Cambodian

The 20th Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodians, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans.

"Honoring Our Past As We Enter Our Future"

Cambodian Ethnic Studies Institute

The 30 participants in the Khmer Ethnic Studies institute represented several Cambodian communities from across the United States, including Long Beach, CA; Santa Ana, CA; Stockton, CA; Lowell, MA; Philadephia, PA; Washington, DC; and Hawaii.

The discussion focused on the topic from the morning panel - political involvement. We discussed the importance of the Cambodian community being politically active, and discussed some of the obstacles which have been preventing political involvement.

Some of the major themes that came up included:

	Lack of U.S. citizenship means most Cambodians can't vote.
	Becoming a citizen is a difficult, long process. Many adults lack English langauge skills, don't know the process, and/or have many children at home which makes it difficult for them to pursue the process.
	Some feel they are rejecting their heritage and culture by becoming a U.S. citizen.
	Large numbers of Cambodians who do have citizenship are not registered to vote.
	Apathy. Disillusionment with politics in Cambodia leads to lack of interest here.
	Lack of good, knowledgeable candidates to run and represent the community.
	Younger generation lacks the Khmer language skills to get their parents involved in the political process

Some of the discussion focused on the success of voter registration and voter turn-out at the UN sponsored elections in Cambodia in 1993. We reflected on how at country emerging from Communism, which had never had a free and fair election, a country which lacked the infrastructure and mass media, could have such a successful election. What could we learn from that experience and could it be applied to our communities in the U.S. Some participants felt it was a different situation and could not be applied to us here. Others however felt that the heavy education and the neutral media campaigns in Cambodia were a key to the success, and that similar education and media campaigns could be successful here as well.

Rithy Oung and his volunteer youth workers, Chanvon Mom and Chan Sgnoun, offered invaluable information on the success of his campaign in Lowell, MA. Key elements of his success included networking and finding common ground with all groups represented in the district. Rithy's work at the high school had earned him a great deal of respect among all students. Youth workers and organizers held voter registration drives, stood in front of local markets, made phone calls, and put up signs and stickers around town. Some of the workers were not citizens, and could not vote themselves, but their efforts resulted in many votes from eligible workers.

Suggestions were made that Cambodian organizations should make a bigger push to encourage Cambodian Americans to become U.S. citizens and become more involved in voter registration. Organizations should also encourage eligible candidates to run for local offices.

During the second half of the Ethnic Studies Institute, Mr. Mory Ouk, from the Long Beach Unified School District, presented a Parent Institute. There were several parents in attendance, and the discussion focused on parental involvement and ways to work with a difficult and rebellious teenager. The parents were enthralled with the information provided by Mr. Ouk, and reported that they learned many new things that they would try to implement in their homes and families.