Khmer Youth Association (KYA) is a humanitarian, non-political, non-governmental and non-partisan Cambodian youth organization founded in 1992. KYA is committed to working with and for youth for positive social change by improving and promoting youth participation on different social issues relevant to Cambodia. KYA strives towards an improved framework for respecting human rights, democracy,gender, health, and the empowerment of young people by the government and other stakeholders utilizing principlesthat encourage youth participation and recognize youth’s role and works. KYA was established and recognized by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) on 30 November 1992 and on 21 February 1994, KYA was reregistered as an independent non-governmental organization through authorization letter -Reference No. 109 S/Ch/N- issued by the Ministry of Interior, Cambodia.
Vision: is to be potential youth, working with and for youth, for social positive change.
Mission: is to upgrade and promote your participation human rights,democracy, peace building, health, gender equality, education and vocational training for young people in Cambodia.

Core values:
Gender equality, equity and inclusiveness. KYA will lead by example in promotingbehavioral change and actions that will reduce power inequalities between genders, tackle barriers to equal participation of young men and women, and to increase the inclusiveness of youth with disabilities and from ethnic minorities.
 Good governance:KYA will communicate openly and operate transparently and withaccountability to its youth members and stakeholders.
 Collaboration and partnership: KYA will encourage and facilitate the participation by youth, NGOs, CSOs, the private sector, government institutions, and development partners in the planning and implementation of its activities. KYA activities will be guided by the framework of the National Youth Development Policy and will be coordinated with the National Youth Council in order to achieve the successful implementation of KYA’s Strategic Plan.
 Integrity and accountability: KYA will listen and respond to the voices of youth and will strive to conduct its activities with efficiency and effectiveness and to a high professional standard.

KYA had experience working with youth in the field of economic empowerment and livelihood.We have worked on a TVET program collaborated with the Community Learning Center managed by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport from 2015-2017 – with ACTED granted by the EU. Recently, we are working to promote young agriculture entrepreneurs for 2018-2020.
Youth mobilization was KYA identity. At sub-national level, KYA created a space for the young and the old especially local authority (Commune councils, schools, and Health Center) to have a joint commitment together for their own community development. Groups of young people who are well known as Community Youth Network (CYNs) and somehow called KYA representatives played a crucial role in collaborating with community members and local authorities, and bring community concerns, and demands to local authority (commune councils) for response. From the Program Implementing Model (PIM), CYNs are the backbone of the project or community organizers/massagers to seek support from local authority in the sake of expanding their voices in the process of decision-making.
CYNs with other community youth attended monthly commune meetings and raised community concerns, and took part in the process of Commune Investment Plan (CIP), and did commune budget monitoring including the engagement of promoting commune good governance. At national level, KYA was a member of umbrella NGOs such as NGOs forum, CCC, HACC, and CRC. KYA contributed to advocating at policy level by collaborating with other members. KYA was one of potential young people associations recognized by relevant partners, and government partners in terms of youth development. KYA voices and competencies contributed to enforcing policies and promoted policy-makers’ accountabilities. Specifically, KYA attended many advocacy workshops organized by CSOs partners including joint statements done by CSOs members and partners.

“I YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL” project aims to combat all negative social norms in order to promote gender equality for all including LGBTQI,people with disability and indigenous people. This media campaign project intend to contribute to raise awareness and change the perception of people because now a day, negative social norms are what people applying on their daily life, and they feel that it is the nature. Many creative ideas and approaches will be used for this project to raise awareness, visibility with positive acceptance on the beauty of the diversity rights-holder group that involved with this project. By using their online platform on NEARY Facebookpage, they keep posting article, producing music video, podcast, short film, “Secret Sadness Letter on Body Shaming” video, designposter, and some more initiative idea to raise awareness regarding to the gender issue, and spreading their voice on their own platform and network. This 12 months project is planning to form and build capacity of a group of youth and empower them to be agent forchange to continue their mission in promote gender equality for all.

The project main goal is to promote gender equality by combating all negative social norms for all particularly women, LGBTQI, People with disability and indigenous people.

Expect result 1: Building Capacity and Empowerment to Youth. 50 youth are recruited and build their capacity and empower to be agent for change to promote gender equality for all.

Expect result 2: Advocacy and Awareness Raising. By using their online platform on Neary Facebook page, they keep posting article, producing music video, podcast, short film, “Secret Sadness Letter on Body Shaming” video, design poster, and some more initiative idea to raise awareness regarding to the gender issue, and spreading their voice on their own platform and network.

Expect result 3: Promote Digital Campaign. Cooperate with private sector, business like coffee shop to promote gender equality for all.

This project is expected to work with 3 different group of youth , LGBTQI and people with disability in Phnom Penh with mostly via online.