Showing posts with label Cambodian heritage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodian heritage. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Discovery of major ancient iron foundry sites by Cambodian researchers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9bseTrk-fo&feature=channel_video_title
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
School Fights Language Loss in US
By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
07 September 2009
Original report from Washington
07 September 2009
Buddhist monks and educators in San Jose, Calif., have noted a growing concern in Khmer communities regarding the loss of the Khmer language in the US and the linkage it offers to Cambodian culture and traditions.
A community of Cambodian volunteers has been running the Cambodian Literacy School of San Jose for 20 years to prevent this.
The school aims to bring Cambodian children back to their cultural roots and encourage them towards education and better communication with their parents, through language lessons and cultural programs.
Kas Thon, a senior teacher and adviser, has helped transform the Khmer Literacy School with a new structure. He said the projects are now designed to provide services that bridge the intergenerational gap between Cambodian parents and their children.
“Since early 1989, we have been serving hundreds of Cambodian and non-Cambodian students, aged 7 to late twenties, throughout the county of Santa Clara. When we first started, we had 300 students, and we did not have enough rooms for them. We opened another location. Parents, with continuous support, kept bringing children to classes regularly.”
The program begins with speaking and listening activities based on experiences with which children are familiar. Reading is introduced through simple stories that feature familiar situations. Exploring words and letters leads to the beginnings of writing.
The school is run by a team of Cambodian teachers, parents and volunteers and offers free literacy classes every Saturday, from 10 am to noon for children, and 10 am to 1 pm for adults. The school is located at the Tull Community Branch Library and at the Khmer Buddhist Temple of Khemara Rangsey in San Jose.
Srey Tha came to the US in 1989 at the age of 16. She did not know how to read or write Khmer when she lived in Cambodia. Srey Tha now brings her 17-year-old daughter to the Khmer Literacy School every Saturday, and she has learned to read and write herself.
“I have come to this school for more than four years,” she said. “Now I can read and write Khmer. I want my daughter to speak and read Khmer and learn Khmer culture and traditions.”
Sambun Boun, a volunteer teacher, said his class has three different levels. Some students can read and write, some can only spell words, and others have just begun.
“I want the students to make more progress in learning Khmer,” he said. “We, the teachers, will have a program to meet the parents of students. We will explain to them that they to be involved; they can make a difference. If children see the mother and father reading and writing Khmer on a daily basis, they tend to do that, too.”
Many Cambodian children transition to using English and attain only limited skills in Khmer, becoming less interested in traditional activities. Many children and young adults are beginning to lose their mother tongue.
Meanwhile, generational differences and conflict in language use often develop in the homes, as children use English and their parents and grandparents speak Khmer, diminishing their ability to communicate with each other.
A community of Cambodian volunteers has been running the Cambodian Literacy School of San Jose for 20 years to prevent this.
The school aims to bring Cambodian children back to their cultural roots and encourage them towards education and better communication with their parents, through language lessons and cultural programs.
Kas Thon, a senior teacher and adviser, has helped transform the Khmer Literacy School with a new structure. He said the projects are now designed to provide services that bridge the intergenerational gap between Cambodian parents and their children.
“Since early 1989, we have been serving hundreds of Cambodian and non-Cambodian students, aged 7 to late twenties, throughout the county of Santa Clara. When we first started, we had 300 students, and we did not have enough rooms for them. We opened another location. Parents, with continuous support, kept bringing children to classes regularly.”
The program begins with speaking and listening activities based on experiences with which children are familiar. Reading is introduced through simple stories that feature familiar situations. Exploring words and letters leads to the beginnings of writing.
The school is run by a team of Cambodian teachers, parents and volunteers and offers free literacy classes every Saturday, from 10 am to noon for children, and 10 am to 1 pm for adults. The school is located at the Tull Community Branch Library and at the Khmer Buddhist Temple of Khemara Rangsey in San Jose.
Srey Tha came to the US in 1989 at the age of 16. She did not know how to read or write Khmer when she lived in Cambodia. Srey Tha now brings her 17-year-old daughter to the Khmer Literacy School every Saturday, and she has learned to read and write herself.
“I have come to this school for more than four years,” she said. “Now I can read and write Khmer. I want my daughter to speak and read Khmer and learn Khmer culture and traditions.”
Sambun Boun, a volunteer teacher, said his class has three different levels. Some students can read and write, some can only spell words, and others have just begun.
“I want the students to make more progress in learning Khmer,” he said. “We, the teachers, will have a program to meet the parents of students. We will explain to them that they to be involved; they can make a difference. If children see the mother and father reading and writing Khmer on a daily basis, they tend to do that, too.”
Many Cambodian children transition to using English and attain only limited skills in Khmer, becoming less interested in traditional activities. Many children and young adults are beginning to lose their mother tongue.
Meanwhile, generational differences and conflict in language use often develop in the homes, as children use English and their parents and grandparents speak Khmer, diminishing their ability to communicate with each other.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Grandmother's struggle inspires South El Monte High school senior
04/06/2009
By Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California, USA)
For Cambodian-born Chea the story resonates - her grandmother endured the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge, which was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people, often though starvation and torture, during the 1970s.
"She reminds me what she went through - they barely had anything to eat days and nights. She keeps me humble. She tells me to know that, though we live in America now, always remember where you came from," Chea said. "It makes me who I am today."
The South El Monte High School senior is also responsible for making herself into who she is today. When her mother brought her to the United States at age nine - seeking to replace the obstacles of Cambodia with the opportunities of the United States - she didn't speak any English and struggled to make friends.
"Because of that social difficulty, I spent a lot of time in the library, studying," she said.
Her studious beginnings paid off. She just found out she was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley.
Her grandmother hasn't just inspired Chea to finish her dinner, but to become involved in her community and to get her fellow students involved as well.
At South El Monte High, she created the Future Politician Association, a non-partisan group designed to encourage civic engagement among students.
"We don't learn about government until senior year, before that we don't really learn anything about civic engagement. That is why I want to promote understanding political issues in our school... I noticed especially during the election, nobody really cared," she said.
The organization hosts local politicians and town hall forums, where experts debate current issues.
Last month, 49th district Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte, named her the district's Woman of the Year for these efforts.
She is also her school's president of the California Scholarship Federation, vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America, and was named South El Monte's Youth Commissioner.
After working locally, Chea plans to take her fight for justice national and international, particularly fighting human trafficking.
"My mom always said I have to go back and help our fellow Cambodians," she said.
By Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California, USA)
"My mom always said I have to go back and help our fellow Cambodians" - Hathiya CheaSOUTH El MONTE - Every night at dinner, 18-year-old Hathiya Chea hears the same story from her grandma, a story echoed in dining rooms across America for decades - "eat your food, don't waste resources, you don't face the struggles others do."
For Cambodian-born Chea the story resonates - her grandmother endured the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge, which was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people, often though starvation and torture, during the 1970s.
"She reminds me what she went through - they barely had anything to eat days and nights. She keeps me humble. She tells me to know that, though we live in America now, always remember where you came from," Chea said. "It makes me who I am today."
The South El Monte High School senior is also responsible for making herself into who she is today. When her mother brought her to the United States at age nine - seeking to replace the obstacles of Cambodia with the opportunities of the United States - she didn't speak any English and struggled to make friends.
"Because of that social difficulty, I spent a lot of time in the library, studying," she said.
Her studious beginnings paid off. She just found out she was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley.
Her grandmother hasn't just inspired Chea to finish her dinner, but to become involved in her community and to get her fellow students involved as well.
At South El Monte High, she created the Future Politician Association, a non-partisan group designed to encourage civic engagement among students.
"We don't learn about government until senior year, before that we don't really learn anything about civic engagement. That is why I want to promote understanding political issues in our school... I noticed especially during the election, nobody really cared," she said.
The organization hosts local politicians and town hall forums, where experts debate current issues.
Last month, 49th district Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte, named her the district's Woman of the Year for these efforts.
She is also her school's president of the California Scholarship Federation, vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America, and was named South El Monte's Youth Commissioner.
After working locally, Chea plans to take her fight for justice national and international, particularly fighting human trafficking.
"My mom always said I have to go back and help our fellow Cambodians," she said.
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