Education Thailand Project #32133

Empower 20 Young Changemakers from Myanmar

by BEAM Education Foundation

Empower 20 Young Changemakers from Myanmar

Project Report | Jan 22, 2019
Check-in with our Changemakers 2019

By Alta Alonzi | Program Associate

Some current past CSIP students as facilitators

Thank you for continuing to support BEAM’s Community Service Internship Program!

“Thank you so much for giving me a great opportunity to continue being a part of the Community Service Internship Program and for your support of past semester” -- Chen

Another year has gone by but our students are still as hard-working as ever. Our current four scholarship recipients finished their final exams last month and are now back for another semester of study and service. Here is what they have been up to since our last report.

Su Myat, 3^rd year studying Social Science at Chiang Mai University while interning at BEAM's CHAT Program Language Classes
Thel Thel, 2^nd year studying Social Science at Chiang Mai University while interning at Starfish Homes
Chen, 2^nd year studying English for Communication at Chiang Mai Rajabhat University while interning for Shan Youth Power and SEED Learning Center
We Hkawng, 2^nd year studying IT at Payap University while interning at BEAM's Higher Education Program

Leadership

In November of last year three of our current scholarship students as well as past recipients volunteered two of their weekends to work at the BEAM/JUMP! Youth Leadership Conference. There they took charge of break-out sessions, lead small groups, and fostered growth and cross-cultural communications between students from very different backgrounds and languages. It was a lot of work, but our students really stepped up to the challenge and were excellent role models to all participants. And as you can see from the image above, they were able to have fun as well!

To learn more about the Youth Leadership Conference, visit: http://beamedu.org/2018-youth-leadership-conference-recap/

Our students also honed their leadership skills in other ways outside the classroom. Su Myat engaged in may activities ranging from visiting local small businesses to learn about entrepreneurship, to attending cultural activities, to providing health education training in rural communities. Chen also kept busy at numerous extracurricular events as a participant, organizer, and translator.

School

Despite extra classes, work, and internships, every semester our students never fail to impress us with their academic success. All of our students are maintaining a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA.

Su Myat has been able to improve her grades every single semester. She is very proud (and we are proud for her!) of improving her grades yet again this past exam cycle. Thel Thel struggled with her classes Contemporary Theories in Social Science and Economics for Everyday Life. Fortunately, she has some very kind seniors willing to help her prepare for her exams. Chen also had difficulty with his Thinking and Decision-Making class which turned out to be more mathematics-heavy than he bargained for. But some hard work and late-night studying paid off in the end.

Work

Chen at work teaching Thai language to Burmese students.

This past semester, all of our students competed their 100 hours of service at their respective internships. Their supervisors only had great things to say about them, and fortunately the feeling was mutual!

Chen, working at SEED learning center:

“By doing internship there I learned to be a patient person. I learned not only to be a good teacher who is always can be relied on but also to be a good friend for students.”

Thel Thel, on her work with Starfish Home:

“I had to make my own lesson plan and taught students how to speak English with their friends or partners. I learnt many things from this internship, and I was exceedingly delighted to make a contribution my knowledge and skill to children by helping with their studies.”

Su Myat, sharing her experience at BEAM’s CHAT program:

“I really happy this internship because I got a lot of experiences by teaching these Shan children.”

We Hkawng, giving his take on working at BEAM:

“The last semester internship with BEAM was really fun and I have gained a lot of new experiences which will be very useful for my future careers. Thank you again for providing this internship scholarship again in this semester.”

Future plans

All of our current scholarship students have elected to sign up for another 100 hours of service this coming semester as well. Most of the CSIP students in coming this semester will continue interning with the same organization since those organizations see the benefits from working with our CSIP students and gain a lot of knowledge and experience through this internship. Some even have plans to volunteer over the summer break as well!

All our students have set goals for themselves to continue working hard to develop themselves and their communities for this semester and beyond as they continue pursuing their education, professional goals, and leadership experience. We wish them all the best!

“I will try my best more and more with your support. Thank you very much.” -- Su Myat

From all of us at BEAM, thank you for your continued support! We are so proud of the work our students have accomplished and look forward to sharing their continued growth with you.

Peter and Thel Thel leading a small group activity

Chen at work teaching Thai to Burmese speakers

Su Myat working with her Shan students

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Oct 25, 2018
Congratulations to Our New CSIP Recipients!

By Alta Alonzi | Program Associate

Su presenting at a youth conference

Hello generous BEAM Supporters!

Thank you for your continued interest in supporting youth, community service, and education with BEAM's Community Service Internship Program!

After a competative application process, BEAM selected 4 university students into the CSIP program for the first semester 2018-19 academic year. While it was difficult to turn away some impressive applicants, we are excited to work with our new group of highly motivated students who are passionate in furthering their own education while also helping in their communities. Every penny of your donations through GlobalGiving goes to scholarships for these deserving students.

Here are this semster's CSIP Scholarship Recipients:

Chen continues his internship service as an English teacher at SYP/SEED Learning Center and Thai Language teacher at BEAM. Chen shares his expectations from the internship with SYP/SEED:

“Through this program, I hope to share my knowledge and also gain skills in leadership and cross-cultural communication. I will learn how organizations can help communities, manage their programs, and collaborate with other organizations to achieve their goals.”

Thel Thel currently interns as an assistant teacher at Starfish Country Home School Foundation (SCHSF). Thel Thel shares her expectations from the internship with SCHSF:

“I really love working with children. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and happiness with others, so I am especially excited to assist children with their studies, do activities with them, as well as work on their physical and mental development. I am sure that this internship will broaden my social skills, build team work, and improve my self-development in many other ways as well.”

Su currently interns as a Burmese language teacher with BEAM’s Culture Home Abroad Transition (C.H.A.T) program. Su shares her expectations from the internship with C.H.A.T:

“I am excited to be working with young students at BEAM. Being a teacher for children and youth is a new experience for me, but I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and teaching ethnic youth about Burmese language and culture.”

We Hkawng currently interns as an assistant for Higher Education Program. We Hkawng shares his expectations from the internship with BEAM:

“BEAM is where I was able to start my dream of getting accepted to university, so I am grateful for this chance to give back. I hope to use my IT knowledge to do technical work like digitizing exams and updating the BEAM website. I also want to gain experience teaching subjects like math and science.”

From all of us at BEAM, thank you for your continued support! We are so proud of the work our students have accomplished and look forward to sharing their continued growth with you.

Learn more about our students.

Click here to stay updated on future BEAM projects (click subscribe in the upper left-hand corner to receive our quarterly newsletter).

With gratitude,
BEAM Education Foundation

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Aug 2, 2018
CSIP Program Student Highlights Spring 2018

By Rebekka Flam | Higher Education Program Associate

MAP Foundation Community Development Project

Thank you for continuing to support BEAM’s Community Service Internship Program!

4 university students completed their internships during the spring 2018 semester. They volunteered at Shan Youth Power, Seed Learning Center, MAP Foundation, and BEAM Education Foundation. Internships were completed both in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot, Thailand.

We are currently interviewing and selecting our interns for the fall 2018 semester. The funding we have raised through GlobalGiving will directly support partial scholarships for a handful of students. Thank you for your generous contribution! The more funding we raise, the more students we can support in their efforts to continue their education and help their communities.

Community Service Internship Program Spring Highlights

Chen

Chen interned at Shan Youth Power as a volunteer English teacher. He taught migrant children in the construction camps where many grow up in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Chen’s internship has had a significant impact on him and he plans to continue volunteering with SYP in the future.

“My responsibilities include teaching, preparing lesson plans, and guiding students to be good for their families and communities. Another important thing is giving them encouragement to value studying and becoming educated people.

By having these responsibilities, I know that teaching is not easy. I have to be patient. I have to be creative. I learned how to be a good teacher and how to persuade the students to become interested in their studies. I think persuading the children to come and study is most challenging because all of the students attend school during the day already and then they have to come to extra class in the evening. Sometimes I can see that they feel tired and bored.

So I have to find a way to create various kinds of activities. I find a lesson where we learn new vocabulary through songs. Sometimes I bring a guitar and sing songs with them, play fun games, and tell them short stories.”

Thel Thel

Thel Thel spent her semester interning with MAP Foundation in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot as a translator and writer. She helped collect information about women’s health and wrote about MAP’s events for migrant women and children.

“CSIP is such a splendid opportunity for university students to get new experiences and knowledge. It’s is win-win situation and students can study and work at the same time. They can gain knowledge not only from inside university but also outside by interning with an organization.”

Peter

Peter interned at BEAM as an assistant for the Higher Education Program. He helped digitize GED curriculum, create online exams, and organize data.

“I enjoyed my internship because I got the chance to give back to BEAM, one of the most valuable and helpful foundations in my life. During my internship, I learned how to keep and maintain data and how to be a good community service member within an organization. I would like to thank CSIP and Sayar Wai Phyo Aung, my supervisor at BEAM, for this great opportunity and unforgettable experience.”

Awn Khay

Awn Khay interned at Shan Youth Power and SEED Learning Center as a language teacher. Like Chen, he plans to continue volunteering in the upcoming semester.

“As an intern, I’m not just teaching; SYP/SEED also trains and guides me in communication, planning, and interacting skills. I have learned how to organize my time and people and how to teach and interact with children. I also improved my communication from our weekly meetings at SYP/SEED and I learned about the organizational process and allocation of people at my work. By teaching and sharing knowledge, I have gained more experiences and improved in many skills.”

From all of us at BEAM, thank you for your continued support! We are so proud of the work our interns have accomplished and look forward to seeing their growth.

Click here to stay updated on future BEAM projects (click subscribe in the upper left-hand corner to receive our quarterly newsletter).

With gratitude,
BEAM Education Foundation

Thel Thel and her team in Mae Sot

Peter digitizing data at BEAM

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