The goal of this activity is to drive a model to reduce educational inequality. It is a sub-activity of the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) in collaboration with Sea (Thailand) and the Shrewsbury International School Network, as part of the Equitable Education Network Innovation Expansion Project for Equity Year 5 or Equity partnership’s school network Season 5 at Equity Lab. Guidelines for cooperation between educational institutions, instructors, and equal scholarship students from international and remote schools exist. These involve setting up learning areas and spending time together to share knowledge about various lifestyles and foster the development of entrepreneurial, creative, and vocational skills.
According to a “Field trip,” this activity gives children the chance to interact and learn from friends, siblings, and people from various schools and backgrounds in terms of language, way of life, culture, and way of life, including friends of various ages. Through practical exercises, there is training in collaboration, creativity, learning new experiences, and honing digital marketing abilities—one of the talents required to be an entrepreneur. Based on the school with whom they are paired, each team will create and produce items from raw materials in different communities, whether it’s by practicing thinking skills, trying out the production process, or trying to design products from upstream to downstream.
This season’s intriguing raw materials include wild honey, plastic bags, germinated brown rice, cement, etc. Teachers and community scholars with backgrounds in marketing and design will help facilitate the activity. By developing these raw materials, raising their value, and producing revenue, the students will be able to apply their knowledge and abilities.
Team: Shrews Honey
School: Shrewsbury International School (Riverside) + Ban Thanying Wipha School Surat Thani Province
The “Wild Honey” made by bees is the school’s original product.
Teachers and students from two educational institutions shared information with local specialists on beekeeping procedures, building bee nests, and extracting honey from beehives. Experts also briefed them on the team’s product development, package design, and sticker creation. The group made the decision to improve and grow the product, resulting in: 1. Aromatic hexagonal honey soap; and 2. Pure honey from communal woodlands, enclosed in 250-gram squeeze tubes.
Team: Kiss Two
School: Shrewsbury International School (Riverside) + Wat Tha Som School,
Trat Province, A plastic bag is the original product made by the school.
Teachers and students from the two schools attempted weaving together and shared information about how to make bags using plastic threads. The speaker also discussed the province of Trat’s highlights and motto. As a result, this data was utilized to create images, add color, develop items, and collaboratively decide on the team’s final product design. The group decided to produce “Shopping Bags” using the following two collections: “Kritsana Flower” in pastel green tones, representing the origin of the provincial flower of Trat, and “Ridgeback Dog” in brown tones, representing the breed’s ancestry.
Team: Drew Dee
School: Ban Muang Nadi School
Ubon Ratchathani Province + St Andrews International School
The school’s original product is a Germinated brown rice drink.
Teachers and students from 2 educational institutions exchanged knowledge about the source of raw materials and the process of making germinated brown rice drinks from local experts and tried it out. The lecturer provided knowledge on product development to be sold online, with a consumption period of more than one month. The production period is not long, and the process is not complicated. The team, therefore, decided to develop and expand the product into 1. Instant germinated brown rice porridge; 2. Germinated brown rice crackers mixed with Purple sweet potato.
Team: Khun Andrews
School: St Andrews International School + Khun Yuam Witthaya School
Mae Hong Son Province, A tribal mask is the original creation of the school.
The team came up with the idea of using the community’s strengths to create a selling point when students from both schools participated in the Field Trip activity and received advice from local experts about community products and materials for making products, including the Karen weaving tradition, dying fabric with natural plants, and trying out weaving. As a result, they suggested transforming the item into a “plate mat” by weaving bamboo strips into the fabric. Bamboo strips are threaded throughout the entire woven fabric in Model 1. In Model 2, the woven fabric is left unfinished and two bamboo strips are placed on each side. Additionally, golden flowers are embroidered on the top and bottom edges of the woven fabric, and an eco-friendly package is selected.
Team: Dong Bury
Schools: Dong Sawan Witthaya School
Nong Bua Lamphu Province + Shrewsbury International School (Riverside)
Cotton woven by hand is the original output of the school.
The wise men of the Dong Sawan community taught teachers and students from two educational institutions how to dye, spin, wind, and weave fabric on a loom. They also attempted weaving and offered advice on natural plant dyes for cotton fabric. The team opted to create “neckties” and “shoulder bags” using locally woven fabric after the lecturers’ knowledge of product development was discussed. Additionally, they recommended eco-friendly packaging and offered tips on how to lay the necktie pattern on the cloth to create goods with the fewest number of fabric scraps.
Team: Naramitr
School: Ban Na Lao School Maha Sarakham Province + SATIT PRASARNMIT INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME (SPIP)
Stucco art is the school’s creation.
Two educational institutions’ teachers and students collaborated to learn about manufacturing stucco. They put the idea of “Home decorations from stucco” into practice, consulting with local experts and receiving extra information on product development from lecturers. Utilizing the allure of local wisdom, they could create goods that would appeal to their target market and be profitable. After careful consideration, the team decided on the primary product, which is a “plant pot” with three different styles—cylindrical, square, and round with a curved mouth—and the secondary product, which is a “coaster” with two distinct styles—round and square. To give the product a unique selling point, the team drew white lines on a bare cement pot to represent the identity of Maha Sarakham Province and Ban Na Lao School. With white lines representing a rice field pattern, the team chose the rocket pattern, gray flower, Wapi long drum, and coaster product.
Team: Tha Tha Fusion
School: Ban Yapo School, Tak Province + Ascot International School
The school’s original product is Karen shirts.
Instructors and learners from two educational establishments exchanged their expertise on shirt weaving while lecturers discussed product development, enhancing the value of products, identifying product differences through factors like fabric dyeing colors or narratives about product creation, and leveraging the distinct identity of the community as a component in product development. To differentiate the product from other offerings, the team decided to design a “crossbody bag” and decorate it with an elephant pattern. It served as the product’s unique selling point.
Team: Chiang Mai Unique
School: Phiang Luang 1 School (Ban Tha Ton), Chiang Mai Province + Ascot International School
The school’s initial creation is a woven bamboo bag.
Instructors and pupils from two schools gained knowledge of the Kok River community’s way of life as well as the raw materials of bamboo. Subsequently, they collaborated to identify the product design and conducted a target group analysis with the teacher. A lecturer was available to offer guidance. The instructor allowed them to try building the device after the product design was finished so they could identify the issue and work together to find a solution. The group practiced as a unit. Due to their proficiency in weaving, the equal scholarship students assisted the international school students in honing their bamboo weaving techniques and creating designs for the finished product. After practicing, the team deliberated and came to the idea to develop a “Bamboo Crossbody bag” prototype.
Team: Ban Ruk (BhanRuk)
School: Ban Tung Hong School (Aphiwang Wittayalai),Phrae Province + Rugby School Thailand
The team’s first creation is a tie-dye umbrella.
Teachers and students from two schools visited Pa Ngiem’s Mo Hom Learning Center to discuss and share knowledge about the history of tie-dying and the creation of Mo Hom cloth. The lecturer next demonstrated sample designs from Thai and international designers and gave teachers and students additional ways to create Pa-Don products that would be modified to use with local raw materials. Additionally, the group practiced producing a single product as a unit. Subsequently, the group discussed their plans to transform the items into “slippers” and multipurpose “Pa-Don Collection” bags using leftover tie-dyed fabric scraps.
Team: Ban Huai Luk (Equiteam)
School: Ban Huai Luk School, Chiang Rai Province + Rugby School Thailand.
At the learning center, Ban Huai Luk community, teachers and students from two educational institutions went. There, a local scholar shared his knowledge about the embroidery of Hmong fabric patterns, explained the significance of the patterns, and allowed the international school students to attempt creating the initial pattern—horizontal patterns. The lecturer imparted knowledge on the creation and enhancement of new products by having the team assist in the SWOT analysis before designing the patterns to adorn the bags. These patterns will incorporate both conventional and contemporary embroidery that has been tailored to the current trend. Examples of the latter include the use of Hmong embroidery patterns as a unifying element to communicate the community’s identity, as well as the selection of materials taken from nature, complementary colors for the fabric, and locally sourced materials like Job’s Tears, Silk Tassels, and Bells. After that, the group learned how to sew the prototype bag, which eventually became the “2 in 1 Fabric Bag” product.
