Background of the Collaboration for Young Generation in Mekong Region or CYM
Thai Volunteer Service (TVS) is an organization dedicated to create socially engaged young people in Thailand through training in volunteerism, social awareness and social responsibility. Since 1980, TVS has trained hundreds of such young people who now make a major chuck of civil society and NGO activists in Thailand. Since 2004, TVS volunteer program has been extended to the Mekong countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China under the project of the Collaboration for the Young Generation in Mekong Region (CYM). This regional project supports local NGOs in these countries to provide young people with opportunities for volunteer training, learning, exposures and placement with NGO projects.
In 2006, the CYM initiated GNH (Gross National Happiness) issues among the young generation in Mekong countries. CYM hosted a discussion camp focusing on the GNH issue and the camp activity aimed at spreading the seeds of hope and a positive outlook on development work for the young generation in the Mekong region, including criticism of the mainstream economic growth-led development plan and discussion of a new paradigm shift in development and ways to strengthen the spiritual awareness of self- and social development. Such activities prompted the participants from many countries, particularly those from the Mekong region, to be active and determined to make a joint plan to build up collaborative space among the new generation in Mekong region to promote the GNH-oriented new paradigm shift in development.
Up until now those young generations in Mekong region has formed a strong network called ‘Happy Seed’, this network is a platform for them to share ideas and information toward new paradigm shift for social development.
Objective of CYM
1. To promote and support the development of volunteer placement programs in respective countries of the Mekong region in such a way that the programs will serve as forum of opportunity for the new generation to learn about social problems faced by their communities and societies, while motivating their social commitment and participation in tackling these problems
2. To cooperate with organization and contribute to cooperation amongst organizations in the Mekong countries with the aim of developing potential the youth and the young peoples to have a greater role to play in resolving social problems, both within each of the counties and regionally.
3. To support the designing and facilitation of creative learning process on the regional level that will assist the youth and young generation in acquiring the knowledge/information pertaining to debate on development concept/philosophy, encouraging their search for path(s) towards alternative society for the Mekong region which is more just, peaceful and sustainable.
4. To collect, synthesize and publicize the information and knowledge pertaining to the experiences of the CYM on the youth and social development
Goal of CYM
The young generation peoples of the Mekong region are conscious of the prevalent yet precarious trends of the social, economic and political changes facing societies in which they live, and able to cross over historical, cultural and political biases, and also competent to assume a role relevant and contributive to the development of civil society. Civil societies of the Mekong region, in which the young generation plays an active role, need to be able to influence national and regional policies, counter balance the present direction of development and bring forward development alternatives that uphold non-violence, equity and sustainability.
