simple and small, but I’m certain that they are valuable first steps towards securing decent livelihoods. My own journey at BBC Media Action has helped me be more confident and motivated than ever before. From connecting with external stakeholders to acting as a hub for interfaces between internal teams, I feel I have grown alongside our audiences. Most of all, I have always been inspired by the ‘being brave’ ethos of the Klahan9 brand. I am so proud of how we put young people at the centre of our work and excited at the next phase of Klahan9 as we shift focus to supporting young people to get involved in their communities.

Read more about our work in Cambodia and the Klahan9 project.