Since the promotion of civic engagement across nations became a global agenda, there are calls to articulate the role of NGOs in promoting youth civic engagement as a way to advance youth engagement in societies and embrace their potential with the su...
Since the promotion of civic engagement across nations became a global agenda, there are calls to articulate the role of NGOs in promoting youth civic engagement as a way to advance youth engagement in societies and embrace their potential with the support from NGOs. However, despite its endless economic growth (Cambodia’s Economy to Accelerate in 2022 and 2023 — ADB | Asian Development Bank, n.d.), Cambodia has been criticized for its inadequacy in its accommodation of civic spaces. In response to this, local NGOs as a third sector, are burdened with the insightful role of helping to strengthen youth participation by building youth capacity to respond to its population and embrace their leadership.
On such a basis, qualitative research has been conducted aiming to understand the role of local NGOs in promoting youth civic engagement in Cambodia. To serve this goal, the study sought to answer the questions: (1) How does Cambodian local NGOs perceive civic participation? What athe directionsions and principles of citizen participation? (2) How do NGOs promote youths civic participation? What is the content and method of youths participation? What makes it possible? (3) What are the limitations of youths civic participation promoted by NGOs? What are the key issues? Document analysis focusing on the role of NGOs in promoting civic engagement, the current space of NGOs in civic engagement, and civic engagement and youth in Cambodia is carried out to understand the problems illustrated. On the other hand, the empirical analysis based on collected metadata and in-depth interviews examined the role of NGOs from three local NGOs by presenting their perception, program activities, and challenges in promoting youth civic space in Cambodia.
Through the analysis, the results identified efficient methods of getting youth participation in civic activities and youth recruitment by NGOs. The finding answers the effective ways to create a sustainable youth civic engagement by creating youth ownership, strengthening youth capacity, and building partnerships with youth by NGOs. Lastly, the study claimed how local NGOs can function within the restrictions disclosed by the government and the effective role of NGOs to promote youth civic engagement.