CYS stands for empowering young Cambodians in pursuing their unique dreams.
As Wes Moore once said: “Potential is universal, opportunity is not“.
We fully believe that our work can only have a long-lasting positive impact on Cambodia’s society if we commit to the support of each of our beneficiaries’ individual goals, as opposed to dictating certain career paths to them.
Reach has always been musically gifted and passionate about composing his own songs. Through his work at a children’s village, our founder Julian met Reach when he was only 14 years old. Julian has seen his musicality evolve from using all kinds of everyday items as instruments, up until recently when he swapped those items for smartphone apps to create beats and remixes of popular songs.
What used to be a hobby has become a profession, as CYS was able to support Reach’s passion for music by paying for his enrollment in a course at a music production company in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.
Please read his story in his own words:
Hi! My name is Reach and I am 22 years old.
This year I started to study music production. I love this subject so much because I like to make my own songs. I started to study at BMS Studio with my teacher. And I also have a part-time job at Sunday Production Studio, where I am an assistant for making music videos, short movies, and video editing.
My dream is to be a songwriter and producer in the future. I want to make a lot of Khmer music and remixes. Maybe one day I can open my own studio and be the owner of my own company. But this is just my dream in the far future.
Right now I am so happy that I can study my passion. I have a father and a stepmother, but they are so poor that they can never support my education. This is why I am so grateful, that this NGO can pay for my tuition and can also support me with a new computer. The computer is so important for me because I can practice how to use the programs in my room every day. I have all the programs on it to edit pictures, edit videos, cut videos, make songs, mix songs, and more. But I have to study a lot so I can make use of all of this.
So, I want to say thank you again to this NGO for supporting my dream and my life so much.
In Love,
Reach
For the past 6 months, Reach has been taught one-on-one lessons by a producer at BMS Studio and has been able to learn first-hand how to write, compose, arrange, produce and mix songs. He has also been working as part of the production team and has been involved in the process of making music videos and short films as a set assistant, editor, or cameraman.
We are excited to see Reach follow his passion and become a professional in his field.
Support students in pursuing their career goals by donating to CYS today!
