|
|
|
|
|
|
Phnom Penh (Ah!) Travel Tips - Faces & Places -- FRESHIE CONTEST TEACHES KHMER YOUTH GOOD THINGS - December 2005
DJ Ken/National Radio Text Service
The contest is a major contributor to the learning curve for young men and women. If they're not directly involved in the contest they are influenced by the modern fashion and poise of the contestants from watching the show on television. Since the show first aired there has been a dramatic change in the appearance of Khmer youth who are now sporting spiked hairstyles and western designed clothing.
Wednesday December 14, 2005 FRESHIE CONTEST TEACHES GOOD THINGS TO KHMER YOUTH WHO LEARN TO EARN When you assess what the value of foreigners coming to Cambodia to HELP you sometimes have to wonder what is their purpose and what's impact do they have in the positive development of Cambodia. The Freshie Boy & Girl talent and beauty contest for 16 to 20-year-old youths is one example of foreigners doing good things. Now in its fifth year the contest is gaining popularity from both Khmer youth and adults. Thailand based communications company Samart is contributing to the positive side Cambodia's development by functioning as the primary sponsor of the event. Former Freshie winners have taken their titles and made giant steps towards the fostering of a bright future for themselves and their families. Many of the Freshie contestants come from very poor backgrounds and impoverished living conditions. Samart CEO Somchai (An) Lertwisettheerakul said of the contest, "This is one of our marketing activities. We are the most popular contest in Cambodia. Our contest has been proven for five years. "This is one of our contributions to the country in uplifting their image to the world. Winners go to other countries to express their traditional Khmer culture." In the past Freshie winners have taken trips to Thailand. Somchai says he is thinking of trips in the future to Malaysia and Singapore. Over the past five years previous Freshie winners continue to stay in touch with the company that gave them a fresh start in life. Somchai noted "Most likely they will get a good job as a singer, actress, model, M.C., TV presenter or get a job in a good company. We support them. We encourage continued education." The contest is a major contributor to the learning curve for young men and women. If they're not directly involved in the contest they are influenced by the modern fashion and poise of the contestants from watching the show on television. Since the show first aired there has been a dramatic change in the appearance of Khmer youth who are now sporting spiked hairstyles and western design clothing. To put the show together the Freshie organizers enlist the help of teachers from the ministry of Culture and entertainment and modeling professionals. Every year there is a new challenge for the organizers trying to teach an inexperienced raw teenager to be a polished professional. One of the contest entrance qualifications is that you have NO PREVIOUS professional experience. One contestant was eliminated this year when it was revealed after he auditioned and made it to the top 150 boys that he had appeared television shows. Stuart Loke the GM of the shows organizer Planet Communications said it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants to compete against entrants that have experience thus they are eliminated. Another problem cropped up the day before this years first televised show December 3rd when a boy contestant dropped out after he rehearsed a week for the event. That left one Freshie girl without a partner. Some contestants drop out because their patents won't let them compete, they can't commit to the contests training schedule, can't accept instruction and some are afraid to talk in front of people. For the television show the contestants are paired by the height. The coupled boy and girl then draw from a hat to see what number they will be on the show. Every year there are different set of problems that the organizers have to overcome. Teaching the Freshie's how to do catwalk modeling is the job of former model Ana Zhang Ling Ling observed, "This year the boys and girls are shorter. Some are too young (16-17). Their bodies are young (compared to last years contestants)." From the crop of winners the first Freshie girl winner of all time in 2002 Chan Thouen stands out as the organizers favorite noting she always returns to help out every year for the show. "This is the Freshie I'm most proud of," said Samart GM Boonkerd Angamnuaysiri. "She comes from Takeo (a poor area). She never forgets Samart. She has good loyalty. She bought her mother a shop. She comes from a poor background." Planet Communications chief Noy Rauv said Chan is the Freshie that she is most proud of since she has taken responsibility and converted her winning into helping her family out of an impoverished situation. "When she came to us she had no shoes. She now supports six brothers and sisters to go to school. She's fixed her parents house and she's driving now." Rauv noted the benefits of the contest, "Most of the people that come to us, win or not will get jobs (as a result of the competition) if they come into the final round of 10 boys and 10 girls." Rauv pointed out the benefit of the contest and its mission. "Our society now has a bad problem with drugs and domestic violence. In order to solve these problems you have to start with the family but sometimes they don't understand. That's where we come in. "It's not going to solve the problems of the world but at least we started something. "We teach being a good teen at home by being a good son or daughter. At school (we teach) being a good student, in society to be a good friend. This is the concept we teach." FRESHIE JUDGING The judging comes from three sources. 1. THE PUBLIC The public accounts for 30% of the vote. They can vote via SMS messaging service only on the Samart system. Each vote costs the caller 10 cents. During the first week of voting Ky Hong called 50 times. As a result he won an I Mobile cell-phone. 2. ORGANIZERS & TEACHERS Responsible people involved in the event such as the talent trainers and professors account for 35% of the vote. 3. JUDGES Judges at the shows account for the other 35% of the result. Judges are comprised from the sponsors of the show and representatives in government. NOTE: COMMENTS BY CALLERS During every televised Freshie show callers can SMS a comment on their Freshie contestant of choice. Some of those comments are telecast during the telecast and scrolled down across the TV screen. Over 700 comments were SMS'd during the semifinals last year. NR's TOP 10 According to Google National Radio's Top 10 stories are: 1. Jim Murray, 2. Royal Palace 3. NBA Trivia, 5. Jerry West Builds Memphis 7. OOPS FAT Did It Again 8. ASEAN Games 10. Angkor Wat Past Most Mentioned: 1. Walter Payton, 3. Barry Bonds
© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.
|
|
