2021
BREAKOUT SESSION

The breakout sessions allow participants to be in a smaller group to voice their opinion and discuss with other participants regarding SDGs related topics. This year there are 10 breakout rooms led by 20 youth leaders. For each room there will be 3 rounds of discussion. Following the discussion led by the youth leader, the participants will discuss further based on the questions raised by UNDP.

BACK TO ACTIVITIES

In the End, We're all Human

Understanding the key targets of SDG 16 and communicating the significance of each target.
Increasing awareness on the issue of Human Trafficking.
Providing solutions to end all forms of violence and finding ways to aid victims.

Let's Get Innovative

Brainstorming innovative ideas to provide solutions to help industries and business survive in this pandemic.
Discussing how infrastructures can directly impact the sustainability of a town.
Discussing the different ways students can innovate and become trailblazers in their communities through creativity and out-of-the-box thinking in solutions.

Equality has no Gender

Communicating the importance of gender equality in adverse times such as COVID-19 and how this is a time which gives us the chance to alleviate pre existing inequalities.
Emphasising how gender roles are depicted in education systems and household circumstances and promoting ways of reducing gender inequality in society.
Understanding and discussing solutions to the pay gaps between men and women, especially in lower income countries.

Sharing Economy- A Collab like never Before

Promoting ways of sustainable consumption and production; finding solutions with emphasis on tourism.
Understanding how a global pandemic can affect our consumption and production.
Providing solutions for the management/disposal of chemicals and toxic wastes such as fertilizers.

Let's get Rich Together

Understanding the urgency of the situations presented in the case studies and the significant meaning of “underprivileged”.
Discussing solutions and implications in reference to the problem(s) identified and understanding the purpose of incorporating Oxfam into the discussion.
Giving acknowledgment of the SDGs highlighted throughout the discussion in LEDCs and MEDCs.

Healthcare not Wealthcare

Brainstorming and expanding current knowledge on methods to reduce unequal access to healthcare treatments.
Understanding the full extent of the impacts concerning unequal importance of healthcare treatments in rural areas and LEDCs especially.
Creating sustainable and attainable solutions to the case studies presented depicting model issues regarding healthcare worldwide.

Refining Education in the Developing World

Promoting quality education for everyone and how this links to other SDGs.
Understanding how cultural values and the government affect equal access to education and the quality of education.
Brainstorming solutions to make education more accessible to everyone.

Planet

Promoting sustainable energy consumption throughout Thailand.
Providing education surrounding implementing sustainability into everyday life.
Displaying the significance of renewable energy and its impacts on businesses and the environment.

Are we Talking too much from the Giving Tree?

Discussing goal 13 in depth; the increasing risks of global warming, the rising issue of greenhouse gas emissions and the circumstances that may arise from the issues surrounding it.
Discussing how climate change and climate action affects people in the society.
Discussing who are the stakeholders, and how they are being affected from the issues surrounding climate action.

The Oceans are Dying, and so are we!

Providing education regarding ocean pollution, its causes and various solutions.
Encouraging ways to change that will ultimately help the ocean pollution problem.
Communicating to them the severity of the problem.

01 In the End, We're All Humans

Led by Mariegene Eoinyx Arwen Tenchavez Estolas (Arwen) and Marie Eoin Bernhardt Tenchavez-Estolas (Eion)

The discussion aims to create understanding of the key targets of SDG 16 and communicating the significance of each target. As well as increasing awareness on the issue of Human Trafficking and providing solutions to end all forms of violence and finding ways to aid victims.

ROUND 1

The solutions to prevent or stop human trafficking are removing prejudice and discrimination towards sex workers, and educating people at a young age. The ways to help victims of human trafficking are allowing for victims to speak out easily and creating campaigns online to spread awareness.

ROUND 2

The solutions to prevent or stop human trafficking are de-stigmatising sex workers, providing a safe space for victims, spreading awareness and educate people to keep safe, and imposing stricter and more comprehensive laws to prosecute human traffickers and customers.

ROUND 3

The solutions to prevent or stop human trafficking are spreading awareness on the issue at hand, such as through social media and education, and providing jobs to allow sex workers to find another way to earn finances.

02 Let's GET INNOVATIVE!

Led by Tidapa Thampeera (Naka) and Shreeya Srivastava

The objectives of the discussion are understanding the impacts of COVID-19 and the impacts on the industry and economy, coming up with innovative ideas to provide solutions to help industries and businesses survive in this pandemic and raising awareness on how infrastructures can directly impact the sustainability of a town.

ROUND 1

Innovation is new technology to help improve the world. It is also the tool that makes the world a better place. Food industry is the most important because it is the basis of life forms. The components of a sustainable infrastructure are renewable energy because it does not produce carbon dioxide, and it does not lead to global warming. Goal 9 is most related to every goal because every goal is interlinked together. Regarding the analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on different sections, airlines are facing the loss of revenue. As there is no flight, many people are getting unemployed in this sector. Air hostess and pilots are seen as a less desirable job. For the healthcare sector, it is a pressure on health care because there are not enough doctors and nurses to support it.

ROUND 2

Goal 9 is most related to goal 11 and goal 12. Regarding the analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on different sections, it has a direct negative impact to tourism. Thailand’s GDP decreases because our economy is based largely on tourism. Airlines face the loss of revenue, and people are unemployed from this sector. For the healthcare sector, there is more demand on healthcare, so there are not enough hospitals to support the infected people.

ROUND 3

Goal 9 is most related to goal 11 and goal 17. Regarding the analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on different sections, airlines have no flights due to COVID-19, the loss of revenue, and it causes a large impact on Thailand’s economy. For the healthcare sector, COVID-19 puts pressure on the government to provide more health care, but there are not enough doctors and nurses, and hospital facilities to support.

03 EQUALITY HAS NO GENDER

Led by Samantha Wallace (Sam) and Nicha Liveerakorn (Nemmy)

The topic of breakout room 3 is Equality Has No Gender. The discussion aims to accomplish the following key points; communicating the importance of gender equality in adverse times such as COVID-19 and how this is a time which gives us the chance to alleviate pre existing inequalities, understanding the consequences of gender inequality and promoting ways of reducing gender inequality in society.

ROUND 1

The discussion starts with opening questions and answers discussing what is equality and what is gender inequality and the participants were really keen to share many different ideas. Then, an introductory video about gender inequality is shown. After that, the participant engaged in a talk about causes of gender inequality. The participants were very confident and shared and discussed with each other on this topic. After that, the discussions on solutions to gender inequality and how covid might impact gender roles are led by the youth leaders. The participants were very open to this and shared ideas about political system changes and local solutions within schools that they had done. Finally, the round ended with a random discussion of any other ideas about the topic which was very interesting.

ROUND 2

For round 2, the introduction and the video about the topic spark some ideas among the participants. Then, the causes of the problem are discussed and the participants had really great and new ideas that youth leaders hadn’t come across before. After the causes, the solutions are talked about next. The participant discussed the solutions and there was a broad range of solutions, for example, economic rights. Finally, the round ended with an open discussion of the topic where participants could share their final thoughts on the topic.

ROUND 3

The discussion of what is inequality and gender inequality and what are some of the causes of this are the start of this round. After that, the participants engage in a conversation about gender based violence and education as well as economic gender inequality.

04 SHARING ECONOMY- A COLLAB LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Led by Stuti Shah and Yizhen Kong (Tina)

The discussion in this room aims to promote ways of sustainable consumption and production; finding solutions with emphasis on tourism, understanding how a global pandemic can affect our consumption and production and providing solutions for the management/disposal of chemicals and toxic wastes such as fertilizers.

ROUND 1

There was a lot of engagement in the topics, especially with the social and economic impacts of tourism. The question of solving “over tourism” and the fact that it is not very practical and difficult for the government to solve that issue were raised.

ROUND 2

Participants talked a lot about cultural immersions. We discussed an eco-tourist campaign and movement towards sustainability. It is very environmentally focused.

ROUND 3

There was less engagement in the topics, but we managed to come up with some good economic reasoning and solutions. Participants suggested the government implement taxation, but agreed with Round 1 that over tourism is difficult to mitigate.

05 LET'S GET RICH TOGETHER

Led by Muskan Gurbuxani and Poorvi Daga

The objectives of the discussion in this room are discussing solutions and implications in reference to the problem identified, understanding the purpose of incorporating Oxfam into the discussion, acknowledgment of the SDGs highlighted throughout the discussion in LEDCs and MEDCs.

From the discussion the participant stressed that as a good global citizen to possibly prevent further increase in poverty in your community, we can create more jobs and contribute to business by starting up new local businesses to overcome poverty to some extent. Also, disabled people should get more attention because they lack basic facilities. However, this depends on the disabilities of the people. Moreover, we also can use micro-finance to tackle the problem. The most important thing is to focus more on the underprivileged people who lack appreciation, education, facilities, jobs, attention from the government, and etc.

06 healthcare, not wealthcare

Led by Soumili Kar and Pichaya Pichayadecha

For this breakout room, the participants were asked the following 3 questions ‘if you were the one in need of treatment but seen in negativity with various stigmas, would you seek treatment?’, ‘in what ways can the public gradually destigmatize treatment interventions against substance abuse?’ and ‘what are some solutions you can think of?’

ROUND 1

The answer from the participants is as follows; ‘It would be a while before I would seek help because often people don’t know that they have a problem and need to seek help, some people wanted to seek private treatments, however others wanted public treatments as it allows people to get inspired and actually normalizes the idea.’ Participants suggested the ways to normalize treatment by normalizing social media and sharing your success stories.

ROUND 2

The answer from the participants is as follows; ‘You seek treatment but hide it because you are afraid of what others think. Others think you shouldn’t hide it because if you open your problems and coming out honestly about accepting the idea that you are sick normalizes the idea. It also depends on the level of confidence a person has regarding seeking help publicly or asking for help. People often suffer from these issues because they have some sort of other personal issues in life which causes them to turn to drugs or alcohol, and they seek drugs and alcohol as a cry for help, so it's good to learn the roots of the problem, and reach out and ask why this is happening in the first place to prevent them from turning to things like alcohol and drugs.‘ The participants suggested that the way to normalize treatment is to introduce it to school systems so that they are prepared and educated about the issue and will be more open to opening up about the issue.

ROUND 3

The answer from the participants is as follows; ‘Voice out the issues with the industry, so it is more publicized and the issue of in-access treatment and healthcare is solved. Also most said they would seek treatment because it is their life, and healthcare is a human right. We should normalize it in the media and television as it is widespread, and people will listen to it more. You could also introduce treatment and things like therapy and rehab into education systems, so it is more normalized. There is the idea of romanticizing mental breakdowns amongst young people today, through social media, in terms of drug use, and using it to seem cool, so people need to be cautious and respectful in terms of raising awareness and de-stigmatizing.

07 REDEFINING EDUCATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Led by Nabhiraks Bhakdibhumi (Jade) and Fasai Pulkes (Prin)

Promoting quality education for everyone and how this links to other SDGs, discussing how cultural values and the government affect equal access to education and the quality of education and finding solutions to make education more accessible to everyone are the goals of this break out room.

ROUND 1

Regarding the solution of educational issues, we can’t just let the government solve problems. We have to try to solve problems too. In rural schools, as students have to work to help their families, the government can help by using online learning (that is easy to travel to), and youths can help teach them in our free times through recorded sessions. Lots of teachers who are willing to help worldwide can also do online learning. Participants think that online learning would be really helpful. Moreover, in rural areas, students don’t feel motivated to learn, but education is a privilege, in the long run it will not matter because of values in Thailand measuring grades only. We need to teach life skills instead by starting from changing mindsets and values. Also, training teachers in rural areas to give them a chance to try is also a good idea, but teachers may have to travel back to Bangkok. Probably there should be more funding in rural areas, or crowdfunding to raise funds could be done to help these people. In addition, celebrities should go to rural areas to inspire them. It could be an abandonment issue. It needs to motivate an intrinsic point of view by making them feel like they have control over their future like they believe they have a bright future.

ROUND 2

Thailand values math and science, not art or languages. When people are forced to engage in something they don't want to, they will not be motivated. Also, tests are not great because the answer has to match teachers’ rather than giving their own ideas. Education prevents students from sharing ideas because Thai culture forces students not to talk about certain things. However, education needs to be more skills-based rather than knowledge to be prepared for jobs. For vocational schools, the government should put more focus on this. Schools should also teach us how to think rather than memorize, such as by doing project based/exploration rather than teaching only. Furthermore, homework is not helpful because students will have no free time to explore their interests. Schools/learning also becomes a burden rather than something to learn causing students to be less interested.

08 ACHIEVING CLEAN ENERGY (WITHOUT SOAP!)

Led by Petra Pongsudhirak and Remika Sirikulthada

The objectives that aimed to be accomplished from the discussion are promoting sustainable energy consumption throughout Thailand, providing education surrounding implementing sustainability into everyday life and displaying the significance of renewable energy and its impacts on businesses and the environment. The discussion is divided by to 3 main questions;

What are some challenges Thailand might face in achieving these goals?

It is because the thai economy is mostly run by monopolies (eg. CP), which is a large company that owns several areas of different industries. It may be hard for them to have an incentive to go more green if there isn’t an increase in profits as a reward. Also, Thai firms are financially driven, therefore, it is more likely to ignore efforts from the government to go green and switch to renewable energy. Additionally, the costs may be too high. There is also a lack of subsidies from the government.

Is this plan realistic to you? Why so?

It is realistic in terms that with time it can be achieved if companies and citizens work towards the same goal. The government has already made efforts to go more green (eg. Banning plastic use for a day or encouraging more solar panel use in thailand). However, some people said it is still unrealistic as they believe the government is ignoring all the problems they may have to face (mentioned in the first question), and it is also unrealistic now considering the COVID-19 and the stress it places on the government.

Do you think COVID-19 has altered the pathway towards this goal? Did the pandemic expedite or delay it?

Most participants said 100% the pandemic created more serious matters for the government to have to deal with. If the government focuses on prioritizing clean energy over the pandemic, more opportunity costs will be created which is overall detrimental to the country. The pandemic may have slowed the process, but overtime we still believe that eventually the goal will be achieved.

09 ARE WE TAKING TOO MUCH FROM THE GIVING TREE?

Led by Hrithi Bhattacharya and Kanin Valyasevi

From the discussion is this room, the goals are to raise awareness about the increasing risks of global warming especially in Thailand, provide information about how several aspects/stakeholders in Thailand are affected and how global warming can be the root of several other issues and discuss management issues from the smaller scale + what’s after covid for the world. In order to accomplish the objectives.

ROUND 1

The participants mentioned that the less privileged do not contribute to the issues, but they are still affected. To solve the problem, we have to look at ourselves.

ROUND 2

In the second round the participants bring up the topic of melting polar caps. Diseases from the polar caps melting and rising sea level. It affects less fortunate people, which is not fair.

ROUND 3

It affects people who are less fortunate with pollution, for example. There are many different effects that affect everyone, and we have to take action before it is too late. Regarding masks, waste and trash, excess plastic packaging, Thai people use 12 pieces of plastic per day. However, some positive effects of COVID-19 are less pollution and less people. Thus, animals come close to land.

10 THE OCEANS ARE DYING, and so are we

Led by Hutson Smith and Yoo Jiwon

The last breakout room focuses on providing education regarding ocean pollution, its causes and various solutions, encouraging ways to change that will ultimately help the ocean pollution problem and communicating to them the severity of the problem.

ROUND 1

The problem is with management, and setting down rules and laws at the macro level. In retrospect, on a very small scale, individuals need to limit their consumption level. It is definitely a large problem that is long term and will take government action, and so we need to dedicate our resources to that. The possible solutions are as follows:

Perhaps, the government could give a harsh punishment for not obeying laws.
Don’t punish, but educate them, show them instead.
Pollution is coming from those in the lower classes, who are not as educated, and
plastic is the cheapest for them, and gives them the best chance of livelihood.
Find a substitute, and produce it on a large scale, such as biodegradables and bamboo
plastics
Find a way to use the plastic in a different way, to where it won’t end up in the trash,
such as making eco-bricks to build a house
Give a reward for recycling and disposing of plastics properly.
Certain beads that are used in cosmetics choke fish, and should be outlawed.
Change people’s mindsets through education A
Use Social media to consistently send out those messages.

ROUND 2

Human behaviour is hard to change, and using plastics has been in our routine for a long time. Instead of banning the use of plastic, the government should stop producing the plastics in the first place. We should raise awareness about the extent of the problem, and how bad it is. Dedicating days where there is mandatory beach cleanup for example. It would make an enormous change if every single student at schools for a day, went and helped to clean up the beach. For some companies that recycle and reuse plastics, we should help those companies, donating our plastics to them. In micro scale solutions, it could be a zero waste lifestyle meaning we try to produce the smallest amount of waste as possible. We also can go to farmers markets, where there is no plastic packaging or packaging costs. We should encourage others to live this lifestyle. Additionally, there should be more recycling education, so people know what to put where, and where that will go.

ROUND 3

We need to spread awareness first, then we can join together to solve the problem. Everyone needs to change their point of view, how they think, in order to change. Small steps are key, and changing our habits. They will make a big difference overall like riding your bike places instead of driving. It will inspire others to make those small changes as well. Companies should invest in other types of packaging instead. They will use those everyday, and so become more familiar with using it. After covid 19, plastic consumption has increased, and we need to reverse that. Biodegradable plastics should be used more instead of the normal plastic. Moreover, Thailand had laws a year ago restricting 7-11 from using plastic bags, and we really need more of these laws. We need to develop crops without the use of fertilizer because that is polluting the ocean. We also need stricter tourist pollution laws. Also, the government should invest in different ways to clean the water, the ocean, without the burning of fossil fuels. A large problem is money, and the cheapness of plastic. We also need to pressure the government into changing, not just let them do it on their own. Additionally, supermarkets contribute to plastic waste enormously, and they should find better ways to store food and water. If we have competitions and challenges with prizes, people will have more motivation to change. More events in schools that can raise awareness in younger children, so that they can further that education when they are older. We must consume less plastic products, because then the demand will be reduced as well. While at home during COVID-19, we can donate to charities that are helping reduce plastics in the ocean. There should also be the better recycling systems where there are more options that are more specific. We need to decrease plastic used in food delivery during the pandemic. We cannot forget about how other SDGS and problems weigh into this as well. Companies are starting to use less plastic in packaging, and this should be done more.

2021 BREAKOUT SESSION

2021
BREAKOUT SESSION