ASEAN has started implementing its Charter and a roadmap toward becoming a community by 2015. This process has direct impacts on all people in ASEAN, and requires the participation of the people of ASEAN countries as active subjects. Regional integration should begin with and be b ased on the people's integration.

On such initiative for people's integration into the life of ASEAN has been the ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/ASEAN People's Forum (APF), a regional forum organized in connection with the annual ASEAN Submit. The ACSC/APF was initiated by Malaysia in 2005, and organized in the Philippines in 2006, Singapore in 2007, andThailand in 2099, Vietnam in 2010.

The APF, which was organized in Jakarta inIndonesia in this year, was in the context to help strengthen solidarity and cooperation among the ASEAN people for promoting a really people-oriented ASEAN community, for the common benefit of ASEAN people. YRDP actively engaged 2 youths who to attend the APF in Jakarta, Indonesia. The forum will be held in Cambodia next year and YRDP will play in actively engaging youth in this event again.

On Sunday, June 19th, 2011, Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) organized its 9th Annual Youth Forum on “Cambodian Youth Step to ASEAN” with its staff, university students and volunteers. The forum brought together more than 650 attendees as expected including students from various universities and institutes of higher education to talk about how ASEAN could provide opportunities for Cambodian youth, and what youth concerns should be included in the coming ASEAN Youth Forum in 2012.

The keynote speakers were included Mr. Soun Sareth, the Cheif Secreteriat of CHRAC, Mrs. Sim Sokuntevy, the Trainer of TU in YRDP, Mr. Phorn Ratanak, the Project Officer of Cambodain Volunteers for Society (CVS), Mr. Nov Sakarach and Ms. Eng Sokha, the Youths of YRDP.

For more imformation related the ASEAN, please contact Persons:

Mr. Heng Socheat with phone number: +855-12-689-278 and email: heng_socheat@yrdp.org

Ms. Virak Bonnarath with phone number: +855-92-889-945 and email: bonnarath.virak@yrdp.org.

Ms Kristan, the Advisor working closed to the Executive Director for YRDP from April 2010 to April 2011, was organized to have the farewell party before she left Cambodia late April to Australia. This party was attended by YRDP's staff to acknowledge in term of the last one year period of her voluntary work leaving YRDP and staff the good achievements and relationship. Each staff gave her the best wishes from her mission for YRDP in Cambodia.

At the end of the party, Mr. Sokha, the ED, gave her the Angkor Wat stamp made of nickel, photos with staff's signatures and acknowledgement letter after the staff speak out their wishes to her and had some snack in the evening at YRDP.

Phnom Penh – on Sunday, April 3rd 2011, YRDP held the 8th Cultural Day with 263 alumni (127 females and 136 males). A full day from 7 am until 8.30 pm with diverse popular games performed by YRDP volunteers and with honorable speakers including Mr. Cheang Sokha, Executive Director of YRDP, Venerable Phikuh Huth Veasna, Director of Foundation of Unlimited Karona, Mr. Meas Savath, YRDP’s board member, Mr. Kang Aom, Director of Planning and Public Communication Unit of the National Senate. Mr. Kang Aom and Venerable Phikuh Veasna were the honorary speakers in charge of responding to the questions related to YOUTH AND PEACEFUL CULTURE raised by the university students in the morning and coordinated by Ms. Chan Setha.

At the beginning of the event, Mr. Cheang Sokha greeted all the participants this event was for the youth.  Given the focus on “Youth and Peaceful Culture”, Ms. Bou Sok Chan, president of Social Spiritual Youth Club, gladly explained the meaning of the word culture according to the Khmer civilization, written by Treung Ngea in 1974. She explained that culture is the supportive method to sow and train people altogether in order to achieve their outcomes. The speaker also gave her personal advices to all the youths for promoting and preserving Khmer culture and accept any other culture that could eventually improve it. She told the youths to promote peace and practice it in their words, behaviors and thoughts through nonviolence, “when the culture dies, the country dies. When the culture becomes indescribably beautiful, the country gets more prosperously developed”.

Mr. Meas Savath then explained the meaning of peaceful culture, which is not only focused on arts, music/orchestra, dressing or characteristics but that was what we have made for the society and human-beings. For example, Cambodia is a country having a charming, fresh and beautiful civilization identified with the pre-Cambodians, who gave birth to Khmer traditions, Angkor Wat temple and much more. Peace, he added, was the way to live without violence and was the love sharing each other respectful.

The product exposition of the volunteer youth clubs were also displayed, food, desserts, Cambodian dressing models and others. The university students expressed their feelings very pleased to attend Culture Day Forum because it provided youth with good experiences for clearly understanding what Khmer is. They would bring the Culture of Solidarity to the villagers and had chances to express their ideas to promote Cambodian culture<. An educational documentary of Asian Peaceful Culture was shown, indicating cultural and civilization education, nondiscrimination, love for peace and ASEAN awareness for the youth.

Thus, all the youth should love culture and what they have, conserve and capture its advantages for the society. The youths must research and find peaceful culture by themselves. When we start doing something, we always make mistakes at the beginning but if we are committed and willing to do it, we will be able to succeed. It is necessary for the youth to avoid every kind of bad actions in the society as the proverb says, Peaceful Culture comes from all of us.