More than the video competition, the Media 101 Club alumni are now engaged in offline and online platforms putting into practice what they learned from the Media & Information Literacy (MIL) trainings.
Ms. Kuo Dariya said, “Kinemaster is my go-to-video editing app, and it was introduced by the Media 101 Club. On top of that, I pay more attention to my contents and make sure my page is secured by setting two-factor authentication.” Dariya is an University of Puthisastra (UP) Media 101 Club Batch 1, and with the ideas of video editing plus the talent of singing, she currently hosts a Facebook page and YouTube channel by her name and the content is related to music.
Similarly, Ms. Ke Chanmonyreaksa, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC) Batch 1 is an admin and runs a Facebook live show called Urban Youth Center.
Beyond the ordinary, Mr. Mao Sopanha expressed, “Film is always in my checklist, the Media 101 Club has provided me the courage and ideas to make it a reality.” Panha, PUC alumni batch 2, is known as a film producer on Facebook page and YouTube channel named ‘Yes Film’ featuring the education and true story genres. He further said, “The most viewed film now reaches 4 million views on Facebook and I’m proud of it”.
Another alumna, Ms. Thay Thanit, PUC Media 101 Club Batch 1, has participated in Fact-Checking training organized by Women Media Center of Cambodia (WMC) under the Cross-Check project. She has appeared in three videos (tips to verify I, tips to verify II, and tips to verify III) focusing on how to verify information disorder. It contained information on how to distinguish between true or false reports on social media, check the sources of information or go further to the institutions or publishers, and verify the pictures on Google Reverse Image as well as check out the comments box to see the whole information. Furthermore, Thanit has a chance to work at WMC as a MC for a radio program focusing on youth topics.
The MIL trainees have also taken part in sharing media knowledge to society through on-air radio programs. On October 27, 2020, MIL trainer, Mr. Sek Sophal, and MIL alumna, Ms. Chhouk Chanthida, PUC Batch 1, and Ms. Heng Rachana, PUC Batch 2, were invited by VOD Khmer to be guest speakers in radio program “True or not” under the topic “Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week” to celebrate the International MIL Week 2020.
Ms. Hout Salinit, MIL Project Officer, and Ms. Chan Sreyleak, PUC Alumna Batch 2, were invited by Radio FM 102 MHz in Phnom Penh to be guest speakers for a radio program on “Media and Information Literacy.’’
“I couldn’t believe I got that opportunity to sit in the studio and share my experiences with thousands of people, particularly people in remote areas,” emphasized Ms. Chhouk Chanthida.
When your interest in something grows bigger, it is obvious that you will go deeper into it. For instance, after successfully obtained a certificate from the Media 101 Club, four MIL alumni have applied to join the Newsroom Training Program Cambodia, a project co-organized by DanChurchAid (DCA), Cambodia Youth Network (CYN), and Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC) funded by European Union (EU) and administered by the Cambodia Center for Independent Media (CCIM).
One of the trainees, Venerable. Duch Utdom said, “Being a part of the Media 101 Club was a stepping stone to my future career as a journalist. I have learned the basic ideas of verification, digital security, photography, etc., which are considered crucial for journalism.’’ During the three months training, Venerable. Utdom, PUC Batch 4, added that he had understood better how journalists work and the process of daily news, and it kept motivating him to pursue his goal as a journalist.
Chances are not only local but international. It was an eye-opening experience when five Media 101 Club members along with other Cambodian students and professionals have attended the regional conference on media and information literacy in Myanmar from October 28-30, 2019. The Southeast Asia Regional Conference held under the theme of “Youths Meet Media” was an excellent platform, where 60 young students from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam met, learned, discussed, and shared their experiences on MIL. They have different cultures and languages, but in the digitally connected world, however, those students speak one common language.
Ms. Heng Rachana expressed, “I was impressed by the conference organizers, who were super well-prepared in terms of activities and contents. It remarkably offered me chances to engage with scholars and experts from around the world. I had discussed the intricacies of media and information literacy in Southeast Asia, where online platforms are a very popular source of information for youth,” she added.
