Mekong River Education for Sustainability Project

Mekong River: Education for Sustainability Project

The Mekong River is a major economic, transportation, cultural and environmental resource for China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Some people look at the river as an obstacle to be bridged. Some see it as a source of food and work. Some see it as a place to swim, others as a toilet or drain for their waste. We see it as a living classroom.

The Mekong River Education for Sustainability Project is a long-term proposal for schools on the banks of the river. It aims to develop students' awareness of how local and global factors affect them while at the same time empowering them to make sustainable choices for the future of the river.

The project has already started with two school boards in the northeast of Thailand and will expand to include other countries over the next five years. The project links students project work in various countries on both sides of the river to share their local work with each other. The students will communicate with each other in English. Students will also communicate with others in other parts of the globe to share their ideas and accomplishments.

The project objectives include:

setting up further student project work in Thailand
developing student project work in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
linking projects together in international students conferences
linking projects together and technology transfer through international student website
teacher-training at the local, and regional levels
development and publishing of curriculum materials to be adapted for other areas
documentation of the process as an example for other areas to adapt to their local needs
empowerment of educators to take a leading role in education as sustainability
empowerment of students to take a leading role in developing and carrying out their projects within their local communities
empowerment of students to act as facilitators for younger students' project work
empowerment of students to take responsible individual and cooperative actions for an environmentally sound and economically prosperous future for all life in the Mekong river.