A youth empowerment program nurturing Cambodia's next generation of social innovators and changemakers!
youth from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap participated
indirect beneficiaries engaged
About the Generation Future 2025 Program!
After a two-year hiatus, Generation Future 2025 returned to empower young Cambodians from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as changemakers, innovators, and role models for their communities.
Co-created by UNICEF Cambodia and Impact Hub Phnom Penh, the program supported 105 youth, organized into 15 teams, to turn their ideas into tangible social solutions.
Through mentorship, skill-building, and seed funding, these young leaders designed and implemented social innovations that tackle real community challenges, contributing to a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable Cambodia.
Meet Our Young Innovators and Changemers!
Rean Krav System
Rean Krav System
Hyper Healer
Hyper Healer
Super Mom
Super Mom
Green Miracle
Green Miracle
4Youth
4Youth
Chnai
Chnai
Empower Girls
Empower Girls
Night Light
Night Light
D-Mental Girls
D-Mental Girls
Srolanh Kids
Srolanh Kids
Neary Flow
Neary Flow
Sokhapheap Yuvatey
Sokhapheap Yuvatey
Thamavon
Thamavon
Anakut Kon Yerng
Anakut Kon Yerng
Sabay Ann
Sabay Ann
Our Approaches
Social Hackathons for Recruitment
We held two one-day social hackathons, separately in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, bringing together over 150 youth. During each hackathon, participants went through design thinking, problem ideation, solution selection, and prototyping, generating 15 project ideas that address community challenges. From these, 15 standout teams were selected to advance their ideas through capacity-building and seed funding support.
Social Innovation Curriculum
Participants developed skills in social innovation, entrepreneurship, and project management through a curriculum adapted from UPSHIFT. This equipped them to design and implement solutions that are practical, sustainable, and even income-generating.
Ecosystem Experts Connection
Each team worked with mentors and coaches with 5–10 years of experience in relevant fields—including mental health, sexual and reproductive health, life skills, climate action, civic engagement, digital skills, and STEM. This guidance helped youth turn ideas into high-quality social solutions while connecting them to industry networks.
Tangible Social Innovations
Beyond one-off workshops, youth learned to design social solutions that last. Through ongoing guidance and consultation, 10 out of 15 teams developed tangible social innovations that generate meaningful benefits for their communities.
Self-Paced Online Learning Platform
Recognizing how important flexibility is, we’ve given participants free access to our online learning platform—so they can explore project management courses anytime, anywhere, and learn at a pace that works best for them.
Some Highlight of Youth Solutions
Tech Box kit containing electronic components and Khmer language instructions, encourages STEM learning through experiments.
Hyper Healer Card, an interactive flashcard designed to support mental wellness through peer engagement.
Chnai Compost — a pH-tested compost made from sugarcane waste that supports sustainable agriculture.
The 9-Month, 10-Day Calendar, a practical tool designed to help pregnant women understand their emotions and learn healthy ways to cope throughout their pregnancy journey.
My Flow Journal — an efficient tool to learn about and track menstrual health. It equips young girls to monitor their cycles, understand their bodies, and embrace their well-being.
Our Impact in Number
$15,000
seed funding provided to support 15 teams to initiate and prototype social solutions.
social innovations developed to tackle real community challenges.
stakeholders showed up to celebrate youth social innovations at the Demo Day & Exhibition.
105
youth actively participated and received hands-on capacity building, gaining the knowledge and mindset to become agents of change.
beneficiaries impacted through youth-led social innovations.
Story of impact
Hyper Healer: Promoting Mental Wellness Through Flashcards!
Serey, the team leader, shared, “Generation Future encouraged my team and me to use our creativity, and we finally created the Hyper Healer Card—interactive flashcards that reduce mental load, boost motivation, and spark peer-to-peer reflection, supporting community mental wellness.”
The flashcards not only benefited community mental health but also demonstrated youth entrepreneurship. Priced at $8 per package, the cards sold a total of $112, showing how empowered youth can tackle community challenges while stepping into their startup journey.
From Sugarcane Waste to Climate Action!
Chnai started with a simple goal: turn sugarcane waste into compost to reduce chemical fertilizers and keep Siem Reap clean. They never imagined how their solution could connect to larger environmental efforts—until they met their mentor.
With industry-level guidance, the mentor helped them understand the broader ecosystem and how composting contributes to climate resilience. Chnai evolved from simply producing compost to creating an evidence-based product, testing different compost types, pH levels, and crop suitability to benefit both the community and the environment.
How Online Learning Helped Youth to Engage the Private Sector!
Using the online learning platform, Kornytha learned how to write proposals and approach potential sponsors. With her new skills, she successfully secured two in-kind sponsors—Mixue and Cinnabon Cambodia—supporting her team’s forum on Soft Skills for Youth to Engage in Social and Going Global.
Excited by her experience, Kornytha shared the platform with peers leading other social projects, helping more youth gain the skills and confidence to take action.
A Pride Beyond the Program: Sabay Ann Supports Children in Times of Need!
Sabay Ann is turning reading into play by designing learning tools that make literacy fun and engaging for children.
During the Cambodia-Thailand border tensions, the team brought their Sabay Ann Box—an interactive learning kit—to displacement sites, hosting reading sessions, fun activities, and providing small gifts to children affected by the situation.
With this practical innovation, Sabay Ann not only strengthened children’s literacy skills but also demonstrated how youth-led social innovations can support communities in times of need and crisis.
Snapshots
Our journey is here. Watch now!
In the news
Do you have more questions?
Get in touch with our Innovation & Education Program Manager, Rithysochen Thon: [email protected] | Telegram: (+855) 10 41 30 80
Our Partners
The Generation Future is a program initiated by UNICEF Cambodia to support and promote Cambodia’s future generation of young leaders. This program is co-created by Impact Hub Phnom Penh and UNICEF Cambodia.
