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Building Cultural Connections through Photography
The Thailand Project, several non-governmental organizations in Thailand, and the Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum (CWCM) began a collaboration in January 2011 on the new Photography Educational Exchange for Kids! (PEEK!) program. Through photography, PEEK! facilitates cultural exchanges and creates friendships between stateless children along the Thai/Burma border and participating children of Central Wisconsin.
Children in Central Wisconsin were invited to take part in a photo scavenger hunt and begin a friendship with stateless children on the other side of the world. Tonya Kowalski, education director of the CWCM, is excited about this new project: “This partnership is imperative in teaching the lesson of global friendship. While many children across the globe face different challenges and lifestyles, every child wants a friend. The goal of the partnership is to educate families in Central Wisconsin and in Thailand to stress the importance of education, unity, and social responsibility. The hope is to raise a generation of children who understand that the world outside their window does not begin and end with their backyard.”
The collected photos will be displayed at the CWCM and shared with the organizations in Thailand to serve as an educational tool illustrating the similarities and differences between cultures and inspiring the children to know more of the world.
Children in Central Wisconsin were invited to take part in a photo scavenger hunt and begin a friendship with stateless children on the other side of the world. Tonya Kowalski, education director of the CWCM, is excited about this new project: “This partnership is imperative in teaching the lesson of global friendship. While many children across the globe face different challenges and lifestyles, every child wants a friend. The goal of the partnership is to educate families in Central Wisconsin and in Thailand to stress the importance of education, unity, and social responsibility. The hope is to raise a generation of children who understand that the world outside their window does not begin and end with their backyard.”
The collected photos will be displayed at the CWCM and shared with the organizations in Thailand to serve as an educational tool illustrating the similarities and differences between cultures and inspiring the children to know more of the world.
Sample images from the project
(Click picture to view full image)
This project has already received generous donations in the form of digital cameras to be shared with the children in Thailand and Wisconsin. Funding for an educational museum display with the final photos will be needed after all of the images have been collected. If you are interested in supporting this project, please e-mail: info@thethailandproject.org for further information.
Visit our partner on the web:
Central Wisconsin Children's Museum (CWCM)
www.cwchildrensmuseum.org
PEEK! Photo Scavenger Hunt List (English/Thai)
