The 2014 High School Student’s Evaluation Camp

March 31st to April 2nd

Gratitude for a safe environment and improved self-confidence were outcomes highlighted by 51 high school students who attended the annual end of year evaluation camp at Mae La Noi.   Running across 3 days and 2 nights the camp provided an encouraging space for students to evaluate the past year, set new goals and help direct the focus of their Sangsan training in the coming year.

The camp began with all students evaluating their experiences over the past year revealing many startling revelations about the difficulties they face at school and in the boarding house.  While the experiences varied from student to student, common issues became apparent about the treatment by teachers and school officials, discrimination, and difficulties in time and budget management.  The work demands on students living in the boarding house were particularly concerning and left students with little time to dedicate to their studies, added stress and affected their confidence.

The work of Sangsan over the past year had clearly had a positive impact on the students in helping them overcome these difficult circumstances.   Training in budget and time management, along with heath and exercise, had all helped students reduce stress and manage their mental health.  The camps received positive feedback, one student declaring, 

“I need the camps. It teaches me useful skills but also gives me a place to feel confident and safe”.

The impact of a safe environment became clear as the camp progressed with many students gaining confidence with each activity.  Many students also thanked Sangsan for the financial scholarships, saying studying would be impossible without it.  The benefit to their families was also noted as it alleviated financial demands on the family as a whole.

After evaluation the students discussed areas of training they would like to focus on in the coming year.  For many this involved building on the knowledge they already had in budget and time management, but also continuing to learn about managing their health.  Other topics, such as English language workshops, stress management and public speaking skills, were highlighted by the students.

Finally, the students set new goals for the coming year, in both their achievements academically but also personally.   Aside from better grades notable goals were to keep better budget records, be healthy and ultimately support each other in overcoming the obstacles they face. 

While evaluation and planning was the key focus, active and engaging exercises in English and dance also took place.  The dance exercise involved both male and female students participating in the 1 Billion Rising dance.  This was an activity that engaged students in a physical and collaborative exercise but also created discussion and awareness of violence against women.

At the conclusion of the camp information on the details of the scholarships were delivered and agreed upon.  As they were leaving the students described mix emotions, grateful for the experience of the camp, excitement for the activities ahead but also sadness as the camp was coming to a close.   With an exciting year ahead Sangsan would like to thank the students for their contributions at the camp and we look forward to working with them in the coming year.

The 2014 University Student’s Evaluation Camp

March 29th to 31st

An increase in confidence, better time management and effective budgeting skills were notable outcomes highlighted by 16 university students at the end of year evaluation camp, running from the 29^th to 31^st of March in Mae La Noi.  The camp was an opportunity for students from several universities to come together and evaluate their outcomes from the past year while setting goals for the year to come.  The camp also provided a forum for students to define their training needs in the year to come and participate in a workshop on community surveying.

An open forum for evaluation kicked off the camp with many students showing encouraging development resulting from the training conducted by Sangsan in the past year.  The holistic approach of Sangsan to provide students with life skills, including budget and time management, was noted by students as having a positive effect.  “The budget training helped me stretch my scholarship further” said one student.  Another student commented on the time management training saying “I have tried to use the time management skills learnt in the training every day, it has helped me achieve better grades and live a healthier life as I have more time to exercise… I am not as stressed as I was”. 

The evaluation activity highlighted many areas of personal development the students had experienced as a result of the training and support of Sangsan.  Confidence and self-awareness were consistent areas of improvement that several students said helped them face discrimination from other students and teachers.  The camp has also provided students with a safe environment to develop their public speaking skills, which when combined with more self confidence, helped the students overcome negative attention they often face during public speaking assignments at university.  This is a common problem faced by our students whose different accents make them a target of discrimination.

Participation in the camp also brought the students together in a space in which they can openly share and discuss their experiences.  This forum has helped many realise that they are not alone in facing discrimination, an outcome many students reiterated.  The training camps were also described as a personal release, relief and a place of encouragement and understanding. 

Further evaluation suggested that the earthen house workshop had been a great success with many students describing it as a highlight of the year.  One student said “when we made the bricks it made me realise that anything was possible as I never thought I could do something like that”, another commented, “I want to go back to my village and make my own earthen house”.  Better study habits, analytical skills and exercise routines were other notable benefits of Sangsan training highlighted by the students.

After evaluation it was time for the students to define the training they would like to receive in the coming year from Sangsan.  The success of the earthen house workshop was again evident as many students declared an interest in more earthen house training but also agricultural training in vegetable, rice and fish farming.  Camps were scheduled throughout the year on these topics as well as further training in English, public speaking, analytical and study skills.

The camp then progressed to a training exercise on conducting community surveys.  While the students come from a broad range of academic backgrounds, the ability to research, interview, monitor and evaluate are key skills required by all and were the focus of the exercise.  

The students formed groups, mapped out the geography of camp and then conducted interviews with the staff and management to discover the geography, history, culture, economy, education, infrastructure and health of the camp.  The exercise was a success, many students declaring their desire to return home and conduct surveys in their own communities.  Students described the skills learnt, such as interviewing, mapping and observation, as highly useful for their studies and eventual careers.  The ability to form a greater understanding of the communities in which they hope to work was another key outcome highlighted in discussion after the activity.  Finally, presenting their results provided students with another opportunity to speak publicly in the encouraging environment of a Sangsan camp.

As the camp concluded the conditions of the scholarship were discussed and committed to while the various training activities were tentatively scheduled to fit with the students study schedules.  With an exciting year ahead Sangsan would like to thank the students for their contributions at the camp and we look forward to working with them in the coming year.