Train Leaders in Asia for Peace and Sustainability

Dear Kind Supporters and Donors,

We want to thank you first for supporting this project, which works to cultivate strong young leaders in Asia. We feel that giving personalized and ongoing support is the most powerful and effective way to nurture leaders with integrity in a time of crisis. In the context of unbelievable levels of state violence, environmental destruction, and huge inequality, the young leaders you have generously supported over the years make us feel profoundly hopeful. 

Thanks for your contributions on July Bonus Day, we received $3,500 including $400 of matching fundswhich GlobalGiving generously adds in. It is a big help for us as we are heading to the 10^th year of the annual three-month SENS program. Your support going forward will enable us to bring more extraordinary leaders to the 2025 program and strengthen the network of SENS alumni contributing to the regional movement for justice and sustainability. 

 At the beginning of July, our Director (Ted Mayer) visited SENS alumni in Vietnam for a period of 10 days. For me, as an alumnus of the SENS program, welcoming and accompanying him on a part of his journey was truly heart-warming. In the first two days in Southern Vietnam, I took Ted and two Vietnamese SENS alumni to meet with my family. Traveling and spending time with them reminded me of the caring and trusting relationships we aim to create in the SENS program. On those days, we had a chance to sit down and offer each other Co-Counseling sessions, which is the core practice we use to build our connection. Believing in the healing power of genuine attention through deep listening with respect, I had already been organizing a weekly meeting with two other SENS students to practice Co-Counseling. These sessions helped me to overcome the tiredness of my daily workload and also deepen our trusting relationships. Ultimately they allowed each of us to do our work and follow our own path more confidently. 

In the second half of Ted’s journey, in Central Vietnam, I felt hopeful as I watched online photos and chats as he visited SENS alumni in Da Nang and Hue. Ted accompanied Chau (nickname), a SENS 2023 alumnus, to a small and remote village in a mountainous area outside of Hue. There she has organized a summer program with a focus on plastic and its negative impacts on the environment for school students who have much more limited access to quality English classes and extracurricular activities than do children in urban areas. Chau has also done an amazing job of gathering together a team to assist her, including Duyen (nickname), a tutor from SENS 2023 and a volunteer in Chau’s program. I felt impressed when I witnessed them from a distance working hand in hand while inviting more young Vietnamese English teachers to put on a progressive program. I feel so grateful to all of you when I realize that our SENS students can go that far in large part because of your kind donations. 

Returning to our work in Thailand, we are nearly ready for our second annual Mae Sot program for Myanmar teachers in collaboration with Civic Engagement 4.0 of Chulalongkorn University. The Mae Sot program aims to create a stronger network of Myanmar teachers who are living and teaching in exile in Mae Sot, Thailand. It provides them a chance to meet in person, interact, and exchange experiences in their teaching career. We have just finished interviewing the applicants for the program. As we meet and talk with them, what strikes me most is that despite all the obstacles to practicing their profession in a new country and the uncertainty of living in a neighboring country, they exhibit a powerful desire for knowledge, seriousness about the future of Myanmar and migrant education, and a love for the migrant students.

In the chaos of broken politics, the domination of major powers in the international system, and the destructive decisions of leaders in many places across the globe, we need a new kind of leadership. We feel the necessity of new generations of leaders who can lead with compassion, orient themselves to people’s needs, and take constructive action. It is a huge inspiration for us knowing that you are with us in this journey of nurturing young leaders. 

Thank you for reading this report. And thank you for your companionship in this work. We would be glad if you could share this report and/or talk about our work with your friends and family.

With deep gratitude,

Au, SENS Program Assistant