The Story of Phum Journeys
Journeys rooted in learning, community, and responsibility
dImmersive Journeys Rooted in Wisdom & Respect

Who We Are
Phum Journeys is an experiential education organization based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, designing curriculum-aligned learning journeys in partnership with international schools. “Phum” means village in Khmer, a reflection of our belief that meaningful travel begins with genuine connection to local communities. We believe that without stepping into a village, travelers may arrive at a destination but never truly experience it. Rooted in this philosophy, and shaped by more than a decade of guiding travelers and students, our programs combine cultural immersion, leadership development, mindful service learning, and outdoor experiential learning. Each journey is co-created with community partners and guided by strong safeguarding, ethical engagement, and risk management standards to ensure safe and responsible learning. Aligned with the IB framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our programs help students develop resilience, intercultural understanding, and responsible global citizenship through real-world experiences that extend beyond the classroom.
Our Core Values
We are dedicated to creating transformative and responsible learning journeys.
Experiential Learning
Deep understanding comes from active participation, real-world contexts, and guided experience.
Respect, Dignity & Reciprocity
Every community partner is a knowledge holder. We engage with humility, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.
Responsible & Ethical Practice
We design journeys that prioritize safeguarding, ethical engagement, and long-term social and environmental responsibility over consumption.
Community-Led Partnerships
Programs are co-created with communities, educators, and local leaders, ensuring relevance, ownership, and shared benefit.
Reflection, Dialogue & Critical Thinking
Learning is deepened through structured reflection, open dialogue, and critical inquiry, before, during, and after each journey.
Our Story & Founder
I grew up in Cambodia, in a village community where relationships, shared responsibility, and everyday life were deeply interconnected. My journey later brought me into NGO spaces, living and working alongside people committed to community development, while also growing up surrounded by both local and international friends. These experiences shaped how I understand culture, learning, and connection.
Over the years, I witnessed how tourism and learning experiences could impact communities in very different ways. Too often, I saw experiences designed to consume culture rather than understand it, extracting stories and labor without creating lasting value. Yet I also saw the opposite. When journeys were built on trust, humility, and care, they created dignity, meaningful exchange, and deep learning for everyone involved.
Working closely with local communities, monks, educators, youth leaders, and international students, I developed a way of guiding that centers reflection, honest conversation, and human connection. I believe young people learn best when they feel safe, heard, and challenged to see the world, and themselves differently.
One question stayed with me “What if learning journeys were designed first around respect, reflection, and long-term relationships, rather than consumption?”
Phum Journeys was created as an answer to that question. Today, it serves as a bridge between international schools and Cambodian communities, co-creating ethical, community-led experiential programs grounded in safeguarding and care. Every journey is shaped by local knowledge and designed so learning creates value for both participants and the communities that welcome them.
“I believe meaningful learning arises in spaces where there is safety, clear intention, and care, where we listen deeply, from the heart, with presence and compassion. When reflection is honored and honest dialogue is held with mindfulness, genuine connection becomes possible. I believe in the power of storytelling as a practice of awareness, understanding, and shared humanity.”
Meet our Professionals Team
Our team is made up of local educators, guides, and community partners who care deeply about people and place.
We lead with empathy, lived experience, and cultural understanding, creating learning journeys that are safe, meaningful, and grounded in real human connection. All Phum Journeys programs are supported by trained facilitators and guides who are First Aid certified, with clear safety protocols and safeguarding practices in place throughout each journey.
Beyond qualifications, our team brings deep local knowledge, strong community relationships, and a genuine commitment to student wellbeing — ensuring participants feel supported, respected, and cared for at every stage of the experience.
Seavyi Yonn
Founding Director
I founded Pum Journeys with a vision to create learning experiences that connect people meaningfully with communities, culture, and nature in Cambodia. My work focuses on designing experiential education programs that combine mindful service learning, outdoor leadership, cultural immersion, and community-led engagement, ensuring that every journey is both impactful and ethically grounded.
With a strong commitment to youth development, cross-cultural understanding, and responsible travel, I collaborate closely with educators, community partners, and local facilitators to build programs that foster empathy, resilience, and leadership. I believe that transformative learning happens when participants step beyond the classroom and engage deeply with real people, real places, and real challenges.
Favorite part of my work
Building partnerships with communities, educators, and young leaders to create journeys that inspire meaningful growth and lasting impact.
Personal interest
Cooking, biking, outdoor adventures, and listening to and sharing stories with people from different communities.
Quote I live by
“Every journey is an opportunity to learn, connect, and grow.”
Senghong Yourk
Operation Manager
I grew up in a small village outskirts of Kampong Chhnang. I have been fortunate to work in experiential education, youth organization and community-based programs where this experience inspired me to take up role at Pum Journey.
I believe that a well-designed operation can transform travel into a powerful learning experience and build global understanding.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing football and photography, with a special interest in portrait photography.
“Travel becomes education when it is grounded in purpose, people, and place”
Noem Chhunny
Mindful Leadership & Transformational Learning Advisor
TEDx Speaker | CEO & Founder of VIPASSA | Mindful Leadership Architect
Chhunny has over ten years of experience in leadership development, group dynamics, and public speaking training. As a former Buddhist monk, he has led Vipassana and mindfulness retreats at the International Meditation Center and has traveled across South Asia sharing the Buddha’s teachings on human development, emotional resilience, and ethical leadership.
He is a TEDx speaker, lead trainer at Impact Hub Phnom Penh, and Co-Founder & Lead Trainer at VIPASSA, where he integrates mindfulness, leadership psychology, and modern behavioral science to help organizations cultivate calm, ethical, and high-performing workplace cultures.
Chhunny is also the co-author of the national bestselling meditation book “សមាធិដើម្បីថាមពលជីវិត” (Meditation for the Energy of Life), a practical guide to building inner strength and mental clarity.
Favorite Part of His Work
Walking alongside young people as they discover their inner strength, discipline, and kindness — especially when they realize they are capable of more than they thought.
Personal Interests
Morning meditation, reading, writing, outdoor reflection, mentoring youth, and exploring Cambodia’s mountains, forests, and ancient temples.
Quote
“Be brave enough to grow, be kind enough to lead, and be mindful enough to know who you truly are.”
Pov Socheat
Mindfulness & Buddhism Advisor
Cambodian educator and Buddhist practitioner supporting students’ mindfulness, ethical values, and emotional well-being. I bridge Buddhist wisdom with modern education through meditation, reflection, and character education, helping learners grow in self-awareness, compassion, and inner resilience.
My favorite part of my role is seeing students grow into thoughtful, kind, and mindful human beings.
“True education begins when the mind becomes calm and the heart learns to understand.”
Chhet Rong Vicheata
Facilitator
I am an endurance athlete and outdoor learning facilitator passionate about helping young people and travelers discover resilience through nature-based experiences. With a strong background in trail running and adventure activities, I bring firsthand experience in perseverance, teamwork, and mental strength developed through challenging endurance competitions, including ultra-trail races in Cambodia.
At Pum Journeys, I facilitate outdoor leadership sessions, experiential challenges, and reflective learning activities that encourage participants to step beyond their comfort zones while staying grounded in safety, teamwork, and environmental respect. My facilitation style is energetic, supportive, and focused on helping participants build confidence through meaningful outdoor engagement.
Favorite part of my work
Supporting participants as they discover their own strength and confidence through shared outdoor challenges.
Personal interests
Trail running, hiking, and exploring Cambodia’s natural landscapes.
Quote
“Life is beautiful when you use it wisely.”
Poy Chhunly
Community & Homestay Partnership Lead | Artist, Educator & Cultural Entrepreneur
Poy Chhunly is a multidisciplinary Cambodian artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, video, and animation. A graduate of Phare Ponleu Selpak Visual Arts School in Battambang, Cambodia, and École Pivaut in France, he is recognized as one of the pioneering figures in Cambodia’s contemporary art and animation scene.
In 2006, Chhunly founded 1000hands Animation Studio, the first animation studio established on the Phare Ponleu Selpak campus, helping introduce animation as a new form of visual storytelling in Cambodia. His short animation films have gained international recognition, including winning First Prize at the CamboFest Film Festival in 2007. His acclaimed work Revive has been screened at festivals and cultural events in Paris (France), California (USA), Vientiane (Laos), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia).
Alongside his artistic career, Chhunly has dedicated himself to education and mentorship. He served as Animation Manager at Phare Creative Studio in 2014 and, since 2016, has taught animation at the Visual Applied Arts School (VAAS) of Phare Ponleu Selpak, supporting the development of young Cambodian artists and creatives.
Currently, he runs Poy Studio, his private creative space where he continues to develop new artistic projects and collaborations. His paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in Battambang and Phnom Penh, as well as internationally in China and France.
At Pum Journeys, Chhunly serves as Community & Homestay Partnership Lead, where he works closely with local families and community partners in Battambang to build meaningful, respectful, and mindful travel experiences. His role focuses on coordinating homestay programs, strengthening community relationships, and ensuring that cultural exchange remains authentic, ethical, and beneficial for both visitors and local communities.
Richard (Rick) Dobbie
Chief Risk Management Officer
I am an Australian experiential educator and former Army Officer with extensive experience in safeguarding, duty of care, and risk governance. Oversees risk assessments, incident reviews, and independent oversight to protect students, communities, and the Phum Journeys brand, while leading internal training and learning programs.
My favorite part of this role is anticipating risk, strengthening systems, and enabling safe journeys where meaningful learning can thrive and developing new journeys – mental, emotional and actual.
“Journeys as much for the journey itself as the destination, returning just a little changed from before.“
Srey Leab Nov
Game-Base Learning Designer
Sreyleab Nov is a Cambodian theater artist, stage director, and founder of Chhloh Theater ( Reflection Theatre). With over 20 years of experience, I works in community-based and socially engaged theater addressing gender equality, women’s empowerment, and human rights.
I had collaborated with Phare Ponleu Selpak, Theatre du Soleil, and Global Art Corp, performing nationally and internationally. As a freelance consultant, I develops theater projects, facilitates workshops, and mentors marginalized communities. My work centers on inclusive, participatory approaches that use theater as a tool for dialogue and social change.
Sela Thol
Facilitator
Hi, I’m Sela! I’ve been working as a freelance tour leader and translator since 2011, helping people explore and understand new cultures.
My work has taken me around the globe, including several summers in Vermont, USA, where I worked as a counselor and lifeguard at Camp Sangamon. Back home, I’ve spent years organizing cross-cultural trips for university students from Michigan, facilitating immersive experiences that go beyond standard tourism.
I am happiest when I am outdoors. Whether I’m teaching a skill, leading a tour, or just exploring on my own, my goal is always to help others connect with the world around them.
Khoeut Sochea
Facilitator
I have over seven years of experience as a project/programme coordinator and facilitator, with the past five years specializing in educational facilitation. I work closely with government officials, school leaders, teachers, students, and parents to deliver soft-skills training, training of trainers, student camps, study tours, workshops, and career fairs events. I ensure effective training delivery and smooth logistical coordination. My work bridges students to get a better understanding of the importance of education, inspiring teachers’ mindset on students centered methodology.
My favorite things about this role: Witnessing students, and teacher growth in terms of their mindsets. Build more positive mindsets and inspire them to value education.
A simple personal interest:
Youth engagement and mentoring, personal growth development, experiential education and sharing experiences.
A favorite quote:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
Thear Vypichr
Facilitator
I’m a Cambodian Facilitator who genuinely loves meeting people and sharing the stories behind the places we visit. For me, guiding isn’t just about showing landmarks, it’s about conversations, small details, local food, and moments that make travelers feel connected. I enjoy helping visitors see Cambodia through everyday life, culture, and lived experiences, not just through facts.
My favourite thing about this role: Watching people slowly fall in love with Cambodia when curiosity turns into understanding and a place starts to feel familiar, not foreign.
A simple personal interest: Trying local food in different places , listening to people’s stories, taking photos, and enjoying quiet moments during a journey.
“Travel becomes meaningful when we listen, connect, and learn from the places and people we meet.”
Nil Borey
Facilitator
I guide groups through conversations and shared experiences that help people connect, reflect, and learn from each other. I focus on creating a space where everyone feels comfortable to share their ideas and perspectives.
About Me
I’m Borey, from Siem Reap. Growing up near Tonle Sap Lake sparked my curiosity about people, culture, and history. With experience in tourism and leading groups, I’ve learned how powerful it is when people with different backgrounds come together to learn and grow.
Why I Love This Work
What I love most is seeing people connect, gain new insights, and leave a conversation with a fresh perspective. Those moments make all the planning and facilitation worthwhile.
My interest : I enjoy spending time outdoors, volunteering, and exploring stories of culture and history.
A Quote I Live By
“Learning begins when we listen with openness and curiosity.”
Sim Pich Mony
Facilitator
I am a facilitator who is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that connect participants with people, culture, and place. Through my experience supporting youth programs, community engagement activities, and experiential learning environments, I strive to create spaces where participants feel encouraged to participate, reflect, and collaborate.
At Pum Journeys, I facilitate group activities, cultural immersion sessions, and reflective discussions that help participants deepen their understanding of Cambodia while building empathy, teamwork, and leadership skills. My facilitation approach focuses on creating inclusive environments where every participant feels supported, heard, and empowered to learn through experience.
Favorite part of my work
Seeing participants grow in confidence as they connect with local communities and learn from real-world experiences.
Personal interest
Community engagement, cultural exchange, and working with young people.
Quote
“Life is a journey of learning.”
Lang Boram
Facilitator
As a graduated Business Administration and Accounting and currently a law student with a strong background in community engagement, capacity building and connection, experience supporting across both NGO and private-sector environments. With several years of hands-on experience supporting youth programs, community development initiatives, and organizational training, have gained a reputation for effective communication, collaborative leadership, and a passion for empowering others.
My favourite thing about this role: I feel motivated and inspired by the chance to combine my legal studies with my facilitation experience. This role gives me purpose and helps me stay connected to people and real-world issues.
Vi Chea Choeuy (Chea)
Facilitator
I’m a Cambodian, with experience in administration and project coordination. I also have a background in tourism and hospitality, which has shaped the way I work with people, teams, and communities. I enjoy supporting projects, keeping things organized, and helping ideas turn into real actions in a smooth and practical way.
My favourite thing about this role:
Working with people, supporting teamwork, and seeing projects come together step by step.
A simple personal interest: Traveling, food, learning new things, and enjoying good conversations.
“Small, responsible actions can create lasting positive change.”
Sort Som
Web Development & Digital Systems Lead
Som supports Phum Journeys by designing and developing the company’s digital platforms, ensuring a smooth and reliable online experience for partners, schools, and travelers. Working closely with the leadership team, he manages website layout, backend systems, and ongoing technical improvements.
As Web Development & Digital Systems Lead, Som helps translate ideas into functional, user-friendly digital solutions that support the growth and mission of Phum Journeys.
You can correct it better
Telegram :+85599452748
Our Community Partners
Phum Journeys works alongside local communities, educators, artisans, monks, and grassroots initiatives. Our partnerships are built on trust, shared decision-making, and respect, ensuring every journey reflects local values and benefits the communities involved.

















Impact & Outcomes
At Phum Journeys, impact is measured not only through numbers, but through meaningful relationships, transformative learning, and long-term positive change.
For Participants
Deepened cultural understanding through authentic local engagement
Strengthened leadership, empathy, and cross-cultural awareness
Greater critical awareness of global and community-based challenges
Personal growth that encourages reflection, responsibility, and action
For Communities
Fair, respectful, and locally led income opportunities
Long-term partnerships built on trust rather than one-time visits
Support for local education, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship
Recognition and empowerment of local voices and knowledge
For the Future
Journeys designed to leave both people and places stronger than before
Learning experiences that continue long after the journey ends
A growing network of thoughtful travelers, educators, and communities committed to positive impact
