Round Square Conference 2018
A LONG WEEKEND usually means a break from Friday to Monday. For us at CTM, this last weekend was a Loooong Weekend of incredible, impactful work, changes and progress!
Beginning FRIDAY (see previous post!), we went to the wholesale market to collect supplies for our communities; it was also the first delivery of 69 beds donated for distribution to needy folks to our partners at Mirror Foundation who have the space to store these beds.
SATURDAY: We had to MOVE our whole SHARITY SHOP supplies from our Home to our NEW shop LOCATION in upscale Thonglor! WATCH this SPACE for more on the opening and pics of the shop!
SUNDAY: With invaluable help from Patricia, Steven Maxim & Kenji, it took us about 5 hours to properly set everything up! You’ve got to come to appreciate this!! Ha!
MONDAY: If that wasn’t enough, we topped up our work weekend with CTM’s engagement in the ROUND SQUARE CONFERENCE 2018 community service project hosted by the Regent’s International School. . This was a major undertaking for CTM in planning the collaboration, logistics and activities involving more than 50 students from all over the world who arrived just a few days ago. We planned their activities with they’d work with about 90 children and teens from THREE different communities — the Emergency Home, the Thanksgiving Home and the House of Blessing!
We planned for the activities at each community. For the Homes (besides the TGH), we divided the students into three groups — where they would either work on facility upgrade, teach English or interact with the little kids.
At the House of Blessing, we had five students work on painting the institution’s Mushroom House – where they grow mushrooms, and later the concrete curbs of the driveway. Another five students focused on activities with the kids – action songs, games as well as the use of some CTM game resources – Twister, Bingo, Snakes and Ladders! – so glad we brought these! The last group of students worked with the teens and young men, teaching them English conversation.
At the Emergency Shelter: We had the students divided between installing metal grills to the 19 windows of the children’s bedroom, planting lemongrass stalks to keep away mozzies and a team under our artistic pre-school expert Pat who engaged the kids with art and games.
The Thanksgiving Home attracted the most students –with a total of 22 students and 4 teachers – who were treated to first a performance of magic and music by the Home, then they worked to make an awesome Thai lunch of chicken steak, somtam & sticky rice which they then all enjoyed lunching on together. After this, everyone packed in to the vans for a short ride to the pier, where they went on a boat to Koh Kred Island, the Mon enclave on this island well-known for their pottery and other Mon crafts. The international students and the teens from the Thanksgiving Home partnered up and enjoyed their walkabout the island together. The teens from Thanksgiving were happy to have this excursion as well as meet & have a chance to get to know their peers from different countries.
Having just been in Thailand for three days, these students who were from India, UAE, Australia, UK, Oman..etc. were given an introduction to the context of disadvantaged communities and their needs in Thailand.
We are thankful that the time spent in all these communities provided an opportunity not just for the interactions but also for the repair, renovation and upgrade for the Homes.
Nothing like going to bed after having such fruitful, fulfilling days on the field.
* More pics on the Koh Kred Excursion in our next post!
The Regent’s International School, Bangkok #RoundsquareConference#communityactionservice
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