This past weekend from September 15th until the 17th, over 20 of Wells’ high school students attended the 13th annual ServICE Conference at NIST International School! The ServICE conference is a collaborative, largely student-led event organized by various international schools in Bangkok. The aim of the conference is to inspire, connect, and empower students to create meaningful changes within their communities and surrounding environment.

The conference provided students with opportunities to share and learn from each others’ experiences in collaboration with numerous local projects and organizations. This was achieved through various activities, such as the impassioned keynote speeches, ‘How-To’ sessions for students wishing to raise awareness about nationwide NGOs, and most memorably, the ICExperiences where students were able to gain firsthand experience with the missions of nonprofits.

On the first day of the conference, students were welcomed with a lively icebreaker, setting the tone for the day, followed by brief meet & greets from the ICExperiences. Followed by another popular event amongst students: the ICE Fair where organizations sold trinkets and were able to raise awareness and funds for their respective causes. To end the day, ‘How-To’ sessions were introduced as students made their way to the first rounds. Keynote speeches were delivered throughout the day as students reconvened in the auditorium to wind down and listen to their peers’ unique experiences.

The second day of the conference followed a similar schedule to the first day; however, it was far more hands-on as new students had familiarized themselves with the events prior. The icebreaker energized students once more as students immersed themselves within their ICExperiences for the majority of the day. Students were placed in diverse groups giving them the chance to network and mingle with other students while simultaneously supporting community organizations, including RoyRak, Shark Guardians, Rescued Glass, Bangkok Soap Opera and Love Wildlife. Needless to say, countless friendships were formed during these workshops and students were able to collaboratively engage in direct service!

The third day was the most hectic, but the most rewarding as the conference came to an end. It was truly bittersweet as our seniors rejoiced over a successful experience, but realized this would be their last conference. Needless to say, the day went by in a flash with most of the day dedicated to ‘ICE Action Planning’ to spark change for the remainder of the school year, carrying on ServICE’s legacy beyond the conference. The ICE Fair was also brought back for the second time before the closing ceremony, marking the end of the 13th conference. Students bid their newly-made friends goodbye, and promised to cherish the memories made over the past few days and continue inter-school collaboration.

Special acknowledgements to a few of our student leaders: Sana Shibuichi, Rachel Kim, Franny Pandya and Tunn Sayamipuk (Class of 2024) for leading a How-To workshop on repurposing plastic bottles to combat plastic pollution in today’s world and raise awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability.

Overall, all of our students left the conference feeling inspired and empowered. It was energizing to interact and collaborate with peers from other schools. Wells would like to thank NIST for their exceptional job hosting the conference, as well as the teacher advisors for their ongoing support with this event.

We look forward to seeing what students will do with their inspiration from the conference, and how they will continue to make a positive difference in the school and local community. We are also very excited to announce that next year’s conference will be hosted by �ۿ۴�ý at our new Chonburi campus! We look back at the 13th with fondness, and look forward to the promise of the 14th!

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Together here at Wells Thonglo we stand not only to recognize our fathers- I would like to encourage all of us to appreciate our families. Many of us have been blessed with extended families like grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins who love us dearly and have filled our lives with so much happiness and love that has helped us shape our lives with positivity and passion for being lifelong learners!

Thank you to our teachers too for being positive role models for us too!

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Annual ServICE Conference

From November 15th until the 17th, twenty-nine of our Wells high school students attended the at International Community School in Bangkok. The ServICE conference is a collaborative, student-led event organized by international schools in Bangkok. The aim of the conference is to inspire, connect and empower students to take appropriate and effective service action to benefit their communities and the environment.

The conference provides students with opportunities to share and learn from each other about experiences and successful projects engaging with service learning in their respective schools and communities. The conference provides a stage for various adult and keynote speakers to share their passions, “How-To” sessions for students wishing to teach others based on their experiences, and a community/NGO fair for networking and sharing  projects across Thailand. Students are also given the opportunity to collaborate and plan future inter-school service learning projects.

Day 1: BYB Trips

Day 1 consisted of various service trips, also known as ‘Burst Your Bubble’ or ‘BYB Trips’, including visits to , , . Other activities included painting, teaching English and playing games with younger students, and a community clean up and creation of recycled art with Grin Green International.

Day 2: Keynotes, How-To Sessions & NGO/Student Organization Fair

On Day 2, some of our students were actively involved in promoting and sharing their clubs and ideas with other students in the inter-school community. PAWS, Greenhawks, Love Ocean Life (LOL), and Korean Club represented Wells co-curricular service clubs with booths to share about the initiatives they are undertaking in their community and raise funds for their respective causes. Our How-To sessions included a ‘How to Initiate a Club or Event’, specifically focusing on Youths for SDGs, an initiative in which many of our current students and alumni are collaborating on, and ‘Friendly Life Hacks’. Another student group also hosted a unique simulation centered around the importance of basic human needs.

Day 3: Keynotes, Simulations & Unconferenced Sessions

And finally, Day 3 was focused on reflecting on the first two days and setting up initiatives or action plans for collaborative projects or shared, inter-school interests during what are known as ‘unconferenced sessions’.

Youth Leadership

Thank you to the students who emerged as leaders during this conference and led How-To sessions, and hosted a simulation or a booth: 

Class of 2022: Cristine, Shreyaa

Class of 2021: Hrithi, Poorvi, Soumili, Muskan, Shradha, Sung-Bin, Riddhi, Gia

Class of 2020: Ruby, Lina, David, Su, Annie

All of the students left the conference feeling energetic and inspired. Wells is excited to see how these students will turn their inspiration from the conference into action, and how they will make a positive difference in their school and local community with their bright ideas and initiatives!

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This past weekend, twenty-one of our Wells high school students attended the at American School of Bangkok, Green Valley Campus. The ServICE conference is a collaborative, student-led event organized by international schools in Bangkok. The aim of the conference is to inspire, connect and empower students to take appropriate and effective service action to benefit their communities and the environment.

The conference provides students with opportunities to share and learn from each other about experiences and successful projects engaging with service learning in their respective schools and communities. The conference provides a stage for various adult and keynote speakers to share their passions, “How-To” sessions for students wishing to teach others based on their experiences, and a community/NGO fair for networking and sharing  projects across Thailand. Students are also given the opportunity to collaborate and plan future inter-school service learning projects.

Some of our students were actively involved in promoting and sharing their clubs and ideas with other students in the inter-school community. PAWS, Greenhawks, and Love Ocean Life (LOL) represented Wells co-curricular service clubs with booths to share about the initiatives they are undertaking in their community and raise funds for their respective causes.

Our How-To sessions included ‘How to make lotion bars’ and ‘How to live sustainably’. On the first day, four of our student representatives gave a keynote speech about our recent Youths for SDGs event hosted at Wells. Another student group also hosted a unique simulation centered around experiencing life with a disability.

Day 2 consisted of various service trips, also known as ‘Burst Your Bubble’ or ‘BYB Trips’, including visits to the Ruth Center, Paper Rangers, Rachawadee Home for Boys, Bang Khae Nursing Home, and dog rescue center. Other activities included mangrove planting, painting, and a klong clean up and recycling activities.

Thank you to the students who emerged as leaders during this conference and led How-To sessions, gave keynotes, or hosted a simulation or a booth: Hrithi, Poorvi, Soumili, Muskan, Shradha, Lina, Su, Soohee, Ruby, and Jimin.

All of the students left the conference feeling energetic and inspired. Wells is excited to see how these students will turn their inspiration from the conference into action, and how they will make a positive difference in their school and local community with their bright ideas and initiatives!

Student Reflections

“I’m glad I got such an amazing opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary conference…ServICE 2018 was brilliant. Fantastic ice breakers, informative how-to sessions, and perceptive keynote speeches. It was truly an incredible experience meeting new people, making new friends, and just learning more and seeing how passionate they were about ameliorating the world.” – Khushi Shah, Class of 2020

“Overall, my experience with servICE this time was amazing and the reasons were the activities we did and the uncountable amount of people I met in the conference, that became my friends. servICE is a great way of gaining confidence, interacting with new people, and also learning something completely new.” -Muskan Gurbuxani, Class of 2021

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In recognition of these efforts, Wells will host its 2013 International Day on October 18th, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm. Aiming to celebrate the unification of diverse cultures in the fight against poverty, the event will include music, dances, food and displays that reflect the many nations that comprise the Wells community. Additionally, activities aimed toward children in kindergarten, primary school and middle school will be running throughout the day.

Proceeds from International Day will be offered to Urban Neighbors of Hope, an small group that aims to combat poverty in the Asia-Pacific region through hands-on work in communities. Unlike many larger organizations, it strives to make a genuine difference in the lives of others by having its volunteer staff live in the poverty-stricken areas of Bangkok and Australia and work with the community on a daily basis.

Wells would also like to thank each of the following organizations, all of which have generously offered to contribute toward the UNOH:

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A global economy barely pulling itself from nose dive. Religious and cultural conflicts spreading from nation to nation. Poverty rates hovering near record highs. To an average teenage student, these issues—and many more—have unfortunately become a part of daily life. Continually experiencing a world in flux, they may all too easily become apathetic, unaware of the stark lives others lead. Seeking to infuse a greater passion within its students, Wells has gradually incorporated more and more community service programs into its curriculum. The school’s ESLRs—which ask students to reflect, critique and evaluate issues, and communicate across cultures—thus increasingly ground their education in real life subjects.

The basis for this learning is typically first delivered in the classroom, particularly at the high school level. Dr. Del Dime’s Issues in Society course, aimed at upper level students interested in pursuing advocacy and service, fulfills that purpose. Earlier this year, the class welcomed guest speaker Cecilia Jimenez. Originally from the Philippines, Ms. Jimenez now delivers capacity-building training around Asia and works as a consultant, facilitating the growth of numerous government projects. This work has frequently allied her with international NGOs such as Amnesty International, the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH), and the Association for the Prevention of Torture. She has furthermore contributed to several peer-reviewed publications and training manuals on the UN Human Rights system, human rights and migration, smuggling of human beings, prevention of torture, women in armed conflict situations, and engagement of non-state actors.

Discussing human rights worldwide in line with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR)—the basis for the Issues in Society course—Ms. Jimenez asked the students their views of the different articles written in the UNDHR and which they thought were the most important. While numerous answers were offered, she stressed that Article 1 of the UNDHR serves as the foundation of all subsequent articles:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.“

According to Ms. Jimenez, the first two articles refer to equality and non-discrimination, while the others fall under economic, social and cultural rights, or civil and political rights. Interdependent and indivisible, equality and non-discrimination are essential in guiding nations toward the adoption of human rights. With that concept in mind, she fielded queries related to free speech, suicide, abuse and current issues such as the prosecution of Julian Assange. Armed with new knowledge and fervor, the Wells students prepared themselves to employ their new knowledge outside the school walls.

In addition to inviting guests such as Ms. Jimenez, Wells has taken strides toward contributing to the welfare of the surrounding community. Over the past year, it has conducted projects in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, the Bangkok ServICE Conference, the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin and others. By relating classroom content and skills directly to such projects, students have gained a much greater appreciation for the need for a service mentality. To see some of the efforts of Wells students, visit our Facebook albums:

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Forgoing their weekend as few teenagers would, a group of Wells students instead recently chose to attend the Bangkok ServICE Conference from March 2nd to 4th, held at New International School of Thailand (NIST). Intended to unite students who want to make a difference in their communities, the interschool conference addresses issues such as poverty, global warming, human trafficking, living with disabilities and human rights. In interacting with their peers from other prestigious international schools in Thailand–including ISB, Bangkok Patana, Regent’s Pattaya, Regent’s Bangkok, KIS, Harrow, ICS, TCIS and Shrewsbury–the Wells participants discovered ways in which they could make a positive impact both in Thailand and beyond its borders.

Beginning with ice breakers that relieved some of the initial tension, the conference jumped head-on into its serious themes, as inspiring guest speakers from the United Nations, Wildlife Friends of Thailand and more presented information about their causes and offered the participants advice regarding activism. Students from the participating schools even showcased their own community service clubs and booths to inspire others to take actions in their school communities, holding true to the ultimate goal of the conference: to interact and connect, and to inspire one another.

Over the course of the three days event, from morning to evening, the Wells students took part in group activities, discussions and ending with a flash mob led by ISB students in Terminal 21 to raise awareness of dolphins. Throughout the process they learned various methods through which they could discover more information about current issues, critically analyze those issues in order to determine the best courses of action, and to rally others to support the causes. Already they have had the opportunity to put this into practice as the Kony 2012 movement has spread rapidly through the Internet. Intended to raise awareness of Joseph Kony, the rogue militant leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Africa and a wanted criminal, the cause has been both praised and criticized from various sides. The Wells activists, drawing on their new knowledge, have engaged in both online and in-school discussion of the issue, seeking to define their stances and take positive actions in the movement–actions that rely on critical engagement of the many issues involved.

Thanks to the Wells staff who went above and beyond the call of duty in guiding the students (Ms. Cindy, Mr. Henry, Mr. Peng and Ms. Nicki), and congratulations to all of the participants in the Bangkok ServICE conference: Akhil (Grade 9), Asen (Grade 7), Chariya (Grade 11), Daryl (Grade 11), Gautham (Grade 11), Peter (Grade 8), Mary (Grade 11), Junior (Grade 11) and Cathy (Grade 11). We hope that all Wells students will continue to find ways in which they can change the world for the better. More information about the Bangkok ServICE Conference can be found on the official , and additional pictures of the events can be seen on our .

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Community service has long been a requirement for students most high schools around the globe, but students in Thailand’s public and international schools perhaps recognize its value more than others. Seeing the devastation of tsunamis, floods and conflicts firsthand–and the effects on family and friends–brings a fresh perspective to the need for such contributions. With that vision in mind, NIST International School has organized weekend relief efforts and called for other schools to participate. Gathering food, water, clothing and other essentials, the volunteers prepare packages that are distributed to the areas in and around Bangkok, providing flood victims with potentially life-saving supplies that are in short demand.

Led by staff members Gona Narula, Liza Sabucido, Yeu-Han (Henry) Liou and Hsin-Yi (Cindy) Chen, several Wells students awoke early on a bright Saturday morning and made the trek to Asoke to help with the relief efforts at NIST. With no thought of reward or recognition from the school community, the participants sought out the opportunity on their own, aiming to simply make a small difference for those who have lost homes, jobs or loved ones due to the flood waters. Like the many others who joined them, they felt that the minor inconveniences of waking up a bit early on a weekend or losing their free time were far outweighed by the suffering others have faced in recent weeks.

Within the Wells community itself, efforts have also been made to find ways in which the school can give back to the community in a time of need. While all monetary charity efforts have been directed toward flood relief, the Wells teachers and counselors felt that more could be done. Rekha Sachdej organized a donation drive, asking students to contribute toys for children that may have lost all of their own. Going above and beyond her expectations, the students responded by bringing some of their prized positions, including a bicycle in one case! Meanwhile, the Student Support Services Department organized a sandwich-making event, calling on secondary students to prepare meals that would be delivered that same day to nearby flood-affected zones.

While tragic, the flood situation has also brought out the best in the educational community in Thailand. Avoiding the debates and finger-pointing that merely distract the official organizations from the issues at hand, it is the individuals–Thai and expatriate–who have made a difference. Thank you to all of the members of the Wells community–as well as the many others from schools around Bangkok–who have upheld the ideals of international education and sought to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

For additional pictures of the events, visit our . �ۿ۴�ý’s relief efforts were also documented on a Hong Kong news program:

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