Cambodian Red Cross Youth Policy Adopted by the 3 rd Cambodian Red Cross Youth Assembly 5 th August, 2014 Cambodian Red Cross, Lot:16A, Street 652@271, O Bek Kaam, Sangkat Toek Laak 3, Khan Toul Kork Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Tel: (855 23) 881 511, Fax: (855 23) 881 522, P.O.Box:69 Web: www.redcross.org.k, E mail: info@redcross.org.kh, crc_adm@online.com.kh Printing Khmer and English language 1,750 Copies, Supported by : On September 2014
Contents Page 1. Introduction... 1 2. Vision... 3 3. Purpose... 3 4. Objective... 4 5. Strategy... 4 6. Action Plan... 5 7. Monitoring and Evaluation... 7 8. Conclusion... 8 i
1. Introduction RED CROSS YOUTH POLICY The Cambodian Red Cross was established on 18 February 1955, recognized by Royal degree No. 378/NS dated on 16 June 1958 and Royal degree No. NS/RKT 0502.113 dated on 06 May 2002 and by the International Committee of the Red Cross on 7 September 1960. It was admitted as the 85 th member to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on 8 October 1960. Currently, the Cambodian Red Cross is the leading humanitarian organization in Cambodia to release the suffering of vulnerable and victims of all kind of disasters by governing board, executive group, CRC youth and volunteers in its strong structure from national level to the local communities with the supports from the Royal government, authourities at all levels, cooperative partners, relevant institutions, and national and international donors. The Cambodian Red Cross, with the involvement of tens of thousands of volunteer forces, has been implementing its valuable humanitarian activities. Among CRC youths, who are mostly young volunteers, were recognized as the most important and active forces in providing humanitarian services with their strong commitments and devotion stands in accordance with the theme Saving lives, changing minds of CRC strategy 2011 2020. At all age of time youth not only are the acute forces who commit physical motivation and bright spirit to overcome all obstacles and difficulties, but also the pillar of the country s present and future. The Kingdom of Cambodia considers youth to be the most valuable resources and key asset for the economic, social, cultural, environmental development, and peace keeping both current and future. In Cambodian social, cultural, and Page 1
political context, Youth either men or women whose age ranging from 15 to 30 are single or married and according to the country s census in 2008, youth is 50% of the total population. On the other hand in the context of CRC, Youth refers to man or woman whose age ranging from 9 to 30 in state and private schools from primary level to higher education. The total of CRC youth from educational institutions of 25 municipal provinces in May, 2014 is 29,099 and a total of 20,456 volunteers across the country. Through education and provision of the right decisions at all levels of management, the creation of a suitable atmosphere is important to encourage youth to participate more actively. Youth fulfill the tasks in the spirit of mutual respect with the elders in ensuring the transfer of experience and knowledge from one generation to another generation that is the driving force for the progress and effectiveness of the National Societies. Furthermore, youth can take a leadership role to promote a change of mindset, attitudes and behavior in their community. With the advantages and the great opportunities of CRC Youth under the wise leadership of Samdech Kattiprithbendit Bun Rany HunSen, President of Cambodian Red Cross, focused attention and greatly effort to developing the youth of Cambodia to become a resourceful person who has the ability, sufficient experience, and spirit of humanity referring to contribute to the development of Cambodia. Cambodian Red Cross Youth Policy, which has been examined and approved by the 3 rd Youth Assembly on 5 th August 2014, is based on a CRC Youth Policy, which has been approved by the 1 st Youth Assembly on 3 rd August 2006 and the 2 nd Youth Assembly on 22 nd June 2010. Cambodian Red Cross Youth Policy was aligned with the Youth Policy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which was approved by the 18 th General Assembly in November Page 2
2011, in Geneva, and was aligned with the national policy of the development of Cambodian youth which approved by the Council of Ministers in the Plenary Session on 24 th June 2011. The Strategy 2011 2020 of Cambodian Red Cross Youth Policy is designed to continue to attract youth to participate more and more in humanitarian activities, to urge attention on education, training, to encourage capacity building on youth development, and to make it more and more favorable for youth in management of providing voluntary services in line with the 4 core areas of Cambodian Red Cross Disaster Management, Health and Health care in community, Promotion of International Humanitarian Law, Culture of Non violence, Promotion of Humanitarian Values, and Organizational Development Resource Development assisting to release the suffering of vulnerable by adhering the 7 Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement : Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. Youth policy emphasizes the recognition of the important role of youth and values of the youth in the contribution with mixed age from all walks of life to join efforts in striving to solve the challenges. 2. Vision Contribute to accelerate poverty reduction, protection of Human Dignity and the protection of Humanitarian Values of the victims. 3. Purpose Encourage and promote the participation of CRC youth in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to develop and utilize the potentiality of youth in providing humanitarian services with CRC core areas including: 1. Disaster Management, 2. Health and Health Care in Community, 3. Promotion of Fundamental Page 3
Principles and Humanitarian Values, 4. Organizational Development and Resource Development, which was determined in strategy 2011 2020. 4. Objective 4.1 Provide opportunities for youth to have access to education, training, capacity building in humanitarian values and the Fundamental Principles of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the skills and other skills in voluntary role providing humanitarian services. 4.2 Encourage CRC youth to have an initiative and creative in fulfilling an important role and their qualities in leadership, management, planning, and policy development projects/programs, including participation in international life. 4.3. Promote the spirit of culture of sharing, peer to peer; friends help friends, acting as an example among youth to attract the agents to change youth more increasingly, mobilizing forces to build strong community to address challenges for the sake of vulnerable and continue to develop the stable National Societies. 4.4. Strengthen and expand national and international cooperation with CRC youth network, with organizational youth, with organizational partners, and with developmental organizations at national, regional and global levels. 5. Strategy 5.1. Encourage CRC youth by giving them a chance to have engaged in activities, such as providing a right decision in the process of development of the National Societies to render a model for other members and to attract Page 4
other youths to actively participate in the activities of the Cambodian Red Cross. 5.2. Strengthen and expand the capacity of CRC youth to improve the provision of humanitarian services in its base in accordance with the CRC 4 Core Areas of the Strategy 2011 2020 to ensure a sustainability and development at community, zones, regional, and global levels. 5.3. Increase the culture of sharing and training of humanitarian consciousness among young people through peer to peer, friend helps friend, promotion of community dialogue, and social media in order to ensure the sustainability of humanitarian force in the community. 5.4. Strengthen and expand engagement with youth organizations and development partners to ensure the harmonization resort among youth and help support each other for the sake of the victims and the vulnerable in the community. 5.5. Action planning, monitoring and evaluation of CRC youth development programs, across 25 municipalprovinces for a compass in the implementation of the programs more efficiently. 6. Action Plan To achieve the above strategies, the following activities need to be focused on: 6.1. Promotion of Policy Implementation Page 5
Prepare an introduction for CRC youth development with consultation and participation of all stakeholders. Push branches, sub branches to set up a working group to support CRC youth activities and appoint a focal person to take charge of CRC youth development program with the help of technical supports and orientations from youth and volunteer working group at CRC NHQ. Strengthening of good governance, transparency and accountability to the teamwork at the branches and sub branches, CRC youth clubs in the schools throughout the country. CRC Youth needs to get the basic training of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Fundamental Principles, First Aid, and International Humanitarian Law and will receive a certificate upon successful completion. 6.2. Formation of mechanism Based on the direction of CRC decentralization and deconcentration, the activities of the CRC youth at the branches and at schools are managed by the Headquarters and each branch and receive technical supports from CRC headquarters including: Continue Sustainability of CRC supporting group at the NHQ, branches, sub branch, and the community. Strengthen Human Resource Department to serve as subordinate for supporting groups to support the activities of youth and volunteers with technical supports and as a center to manage data and activity report and to provide identification to the CRC Youth. Page 6
CRC Youth are given the opportunity to continue living as a Red Cross youth through the certification and notice given to the municipality provinces and Schools where they are pursuing their study, and or moving from one to others Schools. Each branch is encouraged to establish appropriate mechanisms domain its own integrity to control youth activities in accordance with this policy and the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. 6.3. Financial Supports Working group supporting the activities of CRC youth and volunteers use the Organizational Development and branch development budget which is part of the development plan of the CRC and others budgets from various sources such as the National Society partners and development partners for its process. 7. Monitoring and Evaluation For the scope of this policy and implemented in accordance with the Cambodian context in the direction of CRC decentralization and decentralization, it is needed to have a monitoring and evaluation system and proposals to improve performance by focusing on: This policy need to be reviewed in 2017. Annual meeting on CRC youth achievement is a part of the review of monitoring and evaluation to the direction to apply for next year. Compare the obtained results with a defined point in the strategy of this policy. Page 7
8. Conclusion CRC Youth Policy aims to recognize the desired requirements and conditions of the CRC Youth, stating clear vision, purposes, direction, and strategies to consolidate youth forces from all walks of life and mobilize resources referred to develop youth to become young volunteers with fitness and spirit of humanitarian, knowledge and know how, broad solidarity, initiatives and innovation in planning activities referring to promote effectiveness in providing humanitarian services responding to the needs of victims and vulnerable and contributing to accelerate the poverty reduction, protecting and promoting dignity of humanity to have the prestige of the Cambodian Red Cross upheld in both national and international levels. Page 8