BOOKLET

AIESEC in Thailand will hold a huge national project on its 5th and 6th Edition,

Sawasdee Thailand Project, which will be executed in 6 of our entities:

AIESEC in Assumption University

AIESEC in Bangkok University

AIESEC in Chulalongkorn University

AIESEC in Thammasart University

AIESEC in Kasetsart University

AIESEC in Mahidol University International College

Timeline:

Winter 2013-2014

1st Wave : Start 13th of December 2013 – End 26th of January 2014 (REQUIRED)

2nd Wave : Start 17th of January 2014 – End 2nd of March (REQUIRED)

How would you change the world in 6 weeks ?

Participants Sawasdee Thailand Project Summer 2013

“Last year, I had a great chance to work with many international students in a project of AIESEC

in Danang, Vietnam. Their stories about their experience in exchange motivated me a lot. Thus, I

decided to have a lifetime experience , big change by doing an educational project in Thailand. 6

weeks with many happiness, caring, dumb things, culture shock , homesick; i have learnt and

grown up a lot. You only live once but if you do right, once is enough. “

- Đặng Hiếu,Vietnam

“So today stands to be my last day in Ban Nakae... it was an amazing experience, I made a lot of

friends and got a huge amount of love! I pushed myself to limits and unlocked many levels in the

game of life! I cannot put my feelings in words that suit them the most, but all I want to say is that I

am feeling as if I am leaving my family forever, as if I have been living with these people since long!

and now I know why Thailand is called "The land of smiles!" “

- Farrukh Naeem, Pakistan

Develop yourself while you change the world for the better!

“If I can use one word to describe my internship, that would be: Love. I feel love everywhere .

I feel love when I joined session camp with the enthusiastic Thailand OC members.

I feel love when I was with my host family traveling around beautiful Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

I feel love when I, Vietnamese and international interns were together, talked and shared...” - Nguyen Phuong Anh, Vietnam

“To be a teacher at “Wat Bangsang School” was amazing experience for me. Every

morning they start a day with a national song and Buddhism pray. I was not just standing and watching everything from the

side but I tried to be a part of the ceremony. In addition to this, they accepted me as a teacher, a colleague and as a friend.

During my classes I tried not to teach them grammar or a lot of new words but to inspire students to learn English and

understand that the world is much bigger then their province. As my whole job evaluation there was “English camp”,

students were very active to play the games using an English language.I left a school with a big smile because I know I tried

to do my best and I learned from students a lot as well. They showed me the beauty of every day life and how you have to

be thankful for everything you have.

During all of my weekends I was travelling through all the Thailand with other interns. Therefore, I saw the beautiful

nature of this country, I’ve successfully adapted to the cultural difference and I’ve spent an unforgettable summer with my new friends. People I’ve

met there became my friends very quickly and no matter our different cultures, languages or history we had an amazing time together.

To sum up this wonderful experience I’ve had in Thailand I can strongly say that it has changed my values and forced me to set some new goals to

pursue my dreams. As George Bernard Shaw said - “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” I am uplifted because the

environment that surrounded me in Thailand changed me to a better person.”

- Venta Jackaite, Lithuania

How we plan to change the world?

Sawasdee Thailand Project was created to provide cross-cultural education and English education for the youth in rural area of

Thailand. We are preparing them for ASEAN Community especially for ASEAN Economic Forum which will open on 2015.

In the same time we provide the opportunity for AIESEC Exchange participants who want to improve their personal and

professional skills to join the project and be part of the

education of the students in the rural area. Living with the

locals is one of the added values of the project because is

providing an exclusive experience to our interns to

experience Thailand in the various atmospheres that

challenges them to become better leaders. Also by

developing soft skills of the youth in the rural areas of

Thailand and preparing them for ASEAN by organizing

many English activities, we make sure both, the volunteers

and the students, benefit from this project.

About Sawasdee Thailand Project

Objectives:

The project’s objectives are mainly creating the positive impact to the society and provide with ones in a lifetime experience to

both international volunteers and students in the rural area:

To create the cross-cultural understanding among the youth in rural area of Thailand.

To develop English skills to the students in the rural area

To experience in Thai culture and Thai education system.

To promote culture diversity to the society.

To contribute the global learning environment to the students.

To promote Thailand and Thai culture to worldwide.

To make an impact on world issues

To develop young international volunteers to become the leaders of tomorrow with good values

Most of the students are aged between 7-18 years.

One or two interns will work in each school. Each class has about 20-30 students.

This project phase will run for a total of 6-7 weeks.

The Interns will mainly focus on sharing their culture and teaching basic English i.e conversations to students in these

remote schools. Most of the Thai students cannot communicate in English. Let’s motivate and dare them to speak English!

Target of the Project Audience:

200 Exchange participants from around the world

+100 schools in the rural area

+30,000 Students in rural area engaged in our activities and events

+60 AIESECers engaged in management part

+200 university students involved in our Buddy System

Project Implementation

Sawasdee Thailand Project will be carried out in schools and communities/rural areas of Ayutthaya Province, Srisaket

Province, Chaiyaphum Province, Nakhon Pathom Province, Samut Prakan Province and Ang Thong Province.

Read about these areas:

Sisaket Province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisaket_Province

Chaiyaphum Province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaiyaphum_Province

Ang Thong Province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Thong_Province

Ayutthaya Province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_(city)

Samut Prakan Province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samut_Prakan_Province

Nakhon Pathom Province- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Phanom_Province

*Note that, the schools can take around 5 hours+ by car from Bangkok and each schools is not far from each other if they

are in the same province.

Intern’s Job Description

Work closely with the schools, take part in the general school activities and AIESEC activities when required. [We will

have Evaluation camp or activities from AIESEC Thailand]

Teaching basic English conversation to the poor English level's students and also sharing your culture. Please note that the

students and the teachers do not or have basic knowledge of English. And work as full time English teacher in one school

only.

Prepare, plan and present lessons to the students. [Books, VDOs,

English Materials] and Please Note that most of these schools have basic

conditions and some may not have items such as projectors.

The interns shall prepare and present sessions on their

country/culture to the students.

Interns will have chance to show their culture in Global Village

activities organized by their host LC so they must prepare traditional objects,

clothes and performance for this event.

At the end of project we will have evaluation day to show the

performance of students and interns to show how much the development of

student have.

Take part in the writing of the National Project Report at the end of the internship. Interns are required to join every

activities in the project.

All interns will teach English base on Thai education standard in scope of Learning by doing and think outside the box

Exchange Program Flow:

Interns are expected to arrive in Thailand on time same as agenda – Otherwise they will not be able to attend the

MANDATORY Preparation Camp

There will be organized airport pick-up for the interns and the interns must provide with the details of their flights

minimum with 2 weeks before the arrival

There will be organized preparation trainings in the first week and also an EP buddy orientation

All interns will teach English base on Thai education standard in scope of Learning by doing and think outside the box.

In the middle of the project, we will have Evaluation Day for all interns and schools – to improve the performance and

experience of the interns

During Project interns will have many chances to learn Thai culture with Local Thai people in rural area.

At the end of the project, Interns have to create English day for students for measurement of the outcome of the project.

The interns will have access to the groups specially created for them to communicate and organize trips for their free time

during weekend.

Timeline:

1st Wave ( 13

th of December 2013– 26

th of January 2014)

DECEMBER 2013

12th Interns arrive+ Airport Pick-up

13th Openning + Cultural Preparation (Preparation Camp)

14th HOW TO teach English in Thailand! (Preparation Camp)

15th LEAD your journey (Preparation Camp)

16th Send interns to schools & Have Welcome

Ceremony from schools to interns

17th Interns start working in school

JANUARY 2014

4th Evaluation Day

24th English Day & Closing Ceremony in school

25th Pick-up and Farewell party in Bangkok

APPLICATION FORM:

http://bit.ly/ApplicationSawasdeeWinter

2nd Wave ( 17

th of January 2014 – 2

nd of March 2014)

JANUARY 2014

16th Interns arrive+ Airport Pick-up

17th Openning + Cultural Preparation (Preparation Camp)

18th HOW TO teach English in Thailand! (Preparation

Camp)

19th LEAD your journey (Preparation Camp)

20th Send interns to schools & Have Welcome Ceremony

from schools to interns

21st Interns start working in school

FEBRUARY 2014

8th Evaluation Day

28th English Day & Closing Ceremony in school

MARCH

1st Pick-up and Farewell party in Bangkok

APPLICATION FORM: http://bit.ly/ApplicationSawasdeeWinter

What does Project provide to the Interns?

Accommodation will be provided by school to the interns. Note that this will be home stays or in dormitories in some of

the schools. Therefore Interns need to be aware and prepare for this sort of cultural experience and also be flexible

enough to live in basic conditions that may be available at the time.

Food will be provided for 3 meals per day in the school and accommodation place. If you are go out so you have to pay by

yourself.

Transportation from the accommodation to school is provided.

Airport pickup if you arrive in the same time that we mention in the agenda that AIESEC Thailand provided you

Some living condition such as WiFi, hot water, transport SHALL NOT be provided by AIESEC or Host so interns

should be aware and be flexible during the internship.

Cultural Training and Teaching Preparation before the project start

Trainee Buddy for every Interns

Educational guideline for structuring your lessons, English Day and virtual materials for teaching . Make sure you come

prepared for teaching English and you have done research and prepared fun activities and materials for your internship.

Remark: During Project, there are Preparation Training - 3 days, Evaluation Day- 1 day, Farewel Party, and Airport Pick up.

All of these activities Organizing Committee will provide to interns but interns have to pay 90 USD to cover all those activities,

because all interns are required to attend. KEEP in mind that these 90USD is a medium sum calculated to cover these

expenses and you might have to pay more for your transportation from Bangkok to the region you will teach, depending on

the distance. (Currently we are working on partnership raising, so the interns might have to pay less than this base on the

partnership that we will get.)

What do we expect from the intern?

Carry something that shows your culture to present to the students

You may carry your Laptop

Health Insurance is MANDATORY or Medicines should you have any health related issues

Mosquito Repellent Spray

Adaptor, Thailand, electricity is 220 volt.

Proper dresses for teaching students in school.

For men

Trousers

Collar polo shirts or collar shirts

T-shirts are not suitable.

For women

Collar polo shirt or collar shirts

Skirts ( length around your knees or above your knees a little bit)

Miniskirts and slippers are prohibited.

Slippers are prohibited.

Most importantly

We expect you to have the experience of your life by impacting as many local people as possible in Thailand, providing with opportunities that the students in the rural area schools didn’t even consider before… and create unbreakable connections.

To Leave a Story in the Hearts of Children in Thailand!

APPLICATION FORM: http://bit.ly/ApplicationSawasdeeWinter

If you aren’t conviced yet,

check the testimonial of previous participants of Sawasdee Thailand Project Summer 2013:

Amit Agarwal, India - http://youtu.be/bMOb4zg2aT8

Liyen Chua, Malaysia - http://youtu.be/4FK9JJJo3bE

Fahlevi Dzulfikar, Indonesia - http://youtu.be/r7mZRDhwxxU

Salman Khan, Pakistan - http://youtu.be/DyMuV3geAB0

Hoàng Lộc Phan, Vietnam - http://youtu.be/2t-99_cQWrk

Ngoc Ha , Vietnam - http://youtu.be/p8KoUdS2YVY

Venta Jackaite, Lithuania - http://youtu.be/LS1Ul9gQvFY

Rafid Buana Putra, Indonesia - http://youtu.be/T9XM_F8SxWQ

And the Promo Video Winter 2013 - 2014 : http://youtu.be/pYOfnOnZBMI

APPLICATION FORM: http://bit.ly/ApplicationSawasdeeWinter

APPLY FOR WINTER 2013-2014

APPLICATION FORM: http://bit.ly/ApplicationSawasdeeWinter

AIESEC Thailand office address of National Committee STA Travel | Wall Street Tower 14th Floor, Room # 1406 33/70 Surawong Road Bangrak | Bangkok, 10500 – Thailand

Karinna- Johana Calin - Incoming Global Community Development Programme Director 2013-2014

E-mail: karinna.calin@aiesec.net

Tel.:+66 (0) 844 683 911

More information about Local Contacts:

Mr. Duc minh Le (Titan) Vice President of Incoming Exchange | Local Committee Assumption University | AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: titan.le@aiesec.net

Tel: +66 (0) 917 166 819

Mr. Wikanda Lorsuwan ( Vicky )

Organizing Committee President | Local Committee Bangkok University | AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: wikanda.lors@aiesec.net

Tel: +66 (0) 860 072 298

Ms. Preedaporn Sae-Tang ( Jenny)

Vice President of Incoming Exchange | Local Committee Chulalongkorn University | AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: preedaporn.saetang@aiesec.net

Tel: +66 (0) 875 910 008

Ms. Chutima Saengtip (Boom)

Vice President of Incoming Exchange | Local Committee Thammasat University | AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: boom16saengtip@gmail.com

Tel: +66 (0) 818 534 899

Ms. Chinatsu Kobayashi ( Cheena )

Local Committee President| Local Committee Mahidol University International College| AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: chinatsu.kobayashi@aiesec.net

Tel: +66 (0) 802 658 884

Ms. : Chonlada Sungayuth ( Kaew )

Vice President of Incoming Exchange | Local Committee Kasetsart University| AIESEC in Thailand

E-mail: chonlada.sungayuth@aiesec.net Tel: +66 (0)854 091 839

About Thailand

With twelve million foreigners flying into

the country each year, Thailand has

become Asia's primary destination for

people looking to spice up their lives a little. Yet despite this vast influx of

tourists and their cash, Thailand's cultural integrity remains largely undamaged –

a country that adroitly avoided colonization has been able to absorb Western

influences without wholly succumbing to them. Though the high-rises and neon

lights occupy the foreground of the tourist picture, the typical Thai community is

still the traditional farming village. Almost fifty percent of Thais earn their living

from the land, based around the staple, rice, which forms the foundation of the

country's unique and famously sophisticated cuisine.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, not dissimilar to England‟s, whereby an

elected Prime Minister is authorized to be the head of government and a

hereditary Thai King is head of state. The Kingdom of Thailand, covering an

area of 514,000 square kilometers, lies in the heart of Southeast Asia bordering

Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. Thailand can be roughly divided into

the mountainous north, the fertile plains of the centre and the many beautiful,

tropical beaches and island of the South. The currency of Thailand is the Thai Baht. Baht come in both coin and banknote

form. The size of Thai currency, both coins and bills increases with value and varies in color.

Geography and Population

Thailand is the 50th largest country in the world; most nearly equal in size to Spain. Located just 15

degrees north of the equator, Thailand has a tropical climate and temperatures typically range from 19

to 38 degrees C (66-100 F). Thailand‟s largest peak, Doi Inthanon, is 2,565 meters (8,415 ft) tall.

Thailand covers 510,890 sq km of land and 2,230 sq km of water. The coastline of Thailand is 3,219

km long. Thailands longest shared border is with Myanmar (Burma), stretching 1,800 km.

Thailand has a rough geographical area of 514, 000 sq km (200,000 sq miles). This makes Thailand

roughly equivalent in size to France or Texas.

The population of Thailand comprises of roughly 65 million citizens, the majority of whom are

ethnically Thai, though peoples of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Mon, Khmer, Burmese, and Lao origin

are also represented to varying degrees. Approximately 7 million citizens live in the capital city,

Bangkok, though this number varies seasonally and is

otherwise difficult to accurately count.

Weather and Temperature

The weather in Thailand is generally hot and humid: typical of its location within the

tropics. Generally speaking, Thailand can be divided into three seasons: “hot”

season, rainy season, and “cool” season, though Thailand‟s geography allows visitors

to find suitable weather somewhere in the country throughout the year.

Located just 15 degrees north of the equator, Thailand has a tropical climate and

temperatures typically range from 19 to 38 degrees C (66-100 F)

Culture Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese,

Cambodian, and Chinese.

The traditional Thai greeting, the wai, is generally offered first by the younger of the

two people meeting, with their hands pressed together, fingertips pointing upwards as

the head is bowed to touch their face to the hands, usually coinciding with the spoken

word "Sawasdee khrap" for male speakers, and "Sawasdee ka" for females. The elder

then is to respond afterwards in the same way. Social status and position, such as in

government, will also have an influence on who

performs the wai first. For example, although one

may be considerably older than a provincial governor, when meeting it is usually the

visitor who pays respect first. When children leave to go to school, they are taught to wai

to their parents to represent their respect for them. The wai is a sign of respect and

reverence for another.

Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: swe et, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some

common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass,

and fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is rice, particularly jasmine variety rice (also

known as Hom Mali rice) which is included in almost every meal.

Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors is an essential part of Thai spiritual

practice. Thais have a strong sense of hospitality and generosity, but also a strong sense of

social hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Elders have by

tradition ruled in family decisions or ceremonies. Older siblings have duties to younger ones. Taboos in Thailand include

touching someone's head or pointing with the with the feet, as the head is considered the most sacred and the foot the dirtiest

part of the body.

Do and Don’t in Thailand

Can do

Do respect all Buddha images. Buddha images are held sacred and

sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment even if committed by

foreign visitors.

Do dress properly when visiting a temple.

Do remove your shoes before entering a temple, somebody‟s house and

even some shops.

Do treat monks with the highest respect.

Do try and keep calm no matter what the problem or provocation may be.

Do eat with a spoon. Use the fork to load food on to the spoon.

Do lower your body slightly when passing between or in front of people.

Do try and learn a few basic phrases in Thai, like „hello‟ and „thank you‟.

Do smile a lot. Understanding the Thai smile

Do enjoy yourself. Thais like life to be sanuk.

Do ensure that you have a visa if you need one.

Do make sure you have adequate travel insurance.

Cannot do

Don’t show disrespect towards the Thai Royal Family.

Don’t cross your legs when you are in the presence of a monk. This applies whether you are sitting on the floor or in a

chair.

Don’t touch a Thai woman without consent. Despite the image portrayed in some bars and clubs, the majority of Thai

women are conservative

Don’t be overly affectionate in public. This has changed in recent years and younger Thai couples can be seen holding

hands, but snogging your boyfriend or girlfriend in the middle of the shopping mall won‟t win you too many friends. As

with many things, Thais know that behaviour in the West is different to Thailand so you won‟t be chased out of town

for holding hands with your partner, but resist the temptation to do so inside temple grounds.

Don’t sunbathe nude. This is offensive to most Thai people although nobody is likely to say anything to you if you do

so.

Don’t worry too much about whether you should wai or not.

Don’t touch a Thai person’s head or ruffle their hair. Apologize if you accidentally touch somebody‟s head. There are

exceptions to this standard of behaviour; for example, it doesn‟t apply to lovers in the privacy of their room. Thai

people will also sometimes pat a child on the head, but as a Westerner it‟s best not to do this to any child to prevent

any embarrassment.

Don’t place your feet on the table while sitting, don’t point to anything with your feet and don’t touch anybody with

your feet.

Don’t raise your voice or lose your temper; try and be jai yen.

Don’t be offended by questions about age, marital status or what you do for a living. These are subjects that will often

come up in small-talk. Of course, you don‟t have to answer (especially the question about age), you can just smile and

just say it‟s a secret or „mai bok‟ („not telling‟).

Don’t take Buddha images out of the country. Strictly speaking it is against the law to take or send Buddha images out

of the country unless special permission has been granted. However, this doesn’t mean that stores won’t sell them to

you. Theywill sell them to you, but won’t necessarily tell you about the regulations.

Don’t overstay your visa..

All this information is to prepare you to have the most amazing experience in Thailand !

Come to Thailand for the Experience of Your Life!