Country : Thailand

Organization: OpenmindProjects

Year the initiative began: 2001

Project Website: www.openmindprojects.org

Youtube upload:

Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant:

Quality of benefit to residents for the destination

Organization size:

Small (1 to 100 employees)

Indicate sector in which you principally work:
Community Organization

Primary field of activity:

• Living culture
• Nature
• Adventure
• Education

What is the goal of your innovation? Please describe in one sentence the kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.

To help bridge knowledge divides and save nature in grassroots educational and eco projects with international volunteers

Please write an overview of your project. Include how your approach supports or embodies geotourism or destination stewardship. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the map located on the competition homepage.

With a local organization of less than 10 people OpenmindProjects (OMP) is able to support some 60 projects in 4 countries; Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal. All are focused on empowering local people through knowledge and their enterprise to protect nature, attract and serve eco tourists and help children aspire to better work and life opportunities.

With the help of ICT, information and communications technology OMP develops activity based learning training tools, information, marketing and promotion for supported projects. These tools are developed by international volunteers and local OMP staff who together distribute, teach, train and work with local people. These local people are encouraged to take ownership of projects. Not only do they learn valuable skills such as; English, ICT, business acumen and environmental know-how but it also promotes long term sustainability and self reliance.

Explain in detail why your approach is innovative.

Our minimalist approach (in terms of costs) to reach out to a large no of beneficiaries and international volunteers with a very small and local organization, recruited from local people trained in our program

OpenmindProjects’ concept is to operate an independent, low cost minimalist operation both in terms of funding and organisation. This is achieved because it is locally based and locally staffed many of whom came from supported projects. It pioneered the use of computer and Internet based learning in Thai villages, orphan homes and schools then moved on to supporting community based and sustainable eco tourism projects in Laos and Thailand, designing websites, training local people, while simultaneously helping protecting the environment. And because of its emphasis on low costs and using local people with the help of international volunteers it provides a blueprint for similar project in other regions. Most recently this can be seen in Nepal.

What is the origin of your innovation? Tell the Changemakers and media communities what prompted you to start this initiative.

OpenmindProjects was conceived, in 2001, from an idea to bring ICT to where it was most needed, i.e. in the rural areas outside of the main urban towns where much of NGO and volunteer organisations’ concentrate their efforts. Therefore, it was started in Nong Khai in the North East, one of the poorest regions in Thailand. It began with 3 pilot projects and has now grown to encompass around 60 educational and eco projects in 4 countries. The main aim is to help poor and isolated people aspire to better knowledge and living conditions by using the only education resource that is constantly improving while at the same time becoming cheaper , namely, ICT.
To achieve this international volunteers act as a source of funds, knowledge, skills and experience. The programs are designed to contribute to the motivation, creativity, inter-personal and cross-cultural skills of these international volunteer as well as the local students, teachers, villages, national parks and eco projects. The emphasis is on using modern technology and modern learning methods to motivate and inspire all stakeholders to better themselves, their families and their local environment.

Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.

Sven Mauleon is a successful international management consultant. He worked in Eastern Europe during the historic transformation from communism to democracy. First in Hungary then Poland where the mission was to guide Polish enterprises from central planning to a market economy. He was commissioned by the UN, UNIDO, to head a similar mission in Russia. He lectured and established a successful international Masters in Marketing program at the Thammasath University, Bangkok. Then in Belguim, headed a European consulting firm designing and supporting cross European cooperation projects. In 2002 he cofounded OpenmindProjects together with a young Thai social entrepreneur, Thaweesilph Lunchaiyapha.

Describe some unique tourist experiences that your approach provides. Be specific; give illustrative examples.

OpenmindProjects offers the Eco Tourist genuine settings amongst local people and in real development and support eco projects where they can make a difference. They get a chance to see grass roots Eco tourism and development projects at first hand.

The Eco project in the Kuibury National Park in South Thailand

The Kuiburi region, between the sea and Burma, has a long history of conflicts between nature and people. Deforestation, poaching, illegal and legal logging, in an area that is the habitat of some of the most endangered animal species in SE Asia; tigers, leopards, tapirs and gaurs.
Loss of habitat has driven wild elephants to the nearby pineapple farms and local farmers had been poisoning them. Today thanks to several initiatives the problems are less acute, Part of the region was declared a national park to be protected and for the ruined landscape be restored. Wildlife surveying, discussions and help to local farmers to protect their crops have reduced if not eliminated this man versus nature conflict. OpenmindProjects supports efforts by developing community, village based Eco tourism in the area. The local population are trained to take care of Eco tourists and their needs. Alongside this informational and promotional material have been created and distributed within Thailand and the rest of the world via the Internet. A group of village women are being trained to become national park guides to international Eco tourists. Volunteers first arrived to teach English. To attract the visitors brochures, website and a trail guide visit Thailandwildelephanttrekking.com, Trekkingcentrallaos.com, Krabihomestay.com and as well as hard copies. A video has been distributed and posted on different websites, e.g. Lonelyplanet.tv

What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?

Volunteers/Interns: International volunteers are the main resource and as such they are the main partners for OpenmindProjects. We also look to International universities that have students who want to go abroad, be interns and carry out special projects.
ICT Companies: Teaming up with ICT related organisations and individuals to help develop ICT based tools as well as promotional and marketing collateral.
Tour Operators: To help promote the projects we support it is important to always look for responsible Eco tourism and other tour operators to supply travellers looking for alternative experience.

Describe the degree of success you have had to date. How do you measure, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impact on sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How has it transformed or contributed to the power of place or demonstrated the sustainability of tourism? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?

OpenmindProjects has grown from 3 small projects in the north east of Thailand to now supporting around 60 educational and eco projects in 4 countries. Regular contact with key personnel in local projects to understand the level of; motivation, commitment, capacity building and spread to others of interest. All projects are chosen on the basis that it will benefit the local people and the environment. As the projects are small and grassroots based they have minimal negative impact on the local community and environment while having a very positive impact on the people. Volunteers are embedded into the local community while providing valuable services, teaching English, Hospitality or just raising curiosity. The emphasis is on learning by doing so that when the volunteers leave they will still continue. OpenmindProjects success has seen it be recognised by several international bodies. The most prominent ones are listed below:
CNN: Be your own change
Edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/11/13/btc.ngos
OMP was chosen as one of only 9 organisations for their initiative to “make a positive impact on the world”. CNN.
UNESCO: SchoolNet Project Unescobkk.org/index.php?id=1402
Recognition for its initiatives to introduce ICT into schools.
WWF: National Parks
Partner with WWF, teaching National Park Wardens and local villages in Thailand’s largest national Park, Kaeng Krachan and in Xe Pian, South Laos.
Finalist in Stockholm Challenge Award 2008: Stockholmchallenge.se

In what ways are local residents actively involved in your work, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?

OpenmindProjects consist only of local people with the exception of the initiator and cofounder Sven Mauleon and the international volunteers who stay for short periods. Some have come up through the projects thus providing evidence of the effectiveness of the programs and they also act as role models for the young students. During volunteer training and at other times local teachers and residents are encouraged to mix with volunteers. In this way it gives them cross cultural experience which will help them interact with foreign visitors. The local economy benefits too with the many international volunteers coming through the doors.

How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?

Locals welcome the help, contacts they get from OMP and its volunteers and our ICT based social networks and visitors gain an insight in local grass roots eco projects.

Having a wide variety of educational and eco projects provides something for all types of volunteers. All are encouraged to do a 3 day cross cultural training where they learn the language, culture and engage with the local people, working as well as socializing. Being well prepared for their chosen projects makes them more confident and effective. There is comprehensive in-country support and an online social network where they can interact with other volunteers, staff and projects.

Describe how your work helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues.

By working in and helping in the projects we support volunteers get a unique chance to understand the values of the area’s cultural and natural heritage at a grassroots level. The interaction between locals and volunteers is mutually beneficial. In particular the volunteer can convey their wonder to the locals who may not see that themselves being used to the area’s cultural and natural heritage, and seeing it as something normal.

How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.

Our initiatives are currently financed entirely through volunteer fees. More volunteers mean support to more projects, places and development work. The permanent staff is local, 5 locally trained persons, including our self taught webmaster and Sven Mauleon. A varying number of local trainees help with practical tasks while gaining valuable experience dealing with people from all over the world. A number of international ex volunteers act as advisors and in-country contacts and provide very valuable help.

Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? Is there a potential demand for your innovation?

OpenmindProjects has been able to develop and expand for over 7 years. Our strategy for sustainability is to offer good and serious volunteer programs with good local and pre departure services at low costs and thus affordable volunteer fees. The aim in all projects and countries is to use minimal resources to achieve the maximum effect and promote sustainable development. Reproducing this model of development therefore is much easier than large scale projects which require much more resources in terms of funding and people.

What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?

As with all small organizations the limiting factors are the human resources available and the amount of funding. A great deal of effort has to go into promotional activity especially internet related ones as this is the most cost effective means. Attracting quality volunteers to the projects is a key objective. Not only does this increase the revenue to the organization it also provides the projects with ongoing support. Some volunteers and interns with key skills such as website design, administration and teaching stay at the Head office help improve existing programs and develop future ones. An example of the latter is OMP’s new social networking site aimed at bringing volunteers, OMP staff and projects in an online community. Differentiating OMP with other volunteer organizations and travel companies is important as we all compete for the volunteers and having a sizeable internet presence helps greatly.

What is your plan to expand or further develop your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.

More ICT education tools, reaching a larger audience with our messages, attracting more volunteers and exporting our concept to other countries

OpenmindProjects is modeled as a social entrepreneurship, not for profit but for growth, business. As a result of our initiatives and having talked or worked with us, several other organizations have been set up by volunteers and local people. Some copy our approach, some focus on local education, eco or aid projects. Some act solely as volunteer travel agencies and some work together with us. For the future, we want to create more ICT training/education tools, reaching out to a larger audience with our messages, attracting more volunteers and exporting our philosophy and concepts to other countries.

Contact Information
mr sven mauleon
founder
OpenmindProjects
sven@openmindprojects.org
info@openmindprojects.org