Youth Leadership Development supported
by Nissan gives students new skills

Bangkok, 25 September 2020 – "I had no idea that the three days I would spend at the Youth Leadership Development program would change my perspective towards life forever," said Worawan Kruanrampol, a fifth-year student at Wongnoi Phranomyong Wittaya school in Thailand's Ayutthaya province. Known as Bow to her friends, the 17-year-old is one of the more than 1400 students benefiting from the Youth Leadership Development program.

This program is sponsored by Nissan in partnership with CARE International Japan and the Raks Thai Foundation, with the aim to foster and catalyse Thai students' dreams. They are offered a foundational knowledge of business and its intricacies, and the entrepreneurial spirit in them is given a free rein. Like Bow, who is now a passionate terrarium maker in her free time.

"The dreams and aspirations of youth are precocious and delicate. With the right guidance and support in their formative years, students like Bow can embark on a lifelong journey of career growth and fulfilment," says Tukta, Sutirat Kojchsawas, project manager at Raks Thai Foundation.

Tukta designed the program to instil leadership skills amongst participants and introduce them to essential STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) concepts. While she provides the direction, since 2017, Nissan employees contribute by providing relevant knowledge and insights. Participants are encouraged to take up a real-life project on any subject or activity of their choice.

Bow enthusiastically invested her time, effort and passion into her project – creating terrariums. Terrariums can be tricky and need to be nurtured with considerable care and thought. To her delight, Bow could successfully apply some of her newly acquired STEM training to the project.

"It is a great feeling to be able to put knowledge into practice for something I really love doing. That day, I realized the value of learning something new and applying it to our daily activities. It is something that I try and do consciously now, in every aspect of my life. I am proud of the project and of what it has done for me," says Bow happily.

During a three-day camp, she teamed up with other participants for various group activities. This exercise helped her develop her teamwork and collaboration skills whilst listening and appreciating different viewpoints. On the occasions when she was leading a team, she learned how to observe people and assign them responsibilities that suit their strengths – precisely one of the things the program is designed to achieve.

As Tukta says, "During our workshops, we present the participants with situations aimed at bringing out the leadership qualities in them. Real-life experience is crucial for developing analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. This, together with exposure to business and marketing principles, enables the students to view their life choices from a broader, wiser, and more informed perspective."

It certainly worked very well for Bow. The highlight of the camp, for her, was the two-hour session conducted by a Nissan employee. "It taught me how to present my project; made me feel more responsible and confident than I had ever been," recollects Bow fondly. "I am so glad I attended the camp, and I thank Nissan for making it possible. It is a great initiative and it shows that they genuinely care – about children, and about building a better future."

Other students show equally impressive success stories – of Wiphada Wongwien, who aims to use the experience to set up a business in wontons; of Kittima Saelao and Wanwisa Singhakul, who sought guidance from former Youth Leadership Development participants to diversify their business from running a bakery to selling clothes online; of Nattamon Wanikkiat and Kullabodi Pleekhan, who overcame their inhibitions and won people's hearts with baked delicacies; of Ornuma Ladbasri Aern, who has herself become an ambassador of the change she experienced thanks to the program; and many more.

Over the years, the program has found increasing resonance among the participating students. It is helping them not only do better at their studies and projects but discover new reservoirs of confidence and resourcefulness. Nissan is optimistic that the knowledge and the skills that students gain through the program will pave the way for a brighter, happier future. The company recently announced the extension of the program for another three years, aiming to reach 1600 more Thai students.

Key facts about the Youth Leadership Development program

• The program is intended primarily for students between Grades 7-12
• It includes workshops and camps, with a range of fun and interactive activities that are carefully designed to bring out not only leadership and teamwork qualities, but also creative, analytical and entrepreneurial skills in students – qualities that are crucial to success in business
• The program is operational in the provinces of Ayutthaya, Rayong and Samut Prakan
• More than 1400 students have enrolled in the program till date

Nissan employees have volunteered as instructors, coordinators for the workshops and camps.

For information about Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd., please visit nissan.co.th, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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