Kids Thai high

By CASEY NEILL
UPWEY High School students are rebuilding a sanitation system wiped out by fire in an isolated Thai village.
The school’s assistant principal Mick Sheehy, chaplain Stephen Barrington, teacher Amanda Baldasso, Bethany Allchin, 16, and her mum Becca, Brodie Thomas, 17, Jess Whattam, 17, Jess Elms, 16, Zoe Hewett-Batt, 17, Jacqui Beovich, 17, Skyla Steele, 15, and Shayla Rance, 15, left for Bang Ngu village in Northern Thailand on 26 June.
They raised more than $7000 to support the traditional Lahu village. The Lahu are displaced Burmese people and are poor, marginalised, and isolated.
The staff and Year 10, 11, and 12 students paid for the trip from their own pockets so all the cash they raised went straight to helping Bang Ngu rebuild. They also took fair trade soccer balls and a few footballs to give to kids.
“Sport’s a great equaliser,” Mr Barrington said.
He’s been planning the trip for the past two years.
“We’ve got a really active student action group in the school, students who are really passionate about making change in the world,” he said.
“They’re doing a lot of advocacy work and a lot of fund-raising.”
Mr Barrington said the trip was the next step.
“They’ll see poverty first-hand and be working with groups making a difference in the world.”
Mr Sheehy said students in the hills were “a bit remote from what different cultures are like”.
“We really wanted to see how we could make a difference and experience different cultures,” he said.
“These guys are going to be at their wits’ end because it’s going to be pretty tough for them.”
They prepared for the trip’s physical challenges by tackling the 1000 Steps, but had no idea of what to expect from a cultural point of view.
“I think the hardest part will be seeing all of this, all these people have it so bad,” Jacqui said.
“And knowing that we, in a few weeks, get to go back home to a bed, and a roof and hot water, and all of this stuff that we take for granted.”
She and fellow Year 12 student Zoe used money they were saving for ‘schoolies’ to take part.
“It wasn’t a tough decision,” Zoe said.
“You can sit here going ‘I want to make a difference’ but knowing that you actually went and did something…”
The pair said this was just another step in plans to make a life of helping people in need.
“We’re both planning on travelling next year, doing something like this,” Zoe said.
The other participants also pledged to go on and do more for those in need. Brodie wants to become a paramedic and Jess Whattam wants to help remote villages in need.
“I think it will be amazing to experience another culture and help out a community and just change people’s lives, hopefully,” she said.
“I think we’ll get a really great appreciation of how lucky we are.”
During the 26 June to 12 July trip the group will also spend time in orphanages, learn to cook in a Bangkok slum, and experience the country’s night markets and snorkelling.
Mr Sheehy hopes to make the trip a regular event that younger students can aspire to.
“It can make a big impact on the kids back here,” he said.
“They really want to make a difference. It is our chance to make some sort of change.
“We will come back different people.”