TYAP on World AIDS Day in Chiangmai

TYAP interns Kate, Yam, Po, and Nui

Board Contest winner. Wattano Thai Payap School

TYAP Director Pim

TYAP taking to the streets

Interns enjoying the crowd

• The Chiangmai community came together on December 1, 2011 to have some fun and provide outreach on HIV/AIDS.  The event included local NGO’s such as TYAP.  Other partners involved were EMPOWER, M+Plus, Violet Home, MAP, and Piman Clinic, among others.  It was held at the Central Plaza Chiangmai Airport.  Also in attendance were local government officials, members from the US embassy, Payap University, and USAID.  A full day of events included a signboard contest, a condom throw, a beauty contest for Mr and Miss World AIDS day, and a stage show of various dance groups and local entertainers.   Check out the video of the days events and see how creative a community can be when they pull together for a great cause. (the link is at the top). Enjoy!

On December 17-18, 2011, a group from TYAP went to the Tarin Hotel to  participate in a brainstorming workshop.  Its purpose was to share ideas and craft strategies to end the violence of children and young people nationally. It was attended by several people from 9 provinces.  Chiang Mai, Paiyaao, Mae Nong Son, Chiang Rai, Nan, Raa Nong, Raat Yong, Na Khon Raatchaat Sii Maa, Na Khon Sii Tamaraat.  Together we participated in many activities.  This workshop was beneficial to everyone involved.  We were excited to learn something new and had fun making friends.

What is Love?  Can you fall in love with anyone?  Imagine falling in love with the girl-next-door, and you were also the girl-next-door.  Confusion in relationships and being a teenager can be a real drag, but what if a friend came along and made it all seem clear. What if love didn’t have to be so hard to find?   This is a video from F.I.R.E. which provides support and empowerment to women who happen to love other women.

F.I.R.E. video

visit F.I.R.E. on facebook

In a environment full of candy, games and the joyful sounds of children at play, the volunteers of TYAP began an exciting day of activities for a group of seventy middle-school children. This fun-filled atmosphere was the center of learning to teach the students about children’s rights.

As the children competed in obstacle races, games and activities they answered questions and continued to become more aware of the means of protecting their well-being. Staff and volunteers spent the day promoting awareness of potential violence in all forms against children.

While the threat of sexual harassment, physical abuse, sex trade, and child labor lurk throughout Thailand, promotion of safe values is the best form of prevention. The children learned that they have the obligation to tell a trusted individual if they or their peers are being harmed by a member of their school, family or community. TYAP hopes to mobilize the youth as advocates for social responsibility in their community.

In response to the recent severe floods, volunteers from TYAP worked with the Network of Child and Youth workers, the Public Health Network, and the Training and Development of Public Health in Nakornsawan, to help citizens in Chiang Mai collect aid materials for flood victims in Nakornsawan. These materials were focused toward helping four Care Centers serve about 700 families, 1800 people  in total.

TYAP’s office served as a hub for local people and businesses to donate water, food, money, medicine, and clothing to be sent to Nakornsawan. Over 20,000 bottles of water were donated.TYAP volunteers also visited local markets to receive many large donations from merchants.

All the donated supplies were assembled into two loads of supplies, delivered south by train to Phitsanulok, where it was re-packed onto off-road trucks and military vehicles that then took the supplies across the flood-ravaged terrain. The second delivery of donated supplies amounted to fill an entire train car.

The Coordinating Logistics Centers of Kamphaeng Phet Province (now known as the Network of Child and Youth Workers in Kamphaeng Phet), nearby to Nakornsawan, has set itself up to continue to bring help to flood victims. TYAP is continuing to collect supplies and donations, sending everything that we collect to Nakornsawan until life there is back to normal. If you have any questions about how you can help, please contact us.

Volunteers at the close of the workshop

Last month 30 volunteers received training on child abuse awareness and prevention. The groups learned about laws protecting children, children’s rights, and violence prevention strategies. The groups also discussed counseling abused children and how to refer abused children to other organizations to get help. The volunteers will then use those skills to train more child protection volunteers in their communities. The hope is that they can keep their eyes open and be aware of the signs.

Volunteers categorize children's rights

Often Thai communities do not get involved with child abuse or deny that it happens. Children don’t have anyone to go to if they have problems at home. The volunteers, most of them teenagers, who took this workshop can be a friend to abused children and give them a safe outlet to share any abuse they experience. Then, the volunteers can reach out and the children can get help. Training these volunteers is the first step in protecting children and making child welfare a concern for the whole community. TYAP hopes to follow up on government policy and get in touch with other city organizations to help look after the children in the future.

P'Pim brainstorms with youth about violence prevention programs

The goal for the program, which started in April, is for the community to run trainings and maintain active child protection groups by themselves. Community members discussed obstacles the programs may face once they become self-sustaining, and brainstormed what to plan for their own training sessions. TYAP members served as a support group for the newly-trained volunteers, who will start the next phase of the program in early 2012.

Volunteers meet to discuss future training workshops

200 volunteers in total assembled at CMU on November 2-3 to work all day handmaking over 300,000 EM balls. This initiative is a part of a country-wide initiative to send 1,000,000 EM balls to Bangkok.

EM stands for Effective Microorganisms, agents which will help treat the flood waters that are expected to linger in greater Bangkok through the coming weeks. The EM balls counteract putrefaction in the water, and lessen the loads of harmful bacteria that without treatment can overrun the floodwaters in a matter of days.

The TYAP volunteers are proud to do what they can to help people in Bangkok make their water safer.

Youth Leadership Filmmakers Project

Ba Bong group

Image One Youth leader from Ba Bong preparing to film scene at the historic Wat Ba Bong

Over the weekends of the 4th July and 11th of July the Ba Bong group from Doi Saket began shooting their short film for the AVI supported project.

Youth Leadership Project 2010

Our Choice Our Responsibility Project 2010

Image Two Youth Leaders from 4 communities

On the 16th till the 18th of July TYAP’s youth leadership team conducted leadership training at Winplace hotel Chiang Mai for the Gla Lueak Gla Rap Pit Chop Project (Our Choice Our Responsibility) 2010. Running in its second year, this year’s project will concentrate on a “We are your friends” approach to HIV prevention. This year there are 40 youth from the 4 communities of Lomlang, Tawangtan, Tamfun and Lanna Polytechnical collage Chiang Mai who will participate in the project.

During the workshops the 40 leaders learnt about a variety of topics in regards to HIV prevention and understanding youth behaviors as well as participating in skills building activities. The skills building activities were centered around counseling, interviewing, advising and leadership skills like how to organize and implement activities.

For this year’s project each of the 40 leaders will focus group with 20 of their peers from their communities, schools and social groups. During each of the focus group sessions, the leaders will pass on knowledge and skills to the 20 participants. For Chiang Mai TYAP will train and support 40 leaders who will focus group with up to 800 youth.

Gla Leauk Gla Rap Pit Chop (Our Choice Our Responsibility) is a youth network Thailand supported project. For the whole of Thailand there are 7 project areas.

Project Consumer Rights Project Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Computer and Digital Mart 2010

Image Three TYAP booth at the CMCDM2010

On the 1st till the 4th July at the Chiang Mai University convention center TYAP consumer rights team held an information booth at the Chiang Mai Computer and Digital Mart 2010. TYAP’s team conducted research and talked with approximately 300 people who came to visit the CMCDM. TYAP has become the Chiang Mai office for the Consumer Rights Institute Thailand to find out more information click here.