NextGEN Empowerment Training for Ban Pao Youth

Chiangmai, Thailand. There are a number of our young people who are still unemployed after years of education. These youth are feeling failed by society and worthless. Besides those who are jobless, there are also young people who can’t find happiness and meaning in their work and lifestyle in the big city.

In Mae Jo village and Ban Pao sub-district, a number of young people have had to leave the city and come back to their home village. They are searching for alternatives. In addition to the graduates, students in colleges and universities are also starting to question what they will do after their graduation. Many of them don’t want to work and live in the city but what other choices are there for them? Although they want to live in their villages, what can they do?
The modern education system does not teach them how to live in their home village with their families. If they want to be a farmer like their family would their family accept that? If they want to live in their home villages, what work can they do and what is their place in village society? Mae Jo’s youth are searching for some answers.
NextGEN Empowerment Training is an alternative education as well as a social transformation movement. This training empowers the youth by helping them to recognize and realize their strength, beauty and intrinsic value as human beings.

It includes education in four major areas:
Social, Worldview, Economics and Ecology (Permaculture), following the guidelines of GEN’s Ecovillage Design Education.

The participants are taught Joanna Macy’s approach of Deep Ecology to guide them to build a deeper connection with nature and the Eco-Warrior spirit. The training is participatory and interactive between the participant and nature, with a holistic approach of the mind, heart, body and engaged spirituality.

NextGEN Empowerment Training, as a movement, facilitates collective wisdom from the youth participants of the training, to create a beautiful and positive identity for the next generation (NextGEN), increasing the likelihood of a beautiful and positive future for them. NextGEN ET also aims to build a strong network of community among the youth as it is a key factor in helping them maintain and continue to build up their strength.

Beneficiaries / Participants:
20 Youth in Ban Pao Sub-District. Age: 15-23 years old
Venue: Mae Jo village (Some sessions of the training will be held in Pun Pun Ecovillage, Panya Project and the forest.) Date: 18th-20th April, 2013

Objectives of the Training:
The youth will gain confidence and feel empowered.
The youth will have basic understanding of the 4 keys of sustainability (Social, Worldview, Ecology, and Economics).
By the end of the training, the youth will draw up an action plan for a youth led project in Ban Pao sub–district.
Mae Jo Youth group will be strengthened and a network of Ban Pao youth groups will be built.
To create a long-term plan to strengthen their group and support their actions.
The group will write a story reporting about the training and its outputs which will be posted on the Panya Project website.

Long-Term Plan for Sustainability:
Start up fund: by the end of the training the youth will come up with a viable activity plan in their village that will keep them learning; building leadership and other skills. We will have a small start up fund for them to implement their plan.
Mentors:
Thongbai, an elder in Mae Jo village who started this group and is supporting them;
Jo Jandai, an elder and founder of Pun Pun who also has been mentoring this youth group and Thongbai;
OmSunisa, a youth empowerment trainer who’s been supporting Thongbai and the youth.

The youth are under mentorship of:
Thongbai, an elder in Mae Jo village who started this group and is supporting them;
Jo Jandai, an elder and founder of Pun Pun who also has been mentoring this youth group and Thongbai;
OmSunisa, a youth empowerment trainer who’s been supporting Thongbai and the youth.

Long-term capacity building and other supports:
We are planning for more intensive courses and training for the youth, such as Permaculture in Practice, Community Organization, Facilitation Skills, etc. The Youth will identify what and when they would like to have for capacity building and to strengthen their group. There will be a reflection meeting to discuss this after three months of the training.
Facilitator: OmSunisa Jamwiset and two co-facilitators (Tom & Chai)
Resource persons/guest speakers:
Jo Jandai – Pun Pun
Panya People – Panya Project