A group of SIAST Palliser students and staff took much more than knowledge to Thailand on a recent trip. But some might have returned with much more.
The group from the architectural technologies program went to Thailand to help build a school, deliver computers and to teach computer drafting skills. With this commitment met, they also visited a refugee camp and discovered how bad life can be for some people in other parts of the world.
Meeting the people in Thailand changed at least one student’s prospective.
“I always wanted to own my own business and be very wealthy, but I do not care anymore,” Brad Swayze told the Times-Herald. Instead, he has asked how he can become more involved with Global Neighbours Canada — the group the students worked for in Thailand.
You can’t teach altruism. It’s a lifestyle choice.
But this project opened the door to these students choosing an unselfish lifestyle of helping others in need. That’s something our teachers can talk about, but students can only truly learn through their own lifestyle choices. This project gave these students a chance to see if it works for them.
If nothing else, it opened their eyes to how well people have it in Canada compared to how others are forced to live elsewhere. Another good lesson.
