Khmer Youth Group in Bristol Seeks to Build Inter-Generational Ties

A youth group at a Cambodian Buddhist temple in Bristol is preserving their heritage while building ties between different generations.

The group members are making inroads with their elders as a way to bring the local Khmer community together without losing touch with their roots.

 “I want to make the efforts to show our culture off and to spread awareness and spread awareness about our culture,” Kiana Nhem said.

Whether it’s playing music or dancing, Nhem is proud of her Khmer heritage.

She’s helping lead the youth group at the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut in Bristol. Whether it’s doing traditional dances or attending services, Nhem says this is a way to get the younger Khmer generation in tune with their community.

“I want them to know that they can speak up about things and that they can have a position of power,” she said.

A power that involves building bridges with elders, with a language barrier being an obstacle to overcome.

 “I’m trying to push myself to speak Khmer, even if it’s really broken and I think they can see we’re making a lot of efforts,” Nhem said.

Those efforts include helping temple elders learn about technology. Many of the temple elders came to Connecticut after escaping the Khmer Rouge, a communist dictatorship in Cambodia, in the mid-1970s.

Amanda Ouk, another youth group member, says just the simple act of teaching elders to take pictures with their phones is empowering.

“During the Khmer Rouge a lot of photos and things like that were destroyed during that time so having that history is so, so important to me,” she said.

But that connection is a work in progress.

“We have to start with a mutual understanding that we’re all working towards the same thing,” Nhem said.

Temple executive director Vannak Seng says the temple elders aren’t used to being taught by a younger generation in a culture where reverence for elders is expected.

“A lot of elder people are stubborn and don’t listen to younger kids and it’s hard, like my parent’s generation,” he said.

Seng says the youth group was created this year, seeing a need to get young people to stay in the temple community. He hopes mutual respect can be created between the youth and the elders.

“I want them to share the values of our heritage. I want them to understand them a little bit more,” he said.

Nhem says they’re signs of progress with the head monk attempting to speak English and laughing with them despite their language barriers.

“It just shows that we’re still welcomed here, as much as we are trying to respect the nuns and monks here,” she said.

A respect Nhem believes allows the Khmer community to evolve and grow.

“We do want to make sure that this temple thrives, and we want to make sure that we can pass all of our culture and traditions from generation to generation,” she said.