Taking Action
On the CIEE-Khon Kaen (Thailand) study abroad program, students learn about issues surrounding food security, land and water rights, urban development, gender/sexuality, agriculture, HIV/AIDS, and spirituality. During the program, students study selected topics relevant to the semester’s theme and spend time directly interacting with the people at the forefront of these issues.
In the last few weeks of the program, students conduct projects that leverage the skills and relationships that they have developed over the course of the program. Some projects involve more intensive research in a particular area of interest, while others reflect on the themes studied during the semester as a whole. While some students choose to do invidual projects, others work collectively as a group, producing publications such as those in the
Common Ground series.
The following links highlight past and current student projects. As a way to connect students work from one semester to the next, project continuation is highly encouraged for new students.
Common Ground
Perspectives, the student magazine of the CIEE Study Center in Khon Kaen, Thailand, began as a newspaper in 2000. It was created by CIEE students enrolled in the journalism track of the CIEE Thailand Literature course. In 2003,
Perspectives evolved from a class newspaper to the magazine it is today. Each volume documents experiences of both CIEE students and the Thai people they meet and befriend along the way, and the serious issues that Thais are living with on a daily basis. It is no longer a class requirement, but a way for students to collect and publish their research compiled during their time on the program. In 2005 the name of the publication
Perspectives changed to
Common Ground.
Mindful Consumption
We are living a life that is currently unsustainable. In order to address this issue, CIEE Fall 2007 student Adam White compiled a comprehensive overview about consumption in the form of a magazine. The goals of this magazine are to raise awareness about waste issues and to provide alternatives to excessive consumption.
Mindful Consumption is available for download in its entirety as a PDF file,
here (23 MB), as well as in sections online,
here.
Fair Trade Jasmine Rice
Grains of Change: The People's Voice (Fall 2005)
Join Fall 2005 student Carolyn Barnwell as she journeys through northeastern Thailand to visit with farmers who are practicing Fair Trade, organic, sustainable agriculture. Learn how putting people at the center of trade benefits the farmers' families and communities, their way of life, and their environment as well as the health and well-being of consumers.
Click here to launch the video.
Reaping the Harvest: Farmers, Fair Trade and Community Empowerment, by Robin DeCook, Fall 2005
Jasmine Rice Market Research by Suzy Keppelman, 2004
Jasmine Rice Overview by Meredith Maller, Fall 2003
See also ENGAGE's
Fair Trade Rice Media, Research, and Publications page as well as the
Fair Trade Jasmine Rice Organizer Materials page.
Toolkit for Social Change and Community Organizing
Toolkit for Social Change: How to Approach Communities and Volunteer Wisely (Fall 2005)
This toolkit offers ideas and information for taking action on global issues by volunteering responsibly and productive approaches for collaborating with communities. A good resource for general community organizing and volunteering tips, it also has sections focusing specifically on Education, Urban Poverty, Transgender Issues, and Free Trade Agreements.
Service Learning
Service Learning Project and Template: Building Bridges Between Schools and Their Communities, by Cash Nigro, Fall 2005
Coming Soon!
Check back for Project materials on the following topic areas:
Land Rights and Potash Mining
Water Rights
Student Dispatches
This is a new section that ENGAGE is trying out on this website. As study abroad students learn about new issues and meet with community-based organizations and stakeholders, they can provide "on-the-ground" updates to others working on these issues.
This section features these "dispatches," as available. At this time, they are from students participating on the CIEE-Khon Kaen (Thailand) study abroad program.
