User:Chenda KUN/sandbox

POLITIKOFFEE

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Having learnt that most of Cambodian youths have spent most of their time for entertaining programs, alcohol consumption and paying little attention on sociopolitical developments, after graduated from college, Ou Ritthy established a youth-led group called Politikoffee on July 2011. Politikoffee is derived from the worlds “Politics and Coffee”. Simply, Politikoffee gathers youth at coffee shop every Saturday afternoon to drink coffee not alcohol and talk politics not entertaining programs.

Politikoffee is a group of young enthusiastic and tech-savvy Cambodian youth who love discussing socioeconomic, political developments and democratization in Cambodia and the region. They are democracy-loving youth who genuinely care for their national interest. Till now we have more than 200 members who often come to join our discussion and some 50 are active regular members who join Politikoffee every weekend. The number of members keeps growing. Besides the 200 members, we have around 400 other online youth who join online discussion and have requested to be our members. However, as our policy we accept those to be group members provided they have at least attended our face-to-face discussion once. Having more members involving in discussion, Ritthy in early 2013 invited three most active members to be Politikoffee co-founders- Ly Malin, Lack Vannak and Chheng Channy.

Politikoffee aims at cultivating “Liberal Democracy” in Cambodia through raising sociopolitical awareness and promoting culture of discussion, debate and challenge among youths, based on principles of national interest, solidarity and fraternity. We want to create a democratic political culture which to our belief behaviors of political participation are the starting point and stepping-stone to sharpen a new promising political culture for Cambodia.

Pragmatically, in Cambodian context, an informal way of political dialogue among youths and their peers is the most effective. We first started from political discussion, political debate, knowledge/skill-sharing from seniors and experts and analytical writings. Currently, among our active 200 political discussants, we have 30 committed dream-to-be independent analysts. They have theoretically learnt from senior independent analysts and now they start writing analytical articles and publishing on www.politikoffee.com

So far this emerging young generation of Cambodia has energetically discussed and shared information and knowledge every weekend. Having informed and learnt from each other, these youths share and spread political and electoral information via social media especially Facebook and twitter. They have done admirable job during National Assembly election 2013 by becoming active citizen journalists to spread electoral irregularities and breaking news.

We fearlessly and openly speak our mind as the fact that Politikoffee forum is informally organized by peers group who get to know each well. Therefore, everything we say is outspoken, independent, open-minded, amiable and responsible yet challenging and thought-provoking. We wish to see Politikoffee continues to play a larger vital role in cultivating a democratic political culture in Cambodia by changing the new generation of Cambodia from perceiving politics as a threat to individuals’ lives to seeing politics as one of the most significant parts of life and future of individuals and nation.

PLAN:
To achieve this, in the short future we want to own a coffee shop named “Politikoffee” where politics, democracy and coffee lovers meetup and discuss current political issues. Basically, Politikoffee Shop is designed to function as a one-stop service to provide Cambodian people and foreigners who come to visit, work or live in Cambodia with complete up-to-date socioeconomic, political, electoral, social media and youth situations in Cambodia by just spending one hour discussing and drinking a cup of coffee. We believe in political evolution not revolution prevailing in Cambodia.

ACTIVITIES:
We first welcome participants and provide weekly socioeconomic and political news briefing. Then we start our political discuss or debate we set several days ago. In case we have speaker, after update weekly news brief, speaker starts sharing main ideas of the set topic for some 30 minutes then remaining two hours is for exchanging views and challenging. For the last four years, we have discussed, debated and challenged. Interestingly, from May 2014 we have initiated a Young Analyst program. Since then what we have shared and discussed are put into analytical writing.

GOAL:
A democratic political culture prevails in Cambodia resulted from raising socioeconomic, legal and political awareness and improving culture of discussion, debate and challenge among youth. The responsible political participation and socialization of youth are the main catalyst to transform Cambodia towards a better democratic system based on the principles of rule of law, democratic governance and sustainable development.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Politikoffee members would like to express our sincere thanks to the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) who has since December 2013 generously offered us Sithi Hub space, snacks and necessary assistance for our weekly discussion. Importantly, CCHR offered Politikoffee a small grant for organizing Young Analysts program and website development: www.politikoffee.com. We firmly believe that with continuous supports from CCHR through offering Sithi Hub space and other small grants in the future will definitely help us endeavour our dream, democratic political culture in Cambodia.

POLITICKOFFEE MANAGEMENT TEAM
Politics        : Ou Ritthy,Yang Chandara, Chhin Chhorwathana Economics       : Chheng Channy, Leng Hywfi, Long Viphou Society         : Lach Vannak, Phan Sokphuong, Noan Sereiboth World Affairs   : Ly Malin, Aun Chhengpor, Hun Keoveasna Youth Opportunity: Khun Seiha, Hol Lyna, Hort Seaky Podcast         : Kun Chenda, Ngoeum Phally Website         : Samdy Lonh, Khun Seiha