The Chi Phat Green Ambassadors Have Their First Meeting!

Saturday, May 24.  Eight 9th Grade Chi Phat students and one young community member are assembled and meet for the first time in the CBET meeting room.  These are the Chi Phat Green Ambassadors and are our sustainability factor.  Green Ambassadors are part of the GreenSchools Program of Project Learning Tree. This group is excited to do projects together and to keep their village recycling and litter free.  They will keep the fire burning long after we are gone.

The Green Ambassadors quickly "untie" themselves in the Human Knot activity without letting go of their hands.  This activity serves as an ice breaker, getting to know each other; as well as a communication enhancer.  They were so good that we had to repeat the excercise 3 times in the same time frame that one is usually done.

Vanak shows the Green Ambassadors the potted flower plant that he made from a 2 liter plastic bottle and broken flip flop shoes.  This demonstrates reusing and serves as art for his tourist bungalows.  Sophany showed a video of bottle brick construction in India where plastic bottles are filled with local dirt and used as bricks to build a school.  We also discussed how plastic bottles can be used to build a raft. Perfect as the village of Chi Phat is on the river and is an important mode of transportation.

We divided the Green Ambassadors into 2 groups and tasked them to make decorative mobiles from litter they found on the ground and some colored paper.  They proudly present their mobiles.  We then set the ambassadors up with an email account and facebook page:  Chi Phat Green Ambassadors.  One of the goals is to connect them with Houston's East End Green Ambassadors so that the two student organizations can communicate, gain ideas from each other and keep current on their activities.

The local long-tailed maquaque pays a visit to our meeting.

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The Chi Phat Green Ambassadors, Sophany Touch and myself.