by Tanapol Pachoei - January 2011

A Childhood Dream

Growing up in the northern part of Thailand, surrounded by fresh clean air and luscious green trees, was idyllic. My childhood home was located in a suburb of the Tak province, bordering Myanmar (Burma). As a child I remember looking at the sky and wondering about the immensity of the world. Like many of my friends, I dreamt that one day I would travel, explore different places, meet people of diverse backgrounds and immerse myself in multicultural experiences.

Since I was an only child, my uncles and aunts who lived together as a traditional Thai family helped my parents raise me. Without a doubt, I was (and remain) very close to all of them. Not because we lived together, but also because we played together. As we grow older, we increasingly lose the euphoria of play when responsibilities, independence and demands set in. The joy of a child at play should be revisited in adult life.

At the age of four, prior to the beginning of my first school year, I had the chance to glimpse into the meaningfulness of education. As part of my parents’ plan to ensure that I make a smooth transition into school, I was asked to accompany my aunt, Wanpen, to the school where she taught. She was a rural teacher whose passion was to serve underprivileged children in remote communities. She fearlessly rode her motorcycle through dusty dirt roads each day to reach a part of our population that would otherwise be forgotten. I would return home covered in dirt, looking like a red-devil, but with a cleansed spirit and a newly discovered enthusiasm for school as a playground.

Children in Need of Better Education

At school I made new friends, some who were less fortunate in life. They walked long distances from their homes or rode rickety bicycles to complete what seemed like arduous journeys to school every day. Without school buses or any public transportation, the journey to school itself became a testament of great effort. Receiving an education is a privilege, and for some of my early friends, one that was exceedingly well earned.

After my adventurous “pre-school” experiences in the remote countryside for almost a year, the time came for me to officially enrol, and I attended a school that was located closer to my home and in an urban setting. Separating from my rural friends was tainted with sadness, and to this day I remember with bittersweet nostalgia the experience of the transition from rural to urban, as I moved from Tak to Pitsanolok, and from urban to complex-urban as my family relocated to Bangkok.

Wanpen, my heroic aunt, stayed behind, and for over three decades has dedicated her life to teaching children in remote agricultural communities. She serves as a constant reminder to me that those who are less fortunate need not be forgotten, and are as deserving of structured educational experiences and formal curricula as those who are more privileged.

Never Too Late to Do Good

After exploring careers in the corporate (for-profit) sector in Thailand for several years, having worked at Standard Chartered Bank and for a private corporation, I began to feel the need to add additional layers of meaningfulness to my life. Coming from a strong Buddhist foundation I was mindful of how meritorious helping others could be. Amidst the urban chaos of Bangkok, and as I transitioned into the third decade of life, I found comfort and relief in my early memories. At the same time, I realised, with tension, that adequate education remained inaccessible to rural communities and marginalized individuals. On the other hand however, life circumstances aligned in such ways that studying abroad to pursue a graduate degree became possible. Without giving it much thought, I packed my bags and moved to New York City.

Perhaps it was time to revisit my childhood dream of circumventing the globe. In New York I discovered that several universities offered graduate degrees in non-profit management. I enrolled at The New School University and completed an M.S.. There, I learnt about corporate social responsibility, fundraising for social change and other fundamental management studies. New York is such a cosmopolitan melting pot of global cultures that I became more cognizant of the fortunes and misfortunes of neighbouring countries, and the richness of traditions across the world. There are one and a half million non-profit organisations incorporated in the United States, a number that has grown by one hundred per cent over the last decade. This could perhaps be a reflection of higher altruism, or an indication of greater social need.

Non-profit organisations focus on solving issues and problems in societies and communities. Their goals are not to be self-serving or generate income for the organisation or for someone inside the organisation, but rather to invest income or funds to help solve social issues or problems. Non-profit organisations share resources and wealth in order for communities to maintain a better social and financial balance. While a skilled employee of a successful non-profit can earn a substantial salary and live in comfort, only a small portion of a non-profit’s budget is earmarked for salaries and most of the funds raised are used to support the programmes for social change targeted by the organisation.

In graduate school I came to realise that changing people’s attitudes toward problems or issues could solve most social problems or issues. What may seem unrealistic and impossible to accomplish at first, if well thought through and systematically approached, may become feasible. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of The United States, once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”. This sentiment captured my full attention at a critical time in my life.

Work Can Be Fun

As part of my Masters’ Thesis I was required to devise a non-profit organisation of my own. With good mentoring, I learnt the necessity of having a narrow focus; serving a specific population, and carefully identifying specific problems and needs were essential in order to accomplish the goals for my organisation.

The ideas began to coalesce in my mind. Education for underprivileged children was a guiding force as a theme. Then I realised that within educational systems, arts programmes in schools were frequently sacrificed, cut, or dismissed as less important. Although I am not trained as an artist and I do not have formal background in the arts, I am a firm believer that all children should benefit from art education. Art education makes learning fun for children. The joy of art in school translates to higher retention rates, decreased absenteeism, flexibility in thinking, and development of greater empathic and social skills. Supporting art education programs became a subtext in my thinking process, and a part of the mission of my organisation.

In 2008, I founded Children Art Foundation (www.childrenartfoundation.org). With the assistance and completed pro bono work from Columbia University Law School, I was able to legally incorporate the organisation and obtain official designation from the US-Internal Revenue Service as a ‘charitable organisation’ within a year from graduation.

The mission statement of the foundation is ‘to help promote the artistic development of underprivileged, disenfranchised or disabled school-aged children by providing them with opportunities for artistic expression, public dissemination of their artwork, financial educational support, and participation in cultural exchanges’.

With connections in New York and Thailand, we quickly established programs to serve children in four schools, paired up as “sister schools” across continents.

Doing Good and Doing Well-Being Well

Growing up as an only child doesn’t make me want to do things alone. I always believe in the power of people. Often problems can be solved efficiently if we unite and help each other out. Self-esteem is built upon these basic ingredients - accomplishments and receiving love and support from family and mentors. As I continue this life’s journey through the fourth decade of my life, I ponder about the need for generativity and substance. What we choose to do can become meaningful if we add layers of social responsibility to it. Meaningfulness results in greater joy and complaisance.

Source: www.catandnat.com