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Program dates:
August 1-10, 2024
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Program length:
10 days
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Cost:
¥120,000 + airfare (est. ~¥50,000)
About program costs
Online info session
Attend our online information session on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024, 7:30pm JST
to learn more about our upcoming program in Thailand.
Crisis in Myanmar: Politics, Civil Society, Culture, Health
Better understand the world and ourselves by getting close to an actual event and meeting people involved in it. This 10-day study program brings together university students from Myanmar and Japan to explore the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, caused by the military takeover of that country's democratic government in February 2021.
I really had a lot to learn during this trip, and I’m sure this experience will be a very important one for the rest of my life!!
What we do to create a deeper learning experience
Understanding begins with experiences and human contacts that would be difficult to achieve if simply traveling alone, with friends or with a tour group
- Meet with those whose lives have been totally disrupted by the military action and have been forced to flee
- Speak with non-profit founders who support refugees and political change
- Discuss Thai and Myanmar politics with academic experts from Chulalongkorn University and Chiang Mai University
- Visit inspiring health clinics and schools that resourcefully serve undocumented refugees
- Travel with students whose education and career prospects have been disrupted by the military coup
How to prepare
Our participants bring the following tools to maximize their learning experience
- An open, inquiring mind
- Some reading and other preparation beforehand
- Enough English to communicate effectively, as it is our only common language within our group and among those with whom we meet. (Note: Perfect English isn’t required but enough to understand and to be understood—and the bravery required to use it.)
Joining this program was perhaps one of the best decisions I made in life. It gave me a new way of looking at things and understanding all kinds of things.
Upcoming Program Highlights
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Learning from non-profit founders
Learn from the founders of successful non-profit organizations (NPOs) including Daniel Siegfried of Child's Dream and Dr. Cynthia Maung of the famous Mae Tao Clinic at the border of Thailand and Myanmar.
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Discussing with prominent academics
Discuss current issues in Thai and Myanmar politics with prominent academics such as Prof. Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University and Professor Chayan Vaddhanaphuti of Chiang Mai University.
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Connecting with displaced youth
Connect with displaced / migrant / refugee high school and college-age youth who are attending innovative schools such as BEAM in Chiang Mai and the CDC School and Minmahaw School in Mae Sot.
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Exploring remote villages
Exploring remote villages in the Thai countryside where ethnic minorities invite eco-tourists to share their culture and crafts.
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Touring cultural sites
Tour the important cultural and religious sites of Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
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Reflecting with participants
Our activities will be interspersed with group reflection sessions so we can process and share what we've seen and learned.
