Education Champion Youth (ECY), with the support of the NGO Education Partnership (NEP) through the Education Out Loud initiative, seized the opportunity to transform youth from mere participants into leaders in educational dialogue. The primary challenge was to cultivate youth leadership, communication, and facilitation skills while ensuring that youth-led platforms could significantly contribute to ongoing discussions surrounding education policy. The stakeholders affected included youth advocates, students, civil society members, educators, and other education stakeholders in Cambodia who sought more inclusive and representative dialogue spaces.
As a result of this initiative, ECY successfully organized multiple EduNetTalk sessions in 2025, engaging national and sub-national stakeholders and demonstrating their ability to convene inclusive, structured, and impactful discussions on educational issues. Both ECY facilitators and speakers confidently moderated panels and engaged participants, leading conversations around key educational topics, thereby marking a transition from passive youth participation to active leadership. The EduNetTalk sessions created a safe and accessible environment for youth voices to be heard alongside policymakers, educators, and civil society actors.
For ECY members, these experiences enhanced their leadership, communication, and advocacy skills, while also increasing their visibility and credibility within the education sector. For broader stakeholders, EduNetTalk fostered more inclusive policy dialogues by incorporating youth insights into discussions about education quality, equity, and systemic reforms. This shift establishes a foundation for sustained youth engagement in education advocacy and policy processes.