Jobs for Cambodian Youth - 2017 part 2

Reminder:  Giving Tuesday is November 28 !  

Making an impact on young lives ! 

We hear a lot about the importance of programs that can actually impact lives. Our Jobs for Cambodian Youth is such a program. 

The Jobs For Yourth project idea came to us  several years ago as a way to expand services to our community, efficiently use  scarce monetary resources  and to  create a sense of self respect and self reliance in our young workers.

Our youthful workers are mainly part time, although we do currently have 5 full time workers. All of the jobs are in our Champey Academy of Art  and jobs include Bookkeeping, Guest Relations,  reception and translation, musicians, assistant dance teachers/tutors, odd jobs, light  maintenance  and performance at outside events. Six of our youthful workers are artists whose skills have advanced to a state where they are now  capable of creating small artwork that is for sale.

At the present time, two of our team are college students and a third soon to join.

Without exception, the modest salaries paid to our team members provide  meaningful income to young workers whose lives  are balanced on a knife's edge of poverty.  Reliable income for these young people is critical and it makes all the difference in allowing them to work toward a life of hope and education while building job skills  instead of   living  day to day  in dire poverty with a bleak future. It takes these young people  out of the slums and into a world of art, music and professional endeavor. Depending upon the job and number of hours worked, pay  can range from $20  to  $ 250 per month. We have  part time work for  high school age students at $ 20 per month, for students  whom we are trying to encourage by giving them  simple entry level tasks and who quite frankly, urgently need to bring additional money into their homes. These students are selected because they are consistent in their class attendance, have great attitude, and show promise. We want to encourage them and "qualifying" for a paid part time job is a big thing for them . For other workers, full or part time, they already have a substantial history of hard work and demonstrated motivation in our programs and have "earned" their jobs and positions. 

Our recent breakthrough, securing a  toursist season contract with the Raffles Hotel in Phnom Penh, adds the additional opportunity for weekly  dance and performance  and art exhibition for 6 dancers, 4 musicians, 1 welcome /translator who explains Cambodian dance to hotel guests and who helps to display and market student art work.  It has taken years to get to this point, and your support has been  vitally important in helping us. 

We hope that you will continue to join us in us in our support of our youthful workers , who have all come so far in their efforts to work work for a better life.

We are deeply grateful to you for your support.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco