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Tunghai University-News-- SmiLe Summer Service in Chiang Mai: Hear the Little Voice and See the Change
With the support of the United Board and the Higher Education Sprout Project, a Service and Learning group from the Office of Student Labor embarked on their overseas service for the first time this summer. Under the leadership of the Section Chief, Lin Lisheng, ten THU students and faculty members headed for Chiang Mai in Thailand on July 15, 2018. From July 15 to 24, they cooperated with three local non-profit organizations and provided service for underprivileged children.
The service included theme-based group activities, handicraft classes, Chinese language learning, and dormitory painting. This project was initiated by the Service-Learning Section of the Office of Student Labor, and sponsored by a three-year grant from the United Board. The aim of the project is to help THU students, as global citizens, to develop a sensitivity and respect for diverse culture, and to enhance their teamwork skills through working with children from the underclass in Thailand. In addition, the Service-Learning Section also has established a mechanism of promoting overseas service learning and forming student teams. Furthermore, cooperative relationships between THU and local non-profit organizations have been established in order for more service programs to continue in the future.
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There are many non-profit organizations in Chiang Mai, which take care of thousands of underprivileged children. They provide shelters, daily care, after school programs, and educational support. These underprivileged children were forced to leave their original families and local communities because of the loss of parents, poverty or family malfunctions. They haven’t had adequate support network from family or the community growing up. In order to understand the needs of the children, the staff from the Service-Learning Section travelled to Chiang Mai in August 2017 to interview several local NPOs upon receiving a travel grant from the United Board. After investigating and collecting information, the staff from the Service-Learning Section proposed a three-year project to the United Board, and got the grant this February. Since then, the staff had started to recruit team members, organize training sessions, establish teams, plan the service programs and rehearse for all possible scenarios. The students who participated in the service formed a team called SmiLe Team, which not only indicated that the serving team headed for Thailand—the Land of Smiles—but also showed the spirit of the team. That is, the service given by the team was not only meaningful but also interesting. The learning outcome of the team was the empowering of self-independence.
In addition to organizing theme-based group activities, handicrafts classes, Chinese language classes, and dormitory painting, SmiLe Team also visited families and institutions to understand better how the institutions work, what their needs are, and the background of the children. By becoming familiar with the children’s situations and needs, the team members were able to design activities better. During the service period, the team got together every evening to reflect on the activities they had organized and participated in on the day. On the one hand, through reflection, team members developed their critical thinking abilities and became more observant towards the process of teamwork, various social issues and the world surrounding them. On the other hand, the team members were able to review the process of the activities they had done on that day and rehearse for the activities they prepared for the next day.
Since the establishment of the Service-Learning Section in August 2014, the staff have devoted themselves to developing service programs which are based on local demands. The Section received a grant from the Ministry of Education in the category of University Social Responsibility (USR) to start a whole-person talent development program for children in the area of Dadu Mountain. The program connected elementary schools with junior high schools, non-profit organizations, and other community resources to create more possibilities for future talent development of the children and teenagers in the Dadu community. For the Service-Learning Section, developing new programs that involve social participation has been the main goal in recent years. With the new start of this overseas service project, the Service-Learning Section will continue to create new programs and expand its collaboration with local and international communities.
SmiLe Summer Service in Chiang Mai: Hear the Little Voice and See the Change
- Department : THUPR
- Category :
- View : 1777
- Date : 2018-09-03
With the support of the United Board and the Higher Education Sprout Project, a Service and Learning group from the Office of Student Labor embarked on their overseas service for the first time this summer. Under the leadership of the Section Chief, Lin Lisheng, ten THU students and faculty members headed for Chiang Mai in Thailand on July 15, 2018. From July 15 to 24, they cooperated with three local non-profit organizations and provided service for underprivileged children.
The service included theme-based group activities, handicraft classes, Chinese language learning, and dormitory painting. This project was initiated by the Service-Learning Section of the Office of Student Labor, and sponsored by a three-year grant from the United Board. The aim of the project is to help THU students, as global citizens, to develop a sensitivity and respect for diverse culture, and to enhance their teamwork skills through working with children from the underclass in Thailand. In addition, the Service-Learning Section also has established a mechanism of promoting overseas service learning and forming student teams. Furthermore, cooperative relationships between THU and local non-profit organizations have been established in order for more service programs to continue in the future.
THU faculty and students provide service to minor groups in the village.
There are many non-profit organizations in Chiang Mai, which take care of thousands of underprivileged children. They provide shelters, daily care, after school programs, and educational support. These underprivileged children were forced to leave their original families and local communities because of the loss of parents, poverty or family malfunctions. They haven’t had adequate support network from family or the community growing up. In order to understand the needs of the children, the staff from the Service-Learning Section travelled to Chiang Mai in August 2017 to interview several local NPOs upon receiving a travel grant from the United Board. After investigating and collecting information, the staff from the Service-Learning Section proposed a three-year project to the United Board, and got the grant this February. Since then, the staff had started to recruit team members, organize training sessions, establish teams, plan the service programs and rehearse for all possible scenarios. The students who participated in the service formed a team called SmiLe Team, which not only indicated that the serving team headed for Thailand—the Land of Smiles—but also showed the spirit of the team. That is, the service given by the team was not only meaningful but also interesting. The learning outcome of the team was the empowering of self-independence.
Diverse activities
In addition to organizing theme-based group activities, handicrafts classes, Chinese language classes, and dormitory painting, SmiLe Team also visited families and institutions to understand better how the institutions work, what their needs are, and the background of the children. By becoming familiar with the children’s situations and needs, the team members were able to design activities better. During the service period, the team got together every evening to reflect on the activities they had organized and participated in on the day. On the one hand, through reflection, team members developed their critical thinking abilities and became more observant towards the process of teamwork, various social issues and the world surrounding them. On the other hand, the team members were able to review the process of the activities they had done on that day and rehearse for the activities they prepared for the next day.
Since the establishment of the Service-Learning Section in August 2014, the staff have devoted themselves to developing service programs which are based on local demands. The Section received a grant from the Ministry of Education in the category of University Social Responsibility (USR) to start a whole-person talent development program for children in the area of Dadu Mountain. The program connected elementary schools with junior high schools, non-profit organizations, and other community resources to create more possibilities for future talent development of the children and teenagers in the Dadu community. For the Service-Learning Section, developing new programs that involve social participation has been the main goal in recent years. With the new start of this overseas service project, the Service-Learning Section will continue to create new programs and expand its collaboration with local and international communities.
The SmiLe Team visit families accompanied by representatives from local NPOs.
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