by Asean Youth Movement
Here are some recently uploaded videos from the Thai Youth Preparation Forum. Chet, Duan and Moh – youth activists from three different regions of Thailand – shared their thoughts on issues ranging from alternative education, the environment and people’s participation in ASEAN. Feel free to comment on these videos on our YouTube page…
Chet – an alternative education volunteer from Goh Boh, Krabi province, southern Thailand:
A Quote from the interview with Chet: “Education is career oriented, lacks education about like skills, doesn’t allow us to know ourselves, and limits our ability to support ourselves. Should education be just about this? Thai people have the right to freely learn about local wisdom in communities, without limitations. Youth in ASEAN need to have an equal opportunity to access alternative education.”
Bu – from the Kids Love Home club, Urban Communities Network, Ubon Ratchatani province, northeastern Thailand:
From an interview with Bu: “How are we going to make the ASEAN Charter the most beneficial for us? We’ve come together to think and make proposals about different issues. I’m working on the environment, and I think we should have more sustainable environmental protection. For example, a fund for environmental education and activities that promote environmental responsibility. This will help create new green spaces. This is something we can do ourselves. We might not be at the international level of ASEAN yet, but as a network of youth groups we don’t have to wait for ASEAN and we can do it on our own.
The ASEAN Peoples’ Forum is like an ‘Alternative ASEAN’ that comes form different groups working in communities. We ASEAN to be the way we want it to be, not just ASEAN giving us documents and telling us how to do things, but we’ll make ASEAN what we can, within our ability. I want to see an ASEAN that has true participation, like we’re family. Not just ‘oh this country is strong at this, that country is stong at that’ but we can create love between our countries.”
Moh – from the Assembly of the Poor, Sa Kaew province, central Thailand:
From an interview with Moh: “ASEAN is creating more class segregation between politicians and villagers. ASEAN doesn’t really talk about villagers. They talk about economics and the upper classes. Villagers don’t have any space for participation. I think ASEAN needs to create a real space for the villagers – not just the way they like to do it, writing laws or whatever documents they write – it’s got to be true and real.”