A Year with Around the Room Studio: Empowering Communities, Building Bridges
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A year ago, two architect friends and I embarked on an exciting journey, starting a social enterprise startup called Around the Room Studio. The inception of our team came about after presenting a story at a workshop about a community in southern Thailand. This community had been fighting relentlessly to protect their land from being overtaken by factories under a heavy industrial district scheme called Chana Industrial Estate.
I still remember the day when a funding organizer approached us, encouraging us to propose an idea to empower this community. He assured us that if our proposal could promote good governance at the local level, he would be more than willing to support us financially.
We had our apprehensions at first because I was working on my master’s thesis and a part-time job at a tech startup company, and my friends were also employed. Yet, we couldn’t shake the feeling that we had an opportunity to make a meaningful difference. Empowering local communities might seem like a small idea, but the potential impact was massive. So, we took the leap, setting up our team and committing to a 600-mile commute from Bangkok to Songkhla to meet the community every month.
In our journey so far, we’ve held one talk, one event, and three workshops, and we’re gearing up for a community festival soon. With the support of our funders, Hand Social Enterprise and CG Fund, we’ve empowered the community through training programs and global awareness campaigns, demonstrating that this community is the front guard protecting our shared natural resources. Our works and collaborations have broadened our network, fueling our drive to create more impact in the future.
Here are some of our works with the communities.
Public discussion 'How will Songkhla’s people cope with the coming heavy industrial district?' on October 23, 2022
Chana Gyotaku Workshop on February 5, 2023
Chana Art Street on June 10, 2023
Participatory Mapping & Community Database Design Workshop on July 15, 2023
Product Development Workshop on July 16, 2023
The first year of this journey, though full of challenges, has reaffirmed my desire to work in this field. I’ve seen firsthand how my skills can improve the quality of life for local communities, bridging the gap between funders and those who benefit from their support. It’s rewarding to help people enhance their skills and better their villages.
I’ve learned a lot over the past year, but there’s still more to know. I want to delve deeper into sustainable development, sustainable management, and impact assessment methodologies. This knowledge will help us evaluate the work we’re doing more effectively. As I reflect on our first year, I’m even more motivated to pursue this profession and contribute meaningfully to society.
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