Service program

Service Program Service

Grade 6 Service Projects

G reetings from the 11 Little Ducklings and 1 Bush group! We are a sixth grade service group consisting of 12 members (Budh, Ren, En-laye, Keit, Hakao, Thunwa, Haru, Sally, Pat, Tatar, Raffi, and Minnie). Our project was to raise funds to purchase educational equipment to donate to Baan Nok Kamin Foundation - an orphanage.

Our experience at the orphanage can be described in one word: Rewarding. Since our school greatly cares about outside communities and would always be happy to lend a helping hand, our group felt a feeling of immense pride to be participating in a project which will not only make an impact to society, but also people’s lives as a whole.

Our group has met our fair share of problems regarding teamwork and communication. But out of conflict, a new and better hope always arises. However young you are, please remember that age doesn't matter; Not everyone can change our life, but we can change everyone’s lives!

Hi, our service group is called PPICKS, and for part of our G6 Service Project, we interviewed Khun Alongkot, who is the Director of Thai Elephant Research and Conservation, and an expert of marine life, and Khun Alex, founder of EEC camp, Khun Van and lastly Khun Dream. They gave us lots of information about the oral and why it is a very important part of the marine ecosystem.

Following this, we went to Samaesan, an island in Thailand that is known as the island with crystal clear water to be filled with corals. There we met Doctor Apple, who planned activities for us, such as cleaning the coral, and removing algae off snails that help clean the coral. We arrived on the day that the coral eggs are starting to hatch. The hatching of coral eggs is a one day a year opportunity, and it won’t happen again all year. We not only learned more about the growth of corals, but also helped care for them. This opportunity was very special because a new generation of corals will grow into a beautiful reef, and we got to take part in that.

Even though going to Samaesan is a small action for the whole world, it surely reflects back to the community. We believe that the action we have done in Samaesan will give us wonderful and great inspiration to continue raising awareness of coral reef conservation.

Sureen, Prim, Plus, Katie, Candy and Ivy - Grade 6

Grade 7 Service Projects

Hello, we are IngIng, Diya, Leeya, Becky, and Tora. Our first service project this semester was to pick up trash then sell it at Recycle Day which is a recycling company that pays you for recycling. We then used that money to buy dog food to give to the dogs at the dog shelter. In this service project, the SDG that we targeted was Life on Land and Life Underwater. We also targeted the dog shelter community as well as the people who use the beach. We feel that this service project has helped us empathize more with the plight of shelter dogs and their living conditions.

Hello, we are from G7D,7I, and 7C. Our members are Kimmie, Ami, Proud, and Jane. Our main idea was to be able to help the children at มูลนิธิเด็กอ่อนในสลัม

คลองเตย.

Our Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was Quality education. Our project included collecting money to buy items that we then donated, such as books, toys, and clothes that are good in condition. This service project made us feel that we are so lucky to have a good life and that we should be grateful in everything we have and to help others in need because it doesn't hurt us to help others to have a good life too; in fact it made us feel happier, too.

Sincerely,

Kimmie, Ami, Proud, and Jane

Grade 8 Service Projects

Hello! We are Cheeno and friends, for our service project we chose to spread awareness to help soi dogs. We created a social media account to help spread awareness and information about the issue. We want to promote the foundations of the donations to soi dogs, since not only are the soi dogs more vulnerable to danger which could lead to the extinction of some dog breeds, but the soi dogs could also harm us humans. As one of the most intelligent species on Earth, we humans should protect animals and nature, so that we could protect ourselves too. Even though for our service project, due to the change in plans, we were unable to raise the funds we needed, we were still able to raise awareness of how this seemingly unimportant issue may actually be quite significant. We hope that more individuals will be willing to lend a hand and raise awareness of this problem so that we can all work together to hopefully find shelter for soi dogs and "remove the 'soi' from soi dogs".

- Finn, Earn, Cheeno, Imboon

We are called the MPPR group and for our first-semester service project, we decided to donate old books and toys to an orphanage in Thailand. By doing this, the kids in the orphanage will be able to have access to more resources for their learning and will be able to gain more knowledge over time.

The books and toys that we no longer use or play with will also become of use to other people, and not go to waste. The kids there can also play with new toys and have fun. We hope that this project will improve most of the kids’ childhood experiences.

- Proud, Rika, Mark, Peppo

Grade 9 Service Projects

Building a Sustainable Future: Helping a Community in Need in Northern Thailand

For people to work efficiently in their daily lives, one must have a safe and healthy environment to live in. As students of Concordian we are lucky to have been born in amazing families with opportunities to express ourselves, to have people that support us in our studies and daily lives. Our service learning project's main objective is to support a sustainable community for people who are struggling to live their lives in the countryside. We have targeted a location in a small province in the north of Thailand known as Nan province. Currently, the wildlife population has dramatically decreased, to the extent that some species are no longer in the area and the people who relied on the forest to provide their necessities were forced to leave. Their lives have undergone huge changes as a result. Our community contact has guided us towards this community and we are working with them to provide assistance, both monetary and in the form of our labor to help them achieve their goal of sustainably expanding their community housing. Concordian as a community is able to make a huge impact on their lives, the outside community needs our help and I believe their lives can have a drastic improvement from our help.

- Ken G9D

Bringing Clean Water to Communities: The Power of Homemade Water Filters

Our group has been conducting research into the topic of homemade water filters and how teaching others the benefits of water filtration can help communities. Our plan is to educate members of a select community on the effects that unfiltered water can have on their health and how to make a homemade water filter with inexpensive and readily available items. Our project is linked to SDG 6 access to clean water. Each group member will make their own website to document our water filter related findings and a guide or a video detailing the creation of each of our water filters.

- Joe G9D

Inspiring the Next Generation of Changemakers: Empowering Students to Make a Difference Through Service

In general, students do not take service very seriously and tend to disregard its significance compared to the things that appear on their report card. Consequently, for my service-learning project I am collaborating with Mei to encourage, inform and inspire Grade 6, 7, and 8 students to take service more seriously given its significant importance. The primary objective of this project is to collect accounts of exemplary service provided to the community by CIS students over the years. The focus will not only be on service-learning projects but also clubs and the independent efforts of individual students that have had a positive impact. By hosting a session in which we present students with examples of outstanding service projects from their seniors, as well as Mei's and my personal experiences going to the Blind School and other charities, we hope to inspire the younger grades, who look up to us, to take service as action more seriously. Furthermore, I anticipate that the influence of my project will be that students will have a general understanding regarding what can be done to continue making the community a better place for everyone.

- Bow G9S

Fueling Minds and Bodies: Improving Student Health and Wellness at Concordian International School

For this year’s independent service project, my collaborators and I are aiming to improve the health and well-being of the Concordian community. This goal will be achieved in two ways. The first will be through gathering research about why students are sometimes not making healthy choices during lunchtime, specifically why some students are choosing to omit the most nutritious elements of the meals and choosing the least nutritious options in terms of snacks. We aim to gather data about why students, who regularly eat fruits and vegetables at home, do not do so in school. Additionally, we will create eyecatching infographics and posters to inform the school community on various important elements of having healthy diets, including but not limited to benefits and different necessary nutrients. What inspired us to take action and strive for this goal is that we want to make the Concordian an even healthier community. We hope that through our project, more students will be aware of the foods they are consuming, and the benefits/ limitations of said foods and that the healthy lunch and snack options will become more desirable to students.

- Miki G9I

Fighting HIV/AIDS in Rural Thailand:

Raising Awareness and Providing Aid through Medical Technology

As we share a profound interest in medical technology, Sheen, Pote, Sophia and I joined forces for our service-project this year. We were captivated by the sheer amount of development in HIV research—and how far the curative methods have come. So, we decided that this independent project will focus on relaying known scientific facts about HIV and AIDS in Thailand to the community, with the goal of raising awareness about this prevalent issue and the struggles HIV patients face on a daily basis. This advocacy campaign will be run in tandem with a fundraising drive that will aim to buy medical gear/technology for a rural hospital that is affected by this issue. Through this service, I hope to contribute to bringing well-needed medical technology to a deprived area within Thailand and to be a voice for struggling citizens that need it the most.

- Henry G9C

Breaking Barriers: Promoting MUN in Thailand with BarrierMUN

This year for service I decided to work with an organization called BarrierMUN. One of my friends from G10 told me about it, as he is the founder. BarrierMUN is an organization which has the main goal of proliferating the activity of MUN in Thailand -- and through that, educate people on international affairs and promote interaction between students from different schools. Currently, for the most part, MUN is dominated by international schools, and there is little representation from Thai public schools -- or private ones for that matter. BarrierMUN aims to provide resources in Thai and English to those who are interested. Through close cooperation with individuals who aim to start clubs, we intend to set up webinars to ensure the best results for the students we work with. Ultimately, BarrierMUN has the intention of organizing a flagship conference, not only in English, but with ESL and Thai committees too. If you want to work with BarrierMUN, or just want to know more, feel free to check out our website: https://www.barriermun.org/.

- Burger G9I

MUN (Model United Nations)

In the middle of January, some of us attended Thammasat University Model United Nations. On the first day, we visited UNESCAP, which is an official UN location. We listened to a couple of keynote speakers which provided us with a lot of insight into the next day's events. The following weekend, we started the debate in our respective committees. I personally was in UNWOMEN where we had a lot of discussions regarding gender equality, current problems regarding gender equality in the Middle East, and the politicization of women's bodily autonomy. It was a great opportunity for me to open my eyes to a wider and more realistic world, and to better understand the current global problems.

MUN started off with a bang this year! Concordian hosted its first MUN conference on October 8-9, 2022, with more than 100 delegates from multiple international schools. Though we've encountered some obstacles along the way, the months-long planning was worth the joy we saw on the faces of every delegate. The MUN club also attended many other conferences such as TUMUN, BKKMUN, and HMCA! We are very proud of how much each delegate has achieved! BKKMUN was my first time chairing the Historical Security Council. It was utterly nerve-racking to say the least -- especially since I know nothing about history. However, the delegates were very enthusiastic and willing to engage with the topic at hand. New friendships were formed and old ones were rekindled. It was truly a wonderful experience collaborating with such amazing people!

This year, the MUN club has worked hard to create opportunities for the student body to learn more about international relations and current affairs while improving our debating skills. We started the year strong with our inaugural ConcordianMUN conference with over a hundred delegates from about a dozen schools. We were delighted to see this much in MUN after a long COVID-induced hiatus. As one of the first post-pandemic conferences, we tried out new techniques to make the activity even more interesting. Our talent show also served as another zestful opportunity for delegates to not only enjoy themselves but create lifelong friendships and exchange experiences. We have also been active in attending conferences. Delegates have gone as far and wide as Korea for conferences like Harvard Model Congress Asia and also attended national conferences like BKKMUN.

- Poj G10, Secretary of MUN Club

- Tin G11

- Anna G12, President of MUN Club

Food For All Club & G12 Service

We, Elia, Rose, Temmy, Dash, Deno, and the Food For All Club collaborated on a project to help the local Khlong Palad Priang School for the Children’s Day celebrations. The Food For All Club is responsible for raising funds for buying donations for the school that had around 150-200 students of ages 2-14. With this diverse range of children, we experienced a few hours of activities with extremely lively children, who were thankful for the donation they received and our presence as volunteers. Together with the Khlong Palad Priang students, we competed in games such as tug of war, relay, musical chairs, and others, not only bringing a smile to their faces, but to ours as well. In short, it has reminded us of our privileged lives and appreciating what we can get on a daily basis.

Special thanks to the teachers who supported us during the trip and to Rose who made 200 meals for the children.

Hear to Heart

On January 14-15, 2023, Hear to Heart Club members visited Elderly care Engrak Nursing Home Bearing. We engaged the elderly with painting activities that help stimulate fine motor skills, as well as taking part in their physical therapy sessions that are helpful for certain elderly people with Monoplegia (one limb paralysis) and neurological conditions like Dementia. Some elderly people had verbal difficulties as well, which allowed our members to learn patience when it came to caring for people with communication difficulties. Not only did we participate in their physical therapy session, but we also performed over 10 songs and encouraged them to sing & dance with us. We have also donated a 12,000 baht indoor bicycle that they can use to exercise every morning!

If you are interested in joining our club for future service activities like this, don't forget to sign up! We'll be happy to have you join us!

GAT Club

The GAT club (Geck'yo Act Together) serves to educate ourselves how to conserve wildlife and support our nation's conservation centers. On Saturday, February 11th, 2023. we went to the Wildlife Quarantine Center to support our nation's conservation centers.

As part of our trip here, we held a fundraiser to fund our donations of food for the animals. We held a bake sale at K Village where we sold cookies and croissants.

From this trip, we learned about each animal's diet and how to ration it. For example, the Binturongs ate bananas while the tigers' diet consisted of raw meat. Moreover, we learned about hygiene and sanitation, a much overlooked aspect in conserving animals. In order to better understand this, we had handson experience in cleaning the bears' and tigers' cages. Most importantly, we learnt about the importance of wild animal captivity here and how it is important.

It should be noted that most of these animals are not wild. For example, the tigers here were confiscated from private sectors. However, the monkeys held here once lived in the wild but repeatedly caused havoc in the city, therefore, they are unable to ever go back. These explanations justify the reason for the animals' captivity, although they are in cages they do have different aspects of their environment in it. For example, the jackals had sand while the Binturong's cage had a banana tree, and the otters had a moat for swimming, and rocks in the middle of their habitat.

Overall, the club was excited to visit the center and we learnt a lot from this educational trip.

Operation Smile Medical Mission

From February 5-8, 2023, members of the Concordian Operation Smile participated in the Operation smile medical mission at Phayao which provided 40 free surgeries to the underprivileged for cleft palates, scar burns, polydactyly and syndactyly. This is Operation Smile’s 90th Medical Mission and the first time ever to be operating in Phayao. We had the opportunity to explore multiple sections and parts of the medical mission and felt truly inspired by the patients there.

Sunday 5th February

We packed “smile bags” which included 9 essential items including tissue paper, comb, toothbrush, etc., to donate to the patients and their families. We also sewed colorful “nono arm bags” to prevent young patients from scratching their surgical wounds after surgery.

Monday 6th February

We were able to observe the screening process during the first half of the morning. Then, we decorated the patient ward with colorful shapes and banners to make the young patients feel more warm and comfortable before and after their surgery.

Tuesday 7th February

We handed out toys, stationery, and clothes to both Operation Smile patients and pediatric patients at Phayao hospital, the excitement and smiles on their faces showed us the positive impact it had on their wellbeing. We also had the chance to interview Dr. Apichai Angspatt, Medical Field Director Operation Smile Thailand, regarding his journey in medicine, and his 30 years of experience in Operation smile. Lastly, we wrote Thank you cards to the doctors, nurses, and volunteers that worked very hard to accomplish this medical mission.

The dedication, compassion, and expertise of its staff, volunteers, and supporters are an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the good that can be achieved when people come together to help those in need; achieving the “Gift of Smile”.

We hope more students are able to join this meaningful medical mission in the future!

Jinnie and Praew