Students Attend PHD Training

By Yon Phanith

Nine students from the University of Cambodia (UC) joined a one-day training, “Building Capacity as Facilitators,” on September 10 at Pannasastra University (PUC). The training was conducted by People Health Development Association (PHD), an organization that collaborates with universities in Cambodia to provide youth with health and drug prevention education. UC’s partnership with PHD has continued to strengthen, with a growing number of students being trained in life skills and having meaningful learning experiences.

Sok Socheat, a PHD trainer, said that the session aimed to build students’ skills, particularly their capacity as facilitators and teachers, and their ability to solve problems and make informed decisions.

Twenty-eight students participated in the training and came from five different universities: UC, PUC, Phnom Penh International University (PPIU), Human Resource University (HRU), and Cambodia University of Specialty (CUS). The student trainees from UC were Long Vichda, Ly Chan Rattana, Leng Sotheary, Chea Sokunthea, Sen Sopheara, Phlok Radet, Chhouy Rattanak, Theng Chanthorn and Yon Phanith.

The training aimed to further enhance the students’ ability to teach their peers about information they learned in previous PHD training sessions on HIV/AIDs, and violence and gender. Students who participate in the PHD trainings are asked to become trainers at their respective universities so they can pass their newly acquired knowledge to other students.

During this training, students actively participated in group discussions and problem solving activities, sharing their experiences and knowledge with each other. In addition, students role-played as facilitators in order to demonstrate they had mastered the lessons and were confident enough to teach other students.

According to Sok Socheat, the students were very interested in the training and were comfortable contributing their knowledge and raising questions.

UC student Long Vichda said he was very proud to be taught these issues and how to train other students, and also praised PHD and the universities for choosing young people as their target audience.

“Drugs and AIDs are hot issues for the youth,” he said, adding that it is important for students to learn more about the risk factors and prevention techniques.

Another student, Leng Sotheary, expressed her concern about social problems prevalent among the youth and said that, after receiving training on these issues, she believes she can contribute to reducing risk factors in society by sharing her knowledge with other people.

Source: UC Bulletin September 2011, Page 30