By Julie Mesaros | International Volunteer Coordinator
One of the many strengths of the Safe Shelter Center program is the frequency of high quality vocational and life skills trainings provided to its young female residents. On a Saturday in late January, Center staff and residents gathered for their weekly meeting and to do relationship and confidence building exercises with the guidance of the Center director, Ms. Puangthong Takan. At the meeting, Ms. Takan and the assistant director distributed clothes and shoes to each of the girls, asked for their input on the upcoming week’s menu for meals at the Center, and encouraged discussion of anything the girls needed to talk about.
Each of the girls was grateful to receive a variety of clothes and a pair of shoes, which they got to try on and pass around until somebody found a good fit. While Ms. Takan handed out shirts, jackets, warm hats, pants, sweaters, and sweatshirts, – it’s chilly in northern Thailand in January! – she reminded the girls to appreciate what they have and she talked with them about what is appropriate to wear in different situations. After the excitement about receiving some new things settled, Ms. Takan turned to the topic of relationship and confidence building.
Ms. Takan spoke first about the importance of listening and the value of an individual voice. She asked the girls to close their eyes and think about people and things that have made a positive impression on them and about their future aspirations. After a few minutes of meditation, Ms. Takan had them pair up and take turns to share what had come to mind. She guided them to listen wholeheartedly and to accept whatever their partners would say. The pairs then joined up to make groups of four and each person shared with group mates what her partner had said. Once everyone had their turn to speak, a representative from each group stood up and recapped the stories told by group members. Ms. Takan talked with the whole group further about how to be a good listener and emphasized that each individual has the right to be heard and for her voice to be valued and counted.
On February 14th, celebrated in some parts of the world as Valentine’s Day, the Center held an all-day workshop about safe sex and healthy relationships for the residents and girls from a neighboring village. A leadership and life skills training group called “Do Good and Be Joyful” came to conduct a range of serious and fun activities. The group regularly conducts leadership camps and skill- and knowledge-building workshops for the Center residents and other at-risk children in the Chiang Khong area. Participants were warmly interactive with the workshop staff, Ms. Takan, a DEPDC/GMS international staff member, and with each other. They were engaged to think about and reflect on topics of healthy relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, condom use, and confidence building.
The girls especially enjoyed talking about personal relationships and the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships. They first split into groups of four to discuss and collaborate to make lists of both positive and negative relationship behaviors. Each group came up with long lists of thoughtful examples and then took turns to share with the other groups. Listeners were asked to say whether they agreed or disagreed with the examples their peers gave. Lively discussions and even a few debates took place, as all participants had a chance to give feedback and to reflect further on their own experiences.
The workshop wrapped up with a discussion of safe sex practices and a demonstration of condom use. Presenters spoke candidly about the dangers of unprotected sex, showed examples of male and female condoms, and talked about alternative birth control methods. They demonstrated how to open a male condom package and put it on a wooden replica. Then each participant had a try to do it herself. Many of the girls later reflected that this helped them to feel more confident about safe sex practices.
As with all of the essential services and activities at the M-CRP Center in Chiang Khong, these workshops aim to lift the children up day by day and put them in a better position for the future. This is not only to avoid becoming a victim of human trafficking and labor exploitation, but to be able to envision a safe and healthy life and to have the means to attain it.
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