“The pandemic may have affected a lot of youth globally but we are standing strong. We can still smile and we are trying to look for the goodness in everything that we have been going through.”
This was how Daniel, an aspiring youth mentor of FundLife described how he feels after participating in the conference call as part of the International Virtual Exchange with youths from Indochina Starfish Foundation – Cambodia on June 4, 2021.
The conference call enabled Daniel along with the 3 other youth from FundLife to establish communication with the youth from ISF Cambodia, get to know each other, learn about cultures, and share stories.
During the conference call, both groups took part in fun virtual games and engaging discussions about their hobbies and interests.
“Today I brought with me a Bluetooth speaker because this is one of the most important items for me. I love music and I love listening to it. I also love singing. During the pandemic I spend most of my time playing music and singing,” said one of the youth from ISF Cambodia.
The youth also had a short sing-off upon knowing that they all love music and singing.
Everyone had fun even if they shared sad experiences because of the pandemic.
“We lost our source of income because of the pandemic. We had to close our small karendirya (eatery). We were not prepared at that time. I was in school with my friends the day before the next day I was no longer allowed to get out of the house. It was quick. I was not allowed to meet my friends,” said Lyra, one of FundLife's aspiring coaches.
After sharing each of their stories on how they were able to cope up with the pandemic and its effect on their education they exchanged advice and words of encouragement to inspire each other.
“Every step that we make, life becomes harder and harder and all we need to do is to fight and face it. We should not run away from it because if we don't face it, we won't be able to achieve our goal,” said France, another aspiring coach from FundLife.
“That is true. What we need to do right now is to focus on our studies. Do not spend too much time on Facebook or other social media apps. It is good but too much is bad. Let us focus on other things that will help us reach our dreams. We need to value our education,” another youth from ISF Cambodia remarked.
“Correct! What we can also do is to surround ourselves with people who believe in our dreams because if we surround ourselves with people who believe in us feel motivated to achieve our goals. We should also just be ourselves no matter what happens and believe in your capabilities so you can achieve your goals and be successful soon,” another youth added.
The virtual youth exchange with ISF Cambodia is the second time participation of the aspiring youth mentors following the first successful one with the youth from Football United in 2020.
This was initiated by Urban Initiatives and streetfootball world in the hope to engage youth and organizations in the global network in cultural exchange via video conference.
FundLife hopes to continue the engagement of the youth in this initiative to provide them valuable experience for them to practice leadership and social skills that will build their confidence and competence.
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