Brochure_Message from Mae Chaem Exhibition_DRAFT

How do we engage and equip youth to explore, think, act and thrive in a changing world, impress them with a sense of commitment to and ownership of their community, and take action to reinvest in their shared future? EXHIBITION ON Message from Mae Chaem: On Community Root & Cultural Sustainability TIME: February 10th, 2022 (16.00 – 19.00) VENUE: PEMA Café, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province Sponsors

EXHIBITION on “Message from Mae Chaem: On Community Root & Cultural Sustainability” is a part of a project entitled Community-Centric Cultural Sustainability Framework: The Case of Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai, Thailand Challenges and opportunities These are also the stories of people who help keep Mae Chaem diverse, vibrant, At only about 117 kilometers or 72 miles from resilient and sustainable. What creates the City of Chiang Mai, Mae Chaem feels like a such a strong connection between these world away from the urban center. When people and Mae Chaem, that leads to their looking up information about Mae Chaem, deep sense of commitment and desire to one encounters two main narratives. improve the well-being of their The first narrative is stories of deficits: community? environmental disasters from monoculture What empowers them with agency to take agriculture, slash-and-burn farming, action and to reinvest in their community? deforestation, smog and particle pollution; How do we inspire youth – the future poverty from limited economic resources and generations of Mae Chaem – to have job opportunities; and difficult living similar drives? conditions from limited access to education How do we engage and equip youth to and higher education, roads, electricity and explore, think, act and thrive in a changing other conveniences of modern life. world and impress them with a sense of The second narrative, however, is stories of commitment to and ownership of their assets. As a home of different ethnic groups – community, and to take action to reinvest Tai Yuan, Paganyaw, Lua, Hmong, and Lisu – in their shared future? Mae Chaem is rich not only in history and culture but also in stories of people who make The 6 Ps of Community-Centric Model their shared community special. These are For Cultural Sustainability stories of people, who, after having gone out to the world to study, build careers and gain PAYBACK PROPOSE life experiences, have decided to return to or intention Mae Chaem, a place where they proudly or identify with, where they feel a strong sense recapitalization PROCESS of belonging, and where call home. PARTNERS in the ecosystem PEOPLE + PLACE External shock

Project overview The project is based on the idea that people make up a community. By learning about people through their stories (who they are, what they value, what challenges they face, and what hopes and dreams they have), students not only learn about their community but also go through their own self-reflection and unlock their own sense of identity and belonging and their own aspirations. This is a student-led project with teachers as facilitators and a museum curator as subject matter support. At the beginning, the teachers work with the curator on how to use museum resources, museum experiences, and museum education techniques as tools to for learning and skill building for students. Then the teachers engage the students in exploring this new learning approach while the curator helps the students learn how to think like a curator. Later on, the students debate and select a theme about Mae Chaem that is relevant to them ranging from local or tribal handicrafts to their unique traditional ways of life. Based on the selected theme, the students interview members of their communities, collect their stories, and share those stories with their classmates and teachers. Then they do research for additional context, analyze, and discuss with their classmates and teachers what stories they want to share and how they want to share them as an exhibition. The students pitch their ideas to the teachers and the curator, and build the exhibition under the guidance of the curator. The students show their exhibit and celebrate with the community. Project objective: 1. Utilize story collecting as a way to raise awareness among students about their life assets in their community of Mae Chaem 2. Equip students with tools, skills and learning competencies through active listening, interviewing, story collecting, storytelling and exhibition development 3. Reinforce the students’ sense of identity, belonging and commitment through the process of story collecting and storytelling 4. Foster intergenerational knowledge transfer between the students and other community members 5. Empower the students by giving them to ownership of this process, the critical thinking skill to gather and assess information, the power to make decision and the ability to control their narratives 6. Create a sense of shared pride and validation through exhibition and community engagement with both interviewees and with the exhibition audiences 7. Demonstrate to the students that museums, libraries and cultural institutions belong to the community and serves as a source of knowledge and a convening space 8. Provide resources and training to teachers for them to support the students through process holistically – academically, socially and emotionally

How can museums as civic and gathering space and museum education practices and tools help to unlock cultural assets, and contribute to whole child development? Text Credit: Teng Chamchumrus Photo Credit: The Princess Mother Demonstration School by Bodhibijjalaya College