(ANS – Kep City) – A radio documentary called “Where do you come from?” was made in the Don Bosco Technical School of Kep, thanks to the guidance of two practitioners. It shows a typical day in the Salesian Vocational School for the poorest youngsters of the country.

This was the third time that senior expert, teacher and journalist Wolfgang Bauernfeind and radio journalist Michael Ramm came to the Don Bosco Technical School to lead a workshop in media production and reporting with the students of social communication in Kep, Cambodia. A good summary of their first experience was aired in Alex Radio of Berlin in 2013 (available here, in German).

Their third experience produced a more elaborate project involving students and teachers of the Don Bosco Kep social communication section. The radio documentary combining photography and audio, presents the daily life of a Cambodian Salesian centre where young people look for a better future. It can be viewed in its entirety in English, here.

The life of the Salesian centre is described in detail, through high-quality images and graphics and visual testimonies of young students. They spend their day from the alarm goes at 5.30 a.m. to the free time in the evening after dinner, attending classes in the morning and enjoying leisure and sport in the afternoon. There is a virtual tour of the various sections of the institute. In addition to communication courses there are also workshops that offer agricultural and sewing skills to students. These help to reduce the cost of maintenance of the school community which has over 300 pupils.

The Don Bosco social communications sections were created in 2007 by Fr. Albeiro Rodas “Samnang” as a project to give skills in media communication and social work to young people from rural areas and vulnerable communities. The purpose is to enable the Cambodian people to report on their own situation, using the media and making a contribution to the current Cambodian development, empowering a culture of participation and democracy.

At the moment, some past pupils are involved in Cambodian media such as television, radio, newspapers and digital media companies. The project is supported by professional volunteers sharing with the students, but also Cambodian journalists and the media.

Published 12/03/2015