Normally April is a holiday period for PlayOnside. The schools are closed and PlayOnside stop the training at the different migrant learning centers. But this year we decided it was time to do something different. So we pack our bags, filled the car with balls, cones books, pens and crayons, and set of to the heart of Karen State, for a one month Summer School.
April, with its high temperatures together with the celebration of the Buddhist New Year is the month where schools are closed both in Thailand and Myanmar. During these Summer Holidays many of the migrant children go back to Myanmar leaving Mae Sot looking like a ghost town, missing the trucks packed with children screaming and waving on the way to school, the color of the different students´ uniforms and the vibes of this special bordering town. On the other side of the border, hundreds of villages with lots of children with nothing to do during these months await for an opportunity to improve their education. Thus, we decided this year to close down the office in Mae Sot, load the truck, pack our staff and cross the river towards Thone Sae Thone Sue a small village near Kawkereik, in Karen State to organize our 1st Summer School.
I “Kawkereik Summer School “was an English immersion course that involved during five weeks, 120 students from three different villages. Under the values of integration, gender equality and respect, students had the opportunity to learn English through a wide variety of subjects.
The main topic of the Summer School was environment. This is a very big issue in these communities where especially the sudden use of plastic and the lack of knowledge and resources to process it after its use leaves rice fields, roads and rivers full of this material. Every day and through the different subjects, students got the chance to analyze the different problems about the environment, the reason why they must protect it and actions that they can take to improve this situation.
Apart from the regular subjects like Math or Science, Football, Meditation, Dance or Music took part of this program. At PlayOnside we believe in the need of developing the creativity of the students, encouraging teamwork, debate and discussion, and also promoting critical thinking. Lessons were prepared carefully in order to promote these principals. Participation, group activities and presentations were the core of the lessons. Most of the students showed a big lack of confidence on the first days, but over the days and weeks we can say that the improvements were fantastic.
Students experienced how to learn while having fun. In most of these villages the teaching methods are based on repetition and memorization. Students have no room to share their opinions, to debate and to find and show their potential and skills. Through the variety of subjects we had the chance not only to keep the attention but to give offer the students the opportunity to show their best skills. Some of them, for example, showed an amazing talent in Math when others were great at Music or any other subject. This way of learning, brings confidence to the students allowing all of them to find their best abilities.
Leadership was also an important part of the Summer School. Each group had three leaders in charge of different aspects of the school (cleaning, water…). Through these commitments, students understand that they are also an important part of the school as well as learning how to organize themselves.
It has been five amazing weeks, with lots of smiles and improvements of the students but also of the PlayOnside team. We all grow together.
Ole G. Michelsen joined PlayOnside at the very beginning, becoming one of the main responsible of the growth and the professionalization of the organization. His wide range of knowledge and resources made him go through every single task of the program, from driver, fruit cutter, English teacher to Fundraiser, M&E and Finance responsible. His sense of humor, his “casual” clothing style and his solid “Na Lay La?” are really missed in the office.
Jame is a former Avoda School teacher and joined PlayOnside in 2017 as a part-time coach. Many years of teaching experience and knowledge of the community makes him a key player to identify the needs of the community. Also his Thai skills are very useful for the organization, especially when it is a phone call where body language is useless. As his name “James” His driving skills are as good as James Bond. When he retires he will probably own his own Songteaw. In the meantime…watch out! If you leave him alone he will be already running 3 different projects!
Oshape graduated from Minmahaw School in 2019. She was part of the PlayOnside Leadership Program at Minmahaw and her confidence, her smile and charm created a great impression on the team. She has developed her skills to become a role model in the community. She is passionate about learning more about gender equality and together with Yadanar they are the change-makers for many women in the community. A fast and sneaky football player, she also uses these skills off the field!
Zar Ni Win joined PlayOnside in 2017 with the responsibility of taking care of the fruits, the equipment and logistics around the field during the events. She shortly became a Field Manager. She has been growing a lot over the years being a key team member when it comes to the daily life of the organization. Nobody makes better nets than her in all of Tak province. Her conversations with Ole are still a mystery but somehow they always worked!
Evenly is one of the most talented former students from Minmahaw school. In 2018, she volunteered at PlayOnside Summer School in Thone Sae Thone Sue village. Then she continued her studies at ACU for 2 years and in February 2021, she joined PlayOnside as an intern. Her motivation, diligence and willingness to learn impressed the organization and there was no doubt to offer her a position as a staff. She is a great support in the different areas of the organization. Her participation in the meetings is the most efficient in the organization, breaking the previous record of 3 seconds per meeting.
Laura is the first female coach in PlayOnside. She joined the PlayOnisde family in 2017 creating a huge impact in the community. After that she has been leaving and coming back. That’s why we never remove her from the website. She’s currently enrolled in AUW University in Bangladesh. Due to the pandemic, she returned to Mae Sot to continue her studies online and provide PlayOnside with her knowledge and experience she has gained over the last 2 years abroad. It is easier to win the lottery than to predict when she will leave and break our hearts again.
Bway is a former Minmahaw school student. He completed the Teacher Education program in his second year at the school that equipped him with teaching tools and skills to start a teaching career. With a wide teaching experience, his critical thinking skill, initiative, and care for education bring a great resource to support the Star Flower project, creating and implementing the lesson according to individual student’s needs.Also his talent and passion for art makes him the “Canva Specialist”, bringing light and inspiration to our Social Media.
Throwback to 2018, Yair Yint is a Farm House school teacher and part-time coach. He was helping PlayOnside teaching at Green Island Summer school. His enthusiasm and his leadership skills help him to become a PlayOnside staff with full responsibility for Green Island since 2019. He shares “General Worker” tasks with Pyae Sone and James, creating a team not different from the Messi-Neymar-Suarez team. He is the best goalkeeper (and the only one we have) in the PlayOnside team and the ball rarely hits the goal net.
Esther was the defender of the Love and Care team during the 2018 Rainy Season Tournament. She was called “The Rock” for her strength, clearing every single ball that came close to her. In 2020, she applied and was selected for an internship position. After three months she has become a staff member responsible for the Global Goal E-learning project, and the communication of the SRHR program. She also has passion for the M & E Department where she has to deal with Zin Min Naing! Not an easy task!
Smallay joined PlayOnside in 2017. Former Minmahaw student, he is a natural fighter in order to reach his dreams. He learns as quickly as makes jokes in the team which makes him one of the most multifaceted staff in the organization. His football career was interrupted after a bad pass from Javier, a fact that he will never forget, that’s why he is moving to Bangkok to continue his studies while becoming a part-time job and web-designer. Before that, he has had the ability to hire half of his family in the organization.
Javier founded PlayOnside in 2013 intending to use the potential of football to promote different values around the migrant community in Mae Sot. He is a crazy Atletico Madrid fan which provided him with lots of experience to manage frustration, anger and disappointment. He likes to work (sometimes too much), and never stops thinking of new projects or new ideas to improve the organization and its staff.
Naing Zaw, is the tallest and the most smiley Burmese person you will ever meet. He joined the PlayOniside team in 2018 and went to Wide Horizons program to improve his skills in Community Development. After a year, he came back to the organization to share and implement his skill as a Fundraiser to keep the organization financially healthy. He likes to take photos and also courses online. His personal folder is full of certificates.
Zin Min Naing is one of the most humble people in the organization. After he graduated from CDC school he joined PlayOnside to create a happy environment and to keep staff satisfied in the workplace. His leadership skills, critical thinking and enthusiasm have helped him to organize the task in the team. He is a problem solver. If you have a problem, you will see him. If he shouts “One clap!”, you better follow!
Yadanar joined PlayOnside in 2018. Thanks to her strong character, quickly she became one of the important people to keep the office’s materials and the finances under control. She is an Excel expert and one of the best football players in the PlayOnside Female team. She scored more goals than her husband did this year (which is not surprising). Her new haircut will become trendy in the community (give time to time).
Pyae Sone is the first staff hired by PlayOnside since its foundation. He was a KM 42 school teacher. His leadership skills and motivation for the sports as well as his willingness to create a safe environment around the children brought him as Education and Child Protection Manager with big responsibilities in most of the activities. His passion for playing football (not his skills though) is as big as his body. He is not only responsible for Child Protection but also he protects all the staff who are in danger. (He is a snake killer)