Illumination’s main aim is to be able to help provide education to underprivileged communities. In addition, Illumination aims to raise awareness of problems such as the lack of education for children of migrants in Thailand. Working closely with the New Light Foundation in Phang Nga, our goal is to be able to provide for the needs of the children and students at the foundation. The children are from underprivileged migrant families, and the foundation needs teaching equipment, stationery, clothes, and donations. We also aim to be able to create our stationery made out of recycled materials, which we can donate and sell to raise money. Our other goal is to spread awareness about how migrants are perceived in Thailand, and the ostracization of migrants in Thailand. The purpose of this project is to also be able to connect more with the children of migrant families and be able to provide them with proper education tools so they can receive quality education.

KONGKWAN

The Illumination Project is not only my CAS project, but a project that is undeniably close to my heart. Through this project, I was able to collaborate with talented individuals, help teach children English, and connect with migrant children. I founded The Illumination Project to provide educational tools migrant children need, in addition to volunteering to teach the children English. I worked with The New Light Foundation in Phang Nga To help the children learn English, I collaborated with my team to design English learning games and tools such as alphabet wheels, mix-and-match games, and sorting games which we could play with the children. Working with other artists, we were able to create these activities to give to the children with the foundation along with the donation items we collected. I was also inspired by my previous visit to the foundation, and I wanted to create a mural at the foundation to represent our collaboration and growth together. I designed a mural based on this idea of growth and community, which would be painted using handprints of the children at the foundation. 

I planned the trip to The New Light Foundation with my team, and we were able to teach the children English as we bonded with them and played icebreaker games. After seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as we handed out the games, I felt extremely fulfilled and grateful for the privilege of being able to make an impact. Using the children’s handprints as flowers and tree leaves, we painted a mural of a beautiful forest, representing our growth as a community. Afterward, we were also able to learn about the history of the foundation, and how it was created to aid Nam Kem District’s recovery after the tsunami of 2004. I’m extremely grateful that I had the privilege of being able to take action to support a cause that I am passionate about because The Illumination Project truly taught me invaluable lessons about leadership, management, and connection. I’m excited to continue to work towards making a difference in the communities and causes I care about, and I hope to be able to connect with other passionate individuals in the future.

ELLE

I joined the student-led Illumination Project after being invited by a friend and also because I consider education to be a crucial starting point for leading a sustainable life. Even though I joined the project later than most of my peers and teammates, my experience as the project’s graphic designer allowed me to understand that helping a cause does not necessarily have to be through something grand, but instead something small that will add up over time to eventually become impactful. I created promotional posts and posters to advertise our bake sale and stationary and toy drives around the school to attract people to contribute to our projects’ efforts. Moreover, by helping organize our fundraisers, I interacted with many diligent students who were willing to devote their time to advocate and make a difference in our community. This assured me that I, too, can positively impact someone's life. The experience also highlighted the importance of addressing overlooked issues rather than relying solely on donations.

Planning and managing a fundraising event takes a huge amount of effort, so I am grateful to be surrounded by peers who prioritized coordinating with each other. Despite facing challenges at times, we all patiently communicated with one another to address each of our concerns. In addition to collectively raising more than ten thousand baht, I understood the importance of teamwork and commitment through my involvement in the project. Without it, we would not have been able to transform what initially seemed like an impossible goal into an achievable one. Being a part of this project for a few months not only allowed me to potentially change someone’s life for the better but also helped me grow as a person. I sincerely hope that our project's efforts were able to bring long-lasting smiles to the faces of the migrant children and reassure them that they will definitely grow into successful individuals in the future.