Every year on the second weekend of January, Thailand celebrates Children’s Day. This year we’re making plans to do some activities in the Yommorat community in Bangkok.

[Take a look back at what we've done in the past: Children's Day 2010]

Yommarat is a community full of kids. The majority of the kids who attend our Saturday school are from this neighborhood, but there are many more kids in the community who are unable to attend because we can only accomodate a small number. With the help of volunteers (if you’re interested you can sign up here: Thai Children’s Day 2012) we’ll be bringing some fun activities to the community’s celebration.

Volunteers taking the lead creating kids' activities

In addition, I ‘ve been working on a budget for the year and trying to decide how best to raise the money we need to run our projects. Last year, we planned to host a food market called Big Bite Bangkok, but it was postponed and eventually cancelled because of the flooding. The idea is really to get people excited about food and give them opportunities to give also. This month we’re trying to revive the market and launch it near the end of the month. With enough support this type of event could be really good for our project, because we can reproduce the event again later in the year to keep spreading the word and raising awareness.

Get in touch if you’re looking for volunteer opportunities in Bangkok. We’ll post some fresh pictures from next week’s activities soon and I’m also working on a plan to share this year’s budget and fundraising goals.

How are you setting the tone for 2012 where you are?

-Dwight

Playtime or Study time? I can't tell.

September has been an exciting month. Here’s a quick update some photos of our projects.

• We launched our new Saturday School which takes kids from the communities we’re working in to KIS International School to study with high school students who volunteer their time. There are some photos below and you can find more details in the last update.
• We’re still supporting about 8 vulnerable families with rent stipends and some volunteers are also helping with food and hygiene items. Great news, I recently heard from another international school in Bangkok who wants to get involved and has already done some fund raising for us.
• Volunteers working with our Livelihood Project to teach book binding skills to poor families are working on making notebooks we could possibly sell at a future fundraiser. We want to make sure the items are really good quality and include a story about how they’re made and what our project does.
• Friends and volunteers recently organized a pool party for some of the kids we’re helping. Thanks to everyone who helped! I’m really grateful and impressed because they organized (including covering the cost of food and transportation) and the kids had such a blast.
• Our next big fund raiser in Bangkok is a food market called Big Bite Bangkok and it’s happening on October 16th, World Food Day.

Taking an ice cream break from a great day at the pool.

Being brave and smiling big on his first time going swimming.

Having fun in the KIS library after practicing their reading.

In the last update I mentioned the desire to create some income generating project to help support the families and over the past few weeks, a small group of determined volunteers has been forming to make sure this project comes to fruition.

Ben Viapiana draws the outline of the first sample notebook.

Among the volunteers is Ben Viapiana, who runs a company designing custom jeans in Bangkok. While jeans may be his forte, Ben has a gift for designing and making all sorts of things. Over the weekend he gave the first vocational training workshop to two of the families.

We provided all the materials and Ben taught them book binding, starting with how to make a simple notebook. Other volunteers participated learning the skill along with the families and helping make sure everyone understood and followed the instructions. The result was a few pleather notebooks and a homework task requiring everyone to craft something more difficult before the next workshop.

Book binding 101: A vocational workshop to give craft making skills to vulnerable families.

While the end goal is to eventually generate funds to support the families, there are other important benefits to this sort of project. For instance, the project would provide families with some sort of skill they could take with them once resettled in another country. There’s also the psycho-social benefit of having a sense of purpose and being rallied behind a task that will serve to improve the mental health among these families who aren’t allowed to work to support themselves.

[See more pictures on the In Search of Sanuk Facebook page]

There’s still a long way to go to make this into something that pumps funds into the project, but I’m happy to have moved a few baby steps closer and thankful to everyone working to help us create some sustainability.

-Dwight

As people begin to examine what led to the events that brought Bangkok to a halt, some have correctly identified the role of charitable giving and volunteering in the country’s reconciliation. The cleanup effort that brought the multitudes of Thais and foreigners to the streets of Bangkok to wash the streets stained and charred with conflict helped many realize that any real reconciliation will take a much larger effort than what the government alone is capable of. Real change can happen if people don’t quickly forget this tragedy and begin to expand their concepts beyond “helping the poor” to beginning a conversation between Thais who (at least from the outside) appear to lead very different lives. This type of mindset is what gives teeth to grassroots movements like ‘Sanuk My Saturday‘ whose success is dependent on the ability to engage local Thais as active, regular participants.

While the volunteer teaching won’t begin until next weekend, I did have a chance to visit the detention center this past week. This was the first time I had been since returning from the US. As usual, it is always a healthy exercise in gratefulness. Because so many volunteers came we were able to visit many of the families I had gotten used to seeing before I left. Thanks to everyone who continues to visit and bring food, water, and companionship to them.

Finally, for everyone who expressed interest in the food supplies we sponsored for five refugee families this month, let me give more details. For about $15 per family they received rice, sugar, condensed milk, noodles, cooking oil and flour.  This is only a small way to help them and they still struggle to find other support. For the average family these supplies last about two weeks. Many of the families have already learned to forgo meat in their diets, scrounging to save what they can to pay rent, their biggest expense. So your donations do create small change that makes a big differences in their lives. Please continue to show your support for them so we can duplicate this effort in the future.

This weekend I’m writing from the Burmese border in Mae Sot, Thailand while visiting Future Light Children’s Home. Plenty of photos and details coming in next week’s update.

-Dwight

There are more people out there like Charlotte who are doing and giving what they can to help people. I asked some of them to help explain what exactly “sanuk” is and how they had been involved with In Search of Sanuk. Enjoy reading their great answers.

Chris

“Sanuk is fun; in terms of what we do, sanuk is having a good time while helping out.“

[Involvement] The first thing I did with ISOS was help put together the ‘Taste of Sri Lanka’ refugee fundraiser event nearly a year ago.  From there, I began volunteering at Sanuk My Saturday (in Pinklao).  I was really enjoying it, and Dwight needed more help with the program, so I agreed to become the program coordinator.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is fun; in terms of what we do, sanuk is having a good time while helping out.  We want you to come to our events and enjoy yourself.  Volunteering should be fun, a break from your daily (perhaps tedious) day jobs.  We want you to look forward to coming back.

[Top Memory] This is a tough one…there are so many!  Mine is not so much one memory, but two little girls.  Tam and Om, two of the regular Pinklao kids, have a special place in my heart.  They make my Saturdays awesome, and remind me each time of why I’m involved.

Prae

“I believe in making a positive difference in the community that I live in.”

[Involvement] I believe in making a positive difference in the community that I live in. The number of nonprofits is growing in Bangkok but the number of people supporting them is dwindling. With ISOS, there are always opportunities to volunteer but fewer hands to help. I was very happy to be one of the volunteers at Sanuk My Saturday a month ago.

[Sanuk is...] to have a good time, to enjoy myself from the pleasure and joy of doing something good and fun.

[Top Memory] It was the giggles and smiles from the chidren. Some of them sneaked behind me and gave me a big sneak hug!

Becky

“They say they will never forget us all for as long as they live. How often do you get to impact people’s lives like that?”

[Involvement] I am involved with ISOS because a group that I organize has been featured on the web site. I organize groups of people to visit refugee families at the Immigration Detention Center. For each person that visits we can get one refugee out of their room for an hour. Children are roomed with one of the parents, so the other doesn’t get to see them unless they each have a visitor. One of the families has 7 members, 2 men & 5 women, so if we want this family to be able to have a visit, we need 7 volunteers to come sign them out. One of the daughters had a birthday recently, her 13th and what she wanted for her birthday was to get to see her father and brother! WOW, how many 13 year olds do you know who would be asking for that for their birthday? The things we take for granted! ISOS has been instrumental in bringing in a steady stream of willing & enthusiastic volunteers to help with these visits.

[Sanuk is...] I actually have no idea what it really means, but I know it’s Thai. To me it means enjoying life to the fullest in a meaningful way that makes you & others feel good about yourselves. For each of us it will be something different, which is why we each have to “search for our Sanuk!”

[Top Memory] My favorite ISOS memory is the day we had enough visitors to bring out the family of 7 for the first time. The women had not seen their son/brother for 2 1/2 years, because he’d been in detention for that long & the rest of the family was newly arrested. They were all crying & hugging each other. I was overwhelmed by how a simple act of 7 people taking a few hours out of their day could impact a family’s life. Also the letters I get that thank the volunteers for helping them keep the faith in humanity & the knowledge that they’ve not been forgotten. They say they will never forget us all for as long as they live. How often do you get to impact people’s lives like that?

Marc

“Sometimes I funnel funds or contacts to support the work of In Search of Sanuk.”

[Involvement] I am a fellow traveling micro-philanthropist and mentor to Dwight Turner. Sometimes I funnel funds or contacts to support the work of Sanuk.

[Sanuk is...] fun in Thai. So Dwight is having fun while helping others.

[Top Memory] The videos showing In Search of Sanuk in action.

Ryan

“… Dwight and other friends took me to the beach for the very first time in my life.”

[Involvement] The art show and party was the first time I was involved in ISOS. The event was trying to raise money and awareness for urban refugees in Thailand. I was a refugee myself at the time, which made me a beneficiary of the event, so getting involved and helping out seemed to be very logical thing for me to do. Later on, I became a much closer friend with Dwight and started volunteering as much as I could in ISOS’s activities. Eventually, Dwight made me coordinator of some the programs such as Sanuk my Saturday and participating in the planning of some the fundraisers we’ve done in the past.

[Sanuk is...] the Thai word for happiness or something worthwhile to do. The way I think of ISOS is that it’s not just about helping others, it’s also about how you can live differently. To me when I’m helping someone, their happiness is a reward that cannot be replaced by material things. I think “Sanuk” is a life style that each member of the community should embrace and it will have a transforming effect to the world we live in.

[Top Memory] The time when Dwight and other friends took me to the beach for the very first time in my life. Even though it wasn’t officially an ISOS event, but it was the very idea and group of people of ISOS. Even today, Dwight is still saying that my laugh from that trip was the most rewarding thing he received from me.

Om

“Sanuk is the joy that goes beyond our skin encapsulated ego.”

[Involvement] I’m currently a supporter in spirit from overseas (USA), trying my best to input an additional point of view.

[Sanuk is...] the joys that go beyond our skin encapsulated ego. Happiness only real when shared–a quote from the movie Into the Wild.

[Top Memory] Hmm…I haven’t had any direct experiences with ISOS yet (hopefully soon). Anyway, my favorite parts are probably when I hear about how curious and enthusiastic the kids or the communities were about learning or other creative activities, or how much fun they had despite their regular hard days.

Cody

“Volunteering, giving money to charity, and doing good for others doesn’t have to mean complete sacrifice and loss.”

[Involvement] I built In Search Of Sanuk’s website, have helped organize parties and mixers for charity, donated some money through my small business Thrilling Heroics Consulting to ISOS, and gone on volunteer trips with Dwight to Chonburi and Sangklaburi.

[Sanuk is...] fun, and to me, Dwight’s passion and exuberance are a symbol that you can do good things for others and have a blast at the same time. Volunteering, giving money to charity, and doing good for others doesn’t have to mean complete sacrifice and loss. Dwight is making it easy for all kinds of people to help give in small ways in Thailand, and he shows us that when you’re giving to someone else and sharing in the experience, it can put a big smile on your face.

[Top Memory] I think two of the most incredible and rewarding experiences I’ve had were taking a boatload of the kids from Chonburi Children’s Center on their annual trip to the beach and horse-playing with them all day, and visiting Baan Dada, a home for orphaned kids—many of them refugees—and just being influenced by those kids: making music together, playing football, learning from them.

Lola

“It was a magical affair. Plenty of volunteers, lots of creative energy flowing and smiles all around.”

[Involvement] I’m involved In Search Of Sanuk through the Saturday tutoring programs at Yommarat and Pinklao. I’m also helping to raise funds to sustain and expand ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] Fun? Living life as fully as you possibly can. Bearing witness to God’s grace and goodness.

[Top Memory] My favorite ISOS memory was the first “Big Fish” book day held at Pinkloa in January 2010. It was a magical affair. Plenty of volunteers, lots of creative energy flowing and smiles all around.

Paul

“…sharing love with children and people in disadvantaged situations is really meaningful…”

[Involvement] I am a friend of Dwight and enjoy catching up on how he helps people help other people, especially the children in the slums on Saturdays. I have also attended some of his cool fundraising social events.

[Sanuk is...] sharing love with children and people in disadvantaged situations is really meaningful; and it’s really fun when we partner up with others who share this compassion for fellow human beings to help them in a more powerful way than we can by ourselves.

[Top Memory] Dwight organized a team last fall to visit and play with the 35 orphans in Chonburi Center, and to take them out for a beach outing. They especially loved the buffet bbq dinner afterwards! Me too!

Jodi

“Sanuk is the look on a detainee’s face when they are reunited with a family member they haven’t seen in a long time.“

[Involvement] I became involved with ISOS when I arrived in Bangkok after almost 2 years of travel, and wanted to give something back to the communities I’ve been visiting. Friends in Bangkok pointed me toward Dwight and his many worthwhile projects. Having worked on asylum cases on a pro bono basis when I was a lawyer, I wanted to get involved with his
visits to IDC. I’ve been going to the Immigration Detention Centre to bring food, supplies and smiles to those who are there. I’ve also tried to mobilise the Twitter travel community passing through Bangkok to spend a morning in IDC. It’s important to give the regular backpacker a taste of what life is like for the many people who cannot leave the country.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is the look on a detainee’s face when they are reunited with a family member they haven’t seen in a long time. And for me, sanuk is being able to take something so decadent – travel for the sake of travel – and use my time for something worthwhile.

[Top Memory] Definitely seeing one of the detainees with a young baby be reunited with the baby for a brief moment – he was allowed to hold his child for a few moments, and the undeniable joy on his face was palpable and wonderful to see.

Morgan

“I have only been involved with ISOS for a short time, but it has been such a fun experience so far.”

[Involvement] I have only been involved with ISOS for a short time, but it has been such a fun experience so far. Meeting the kids in the program and practicing English and playing games with them has been a blast. The program is such a great way to reach the youth of Bangkok and support learning and of course FUN! I look forward to becoming an active member and participating in ISOS every week!

[Sanuk is...] the Thai word for FUN. ISOS means getting kids involved in learning by having FUN! Promoting learning through games and other fun activities is a great way to keep the kids interested and passionate about English!

[Top Memory] Although I have only recently joined ISOS, my favorite memory has been meeting all the kids and volunteers and playing fun games! Its a real bonding experience and they call it Sanuk for a reason!!

Tri

“It’s fun!”

[Involvement] Twitter.

[Sanuk is...] a type of billiard game (or pool in the US) … It’s fun!

[Top Memory] The attempt at interviewing the mute homeless guy would be it, especially when we both don’t write Thai that well and he couldn’t read Thai which makes writing Thai well pretty pointless.

Stewart

“I do remember sharing a Pepsi with Dwight in the middle of Klong Toey Slum.”

[Involvement] I am a friend of Dwight’s and a pastor in Bangkok. One of the things I’ve run into in Bangkok is that there are a significant number of people who would like to volunteer their time and expertise, but it can be hard to do. There are language and reliability barriers. Dwight is working to overcome the barriers and make it easier to do good. We have a common vision in that sense and so I’ve tried to provide my own contacts, support and referrals to ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] good clean fun. As a pastor I think another way to define it is abundant life, which is why Jesus said he came. Could you say Jesus came that we might have more sanuk? Maybe.

[Top Memory] I do remember sharing a Pepsi with Dwight in the middle of Klong Toey Slum when I introduced him to Urban Neighbors Of Hope and the Klong Toey Community Center.

Gavin

“I think it best translates as freedom.“

[Involvement] I’ve volunteered to take photos of ISOS events with the aim of providing some images to help raise awareness of the project. I feel that it’s a really worthwhile endeavour but, as is always the case with such projects, making people aware of the work that’s being done is crucial and I hope that I can offer a little assistance with that.

[Sanuk is...] In the context of In Search of Sanuk, I think it best translates as “Freedom”. ISOS offers the opportunity for people to explore things beyond their usual frames of reference. It’s about facilitating and enabling people to offer assistance where it is most needed and it provides a friendly and nurturing environment for those who benefit from ISOS work.

[Top memory] My first outing with ISOS where volunteers arrived at a school to be greeted with great enthusiasm by the children who had been awaiting their arrival. It was quite moving and testament to the positive impact that volunteers can have on a community.

Mark

“Sanuk is putting a smile on other people’s faces by having a smile on your own face…”

[Involvement] I am involved in a lot of random and often spontaneous events associated with ISOS. Chasing energized kids, splashing elderly ladies with flower water during the Songkran Festival, helping out with little jobs, and sampling the latest Sri Lankan food, have all been part of my role with ISOS.

[Sanuk is...] Sanuk is putting a smile on other people’s faces by having a smile on your own face, and often the smile on your own face is derived from others.

[Top Memory] There are many, but randomly showing up at the 2009 Christmas celebration at the school in Pinklao takes the cake. Upon arriving, Dwight and I were asked to perform an impromtu song infront of at least 200 happy kids, Little Thai kids dressed like Santa with green afro wigs and huge smiles is a priceless and uplifting sight. Following was a delightful feast of sen yai latnaa (rice noodles smothered in pork gravy). A fantastic way to celebrate Christmas and an awesome memory!

Thanks everyone for participating. I enjoyed reading these so much that I will include some of what people said on the website permanently. If you have something to add, please make a comment.

-Dwight

This holiday has also reminded me that everyday I am fortunate to be surrounded by courageous, inspirational women. They are key to the achievements of ISOS. To give you an idea, I went back and looked through our list of volunteers. It seems that for every 10 volunteers who join Sanuk My Saturday, 8 of them are female. The list didn’t include the all female teaching team, led by Chris, there every weekend. That’s a wake up call for two reasons. First, because I realize I need to do a better job of challenging some guys to come out and commit to helping these kids. They are desperate for the positive male attention they don’t get at home. Secondly, that I’d be an idiot to neglect to wish all the women reading a Happy International Women’s Day and send a sincere thank you for all you do.

-Dwight

The students began the day by touring the facility and becoming familiar with the status of refugees in Bangkok. In the picture above, everyone is surprised to hear how many patients come through the center’s tiny clinic facility.

After the tour, the students began to clean litter, rocks and debris out of places where they planned to plant the flowers they purchased. The center is one of the few places it is safe for refugees to venture beyond their homes, so making the place more beautiful was a task everyone wanted to participate in.

These students not only had to do physical labor, but they were responsible for much of the project management aspects of their volunteer day. They wrote budgets in their teams, went shopping for supplies, and each team made a presentation to the staff at the refugee center.

Their presentations suggested what type of plants should be grown, the needs of the different species of plants, and even included menus of dishes the center could prepare with the veggies from their new garden.

They went over and beyond what they were asked by donating food, clothing, seeds for the future garden, and even pooling their money to contribute a donation. This should be an inspiration to all of us of what we can accomplish with a desire to help and a little teamwork!

Thank you to NIVA International School, all the BRC staff who participated, and everyone supporting this project. There is more work to do and we will need your support to continue into the next phase.

More before and after pics on flickr: