Tiny Toones - The B-Boys and B-Girls of Phnom Penh
Educating and Empowering Khmer Youth to Express Urban Life through Hip-Hop

Tiny Toones was founded in January 2004, once nine children in the Bo Ding slum area of Phnom Penh learned that Tuy Sobil (aka “Kay-Kay”) used to be a famous breakdancer in Long Beach, California. They asked him to be their dance teacher, so he began teaching them in his own home. He began free drop-in dance classes which ran for three hours a day every evening.

He soon learned that most of his students came from poor and/or broken families. They lacked strong role models because their older brothers and sisters quite often were active drug users, school dropouts, or sex workers. Between rest breaks at every practice, he began to teach about HIV/AIDS, physical and mental health support, risks of drugs and gangs, and other issues that the underprivileged youth commonly face. His lessons are very effective and have credibility with his students because he experienced similar hardships when he was younger. Also, he completed numerous training workshops at his job with Korsang, which focuses on harm reduction of active drug users.

Through word of mouth Tiny Toones quickly expanded to over 50 kids. The talent of the group soon gained recognition by the community, which frequently invited them to perform at various events. The program, which had been self-funded by Kay-Kay up that point, received a private donation the following year that enabled them to move into the two-story apartment that they currently reside in. The program has now reached out to over 800 kids in the next year, because of the increasing popularity of Hip-Hop culture due to its perceived street credibility and humble roots in the ghetto.

Tiny Toones’ ambitious plans for 2008 are two-fold: to improve the main centre’s capacity to serve as a safe haven for a broader range of at-risk urban youth, and to create more outreach sites for communities faraway (where daily transportation to the main centre is not feasible). The children’s regular public school education will be supplemented by each drop-in centre’s core activities: free general Khmer lessons, English language instruction (conducted by volunteers from abroad), health education, and peer to peer support. The Hip-Hop arts will continue to be the heart of the program, which increases the youth’s self-confidence by developing talents that gain the respect of their peers. The long term vision and expected results of our program are to empower the underprivileged urban youth through providing education, performing arts training, and positive role models. Tiny Toones wants children to believe in their own dreams and contribute back positively to their community.