Meet the Mentors

Meng Muoykheng and Lim Sowanvicheth are third-year students at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. They are both studying Information Technology and were attracted to Cyber Bridges because of the innovative use of the Internet connecting Cambodian and American teens. Cyber Bridges is being implemented through Youth for Peace, a Cambodian organization dedicated to empowering youth through training and experiential learning to become active, informed citizens.

Lim decided to make the bi-weekly trek across town to the Youth for Peace headquarters because he believes that Cyber Bridges is an important initiative to foster the cultural exchanges and positive attitudes that are generated when students share their cultures, daily lives, dreams and hopes. He told CRS, “Youth who can empathize with others from different cultures learn to embrace and celebrate diversity instead of resorting to a ‘siege mentality’ when confronted with people different from themselves.” After he graduates from college, Lim wants to become a teacher and explore cultures outside Cambodia.

Meng thinks it is important for Cambodian youth to engage in a variety of activities and follow their interests. She and Lim enjoy teaching computer skills, how to use a digital camera and navigating the Web to the younger students in their Cyber Bridges group. Working together on their first project, Lim and Meng’s group has produced a Power Point presentation on their daily lives as teen-agers in Cambodia,  their schools, and their families. Meng believes, “When young people have friends who live in other countries, they broaden their learning because they are being exposed to different perspectives and customs. Informed youth who can walk in their partners’ shoes are equipped to build a peaceful world.”

Meng and Lim are wonderful additions to Cyber Bridges. With their skills in IT, their interest in peacebuilding and their enjoyment in sharing their knowledge with teens, Cyber Bridges Cambodia is off to a fantastic beginning.