2011 Program Schedule
November 20, Sunday. Burmese students depart Yangon, Japanese students depart Narita. All meet in evening at Asia Hotel, Bangkok.
November 21, Monday. Orientation. To Klong Toey slum for briefing on social services to slum dwellers by staff of Duang Prateep Foundation; walking exploration of area with staff. Afternoon session at Chulalongkorn University on civil society and students’ involvement.
November 22, Tuesday. Late-morning flight to Chiang Mai. Lunch, followed by briefing on Chiang Mai by Nick Egert, former volunteer and now Chiang Mai resident. Individual/team scavenger hunt around Chiang Mai followed by group meeting with individual reports.
November 23 Wednesday. (tentative) Briefing by staff of Earthrights International on its work to protect the land. Late-afternoon discussion of women’s concerns (especially trafficking) by staff of We Women. Meeting with Kyaw Kyaw Min Htut, founder of BEAM (Bridging Educational Access for Migrants) and with his students—Burmese refugee/migrant young people working in Thailand and pursuing the additional education required for entrance to a Thai university.
November 24, Thursday. Morning meeting with staff involved in Dag Hammarskjold’s work to bring long-term, holistic and visionary thinking on the future of the region. Followed by talk by Brett Tan, UN consultant, on sustainable development. We then travel to Chiang Dao mountain, about 90 km. north of Chiang Mai, to the training center headed by Nikom Putta, famed Ashoka Fellow and leader of a movement for forest and watershed conservation. We meet with Nikom, hear the story of his movement and stay overnight at training center.
November 25, Friday. Morning tour to a set of ethnic villages very near the Thai-Myanmar border; Nikom Putta will arrange for visit in family homes. Afternoon at Network for Environmental and Economic Development; we visit NEED’s farm and training center which brings promising young people from farm families all over Myanmar for a one-year training program in sustainable agriculture.
November 26, Saturday. Final reflection session in morning. Afternoon free. Final group dinner. Japanese participants take late-evening flight to Bangkok airport and stay overnight in nearby hotel.
November 27, Sunday. Myanmar students depart Chiang Mai on mid-day flight for Bangkok Airport. Japanese students leave on late morning flight for Tokyo.
This schedule is subject to minor changes.