By Lulu Zhou | Higher Education Program Associate
Dear all,
Hope all is well! It is the middle of the second semester at the GED program of BEAM, and our students and teachers have finished many academic and extracurricular activities. We would like to share some updates here. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. Thank you very much for your time, interest, and support!
1. BEAM Background
BEAM Education Foundation (BEAM) was founded in January 2010 as a registered non-profit educational foundation to respond to rising educational needs of migrants and refugee youth living in Thailand, most of who are from Myanmar. Currently, Thailand is hosting about 3 million migrants from Myanmar, which comprise 4-5% of the total population of Thailand, with a much higher proportion found in northern cities like Chiang Mai. This population makes significant contributions to the Thai economy by working in agricultural, industrial, and service sectors. 65 percent of this population is between the ages of 18 to 25, and they are mostly from rural communities of Myanmar. Due to their status as migrant workers, which is oftentimes a tenuous legal status, there are many barriers for migrants to access to social services including education.
BEAM envisions local, people-oriented, peaceful, and developed communities in Myanmar and Thailand, which can be sustained by empowering local communities through comprehensive education. In past 8 years, BEAM experienced and proved that migrant youth are highly potential to be leaders for bringing positive change in communities along border areas in where people are more marginalized and received limited opportunities for development.
2. GED Program for Higher Education
BEAM has implemented the GED Program as part of the Higher Education Preparation and Community Young Leaders Development Program. This program is designed to provide migrants and border youth with a classroom for pursuing accredited education, professional development training, research training, internship and community impact projects, and an ASEAN youth network. BEAM has seven years of experience in training youth for pursuing higher education, professional development, building professional networks, and empowering them to engage in community service.
The GED (General Education Development) program, an American-based and internationally recognized non-formal high school diploma course, allows students without a formal education background to receive an official high school diploma which is required for accessing tertiary education. All courses are taught by native English speakers to effectively prepare students for their exams. There are four test subjects: Reasoning through Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science.
3. Teaching Activities
The second semester at BEAM's GED program runs from September 9th to December 19th. BEAM’s curriculum has been using a student-centered teaching approach with connected topics covered in class to real world situations, as this is important for the students’ overall comprehension and retention. This also gives students not just a theoretical understanding of each lesson, but also knowledge of its practical application. All teachers give homework assignments and assign projects to encourage independent study.
BEAM’s GED students demonstrate the basis of a democratic environment where participants co-operate, respect each other, work together, look for and provide support in the learning process, establish rules of behavior, and continuously work to improve themselves and their learning community. Teachers and students are encouraged to try out strategies that promote democratic behavior in safe spaces.
The GED teachers include David Friedberg (Social Studies), David Lucero (Math), Alan Tin-Win (Science), Charles Turner (Social Studies), and Lulu Zhou (Reasoning through Language Arts). There are also extra support classes taught by volunteers from Chiang Mai International Rotary, such as English classes and public speaking and debate classes. Teachers bring the acquisition of knowledge about different countries and cultures around the world, thus fostering cross-cultural exchange and international peace and understanding.
This semester, Daniel Mitterhoff (Professor of Social Sciences at Khon Kaen University) started teaching a college-prep class called “Mekon Region History, Politics and Society,” in which students learn more about their home region as well as advanced English. In this class, students will write a 7-10 page paper about a specific topic in the Southeast Asia region (categories include traditions, languages, religions, environment, education, etc)
3. Extracurricular Activities
Participation in the Thai Language and Culture Exchange Project with Maejo University
The Thai Language and Culture Exchange project is part of BEAM’s Culture, Home, Abroad, and Transition (C.H.A.T.) Program. It aims to promote social cohesion among multicultural communities in Chiang Mai by increasing awareness of diverse cultures and communications between Thai and Non-Thai communities. A few of our GED students participated in the project, in which students from Maejo University taught Thai to BEAM students. The activities took place at both Maejo University and BEAM. Collaboratively, students exchanged cultures, ideas and friendships.
Visit at EarthRights International
In early October, Lulu Zhou (language arts teacher) and half of GED students visited EarthRights International’s office, in which students of the EarthRights School presented field research about environmental issues in the Southeast Asian region. EarthRights International is an international NGO that focuses on the power of law and the power of people in defense of Earth rights. Our students participated as an active, engaged audience and learned about the importance of local empowerment and leadership with regard to environmental issues. Students of the EarthRights School are role models for BEAM students, who aspire to contribute to community development as community leaders of the future.
Visit at Three Kings Monument and Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre
In mid-October, Linda (an extra-class English teacher), Lulu and half of GED students visited the museum to learn more about Chiang Mai’s history as part of students’ activity in Linda’s class. Students wrote reflections and shared presentations about their learning afterward. One of the most famous attractions in Chiang Mai, the Three Kings Monument shows the three Kings (King Mengrai, the founder of Chiang Mai; King Ramkamhaeng of Sukothai; and King Ngam Muang of Payao) in bronze; they were the monarchs who founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296.
Participation in BEAM’s 2019 Youth Conference
The BEAM/JUMP! Youth Leadership Program "Youth Action and Green Action" is a three-day (Nov 1-3, 2019) project, which aims to provide a space for Thai national, Thai ethnic, and Myanmar youth to work together and collaborate on tackling environmental issues. Participants will gain greater knowledge of the ASEAN Region as well as improve their critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills. A majority of the GED students will participate in this conference. Facilitators of the conference include both our GED alumni and current students. We will share the updates of the Youth Conference next time, but here is the link to last year's Youth Conference for your reference.
Links:
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