Our Vision:

• An institution that facilitates a mechanism for the public-minded people to exchange ideas and drive a public policy formulation
• An institution that links resources of all kinds to promote the healthy life of Bangkok people
• An institution that supports knowledge management of civic movement in creating Bangkok a livable city in the sustainable manner
• An institution that support the creation of public space for public-minded people of all groups and ages to drive Bangkok to be a livable city

Our 2004 activities:

Since 2002, Bangkok Forum has been reactivated after the former core leaders and alliance collaborated with the network organizations, Civicnet, for example, to drive Thai society to be a livable city.

In March 2002, Bangkok Forum facilitated a formation of Big Bang Bangkok, a network alliance of various civic groups and organizations that shares the same goal which is to create the livable Bangkok city.

Bangkok Forum coordinated a movement among its network alliance in driving public policy formulation by taking an election of the governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in July 2002 as a channel to form the civic networks to participatory work with the government in directing the development policy. The remarkable successes of civic participation effort were an invitation to be on several committees including the Bangkok Livable City Initiative, the Participatory Policy to Create Bangkok Livable City , the Bangkok Self-Sustaining Economy and The Children and Youth Development, for example.

From September – October 2002, Bangkok Forum and the development network, for example, the Local Development Institution, Civicnet, the Thai Health Fund Foundation, the National Health Systems Reform Office, and civil society network in various provinces participated in the workshop “From the Southwest Monsoon to North Star” during September 30 – October 3, 2002 at the Regent Cha-Am Hotel, Petchburi Province to present their achievements as well as collaboratively define the working direction to create the livable and happy way of life. As a result of the workshop, the “Powerful Culture to Bring Peace to the Three Southern Border Provinces” project was initiated. Bangkok Forum together with the Big Bang Bangkok and the civil society network from various provinces visited and extended their moral support to the local South in the three southern border provinces during December 24-27, 2002 at the C.S. Pattani Hotel, Pattani Province .

Bangkok Forum also supported the formation of the Bangkok youth volunteer group called “Gig Bangkok”. This youth volunteer group creatively encouraged the Bangkok youth to love and pay attention to Bangkok city through the short film contest project called “Krungthep-Uncover”. The impact of this project resulted in the expanded network of youth volunteer who participated in several volunteering activities. Accepted to volunteer at the Tsunami affected areas in Pang-Nga Province during December 30, 2002– January 3, 2003 was one of its volunteering activities.

Our 2005 activities:

The efforts of driving public policy formation in 2002 arises the attention of civic network at all levels. Bangkok Forum in collaboration with members from the House of Representatives held a “Big Bang Siam ” workshop on January 29, 2005 at the Prince Palace Hotel. This workshop is a continuing effort of the civic sector in participatory developing a public policy of creating the livable city. At this time, the election of the representatives of the House of Representatives was taken as a driving force for the civic sector to participatory work with the new government in creating a public participation process focusing on developing the livable city. During September- October 2005, Bangkok Forum also joined forces in developing a public participation process in creating the livable city in some districts, Bang Sue, Nog Jok, and Lad Krabang, for example. As a facilitator for the participatory workshop, the appreciative inquiry approach was used to draw out the creative power of all community stakeholders in building their own livable city.

For the youth projects, Bangkok Forum cooperatively worked with the youth groups including เครือข่ายเยาวชนต้านเอดส์ , Youth Net, the Bangkok Youth Council, GIGSY/INDY group, 4-nil group, the Youth, School and Parent Network, Duang Prtheep Foundation, Klong Toey Youth Net, เครือข่ายเยาวชนไทยต้านภัยเอดส์ , เครือข่ายเยาวชนขบวนการตาสับประรด , YIY group, Action Aid Group, Bangkok Forum Youth Group, the Local Development Institute, Fluid Creations Group, กลุ่มกิจกรรมผู้พิการ ศยก. , Raks Thai Foundation, ประชาไท , มูลนิธิเอดส์แห่งประเทศไทย , YCCI, GIG Bangkok, กลุ่มรักกันเตือนกัน , Thammasat Foundation, มูลนิธิเพื่อสนับสนุนการผ่าตัดหัวใจเด็ก, กลุ่มเยาวชนบ้านเซเวียร์ , in organizing the “Valentine Volunteer” project on February 13, 2005. This project was to publicize the activities of the volunteer youth, raise volunteering spirit of the public at large, encourage the youth to spend time on public volunteering work and promote the volunteering mind through volunteering activities. As a result of this collaboration, the Bangkok youth net was formed.

In March 2005, Bangkok Forum worked with the Thai Health Fund Foundation, the National Health Systems Reform Office, the Children and Youth Committee from all provinces, the Ministry of Public Health, the Children and Youth Press, ชบวนการตาสับประรด , the Buddhist priest network and the children-focused organizations in organizing youth volunteering camp, “We Volunteer” at the six affected Tsunami provinces from March 21-31, 2005. The participation of the Bangkok volunteer network in revitalizing the Tsunami affected areas led to the formation of the volunteering consortium that later on collaboratively develop the “Volunteer Spirit” project. The objectives of this project were to build and support volunteers for the charity and social work, lift up volunteer spirit and improve the volunteering work. From July – October 2005, the Volunteer Spirit network launched the “Smart Giving, Smart Sharing” project by inviting the volunteers to build the house from mud, clean the river, plant the trees, take care cats and dogs, survey data on stateless children, and renovate the shelter home. As part of this project, Bangkok Forum, in coordination with the Rak Kha Cha Mao group, took lead in managing the volunteering activity of building the muddy house in Rayong province.

In June 2005, Bangkok Forum started the “Prang Puthon youth and the Public Space” project in Prang Phuthon area with a support from the Local Development Institute as part of the “ Bangkok Livable City ” Program. The objective of this project is to encourage the youth, community member and other interested community stakeholders to participate in discovering the history of this old community through creative and constructive activities like arts, music, and sport. In continuation to this project, Bangkok Forum launched the “Youth Cafe” project from August 2005 to April 2006 to continue work on discovering the community history, investigate the public problems/issues, improve community development skills for the youth in the Prang Puthon and nearby areas, and to test the volunteering network models using the “Youth Cafe” located at Bangkok Forum office as a center.

Our 2006 activities:

In January 2006, Bangkok Forum invited community network in the Prang Puthon, Prang Sanpasat and Prang Nara areas and interested youth volunteers to join the activity of the Youth Cafe called the ‘Children Fair in the Old Day of the Hundred-Year- Long Communities”. The objectives of this project were to exercise the use of public space “Phuthares” among the three communities, Bangkok Forum and Bangkok people through the children fair activities. There were about 500 people, especially children and family, attended the fair and over 40 volunteers from academic institutions like Thammasat University and Sri nakarintaravirot University as well as from the corporate sector helped organizing the fair.

From April 2006 to present, the “Youth Cafe” project is fine-tuning its activities to attract the wider group of interested persons and university students from nearby areas. The project was then changed to “Bangkok Cafe” to serve that purpose. Under the wider scope of target group, the activities are composed of the community film theatre, the community eco-tourism along the Bangkok vicinity including Tawee Wattana, Nong Jok, Jom Thong, and Pra Nakrn District, for example.

Bangkok Forum also joined forces with the network alliance, for example, the Health Systems Reform Office, the Local Development Institute and the Big Bang Bangkok with a funding support from the Thai Health Fund Foundation to build the healthy Bangkok Fund from the local resources under the project “A Facilitation to Build the Healthy Bangkok Fund”. The objective of this project is to support the creation of the organization or mechanism to manage local resources to make Bangkok a healthy and happy city under the self-sufficient economic way.

A positive feedback from the public-minded people of all groups and ages in 2005 encouraged the volunteer network to launch the “Smart Giving, Smart Sharing” in the second year. A more variety of activities was designed to cover a wide range of interest of both the existing the prospective volunteers. Bangkok Forum worked with the Rak Khao Cha Mao group in organizing the volunteer camp to build the library from mud as well as to learn the community life and self-sustaining living way on August 25-27, 2006 and November 3-5, 2006 respectively. The volunteer activity of building the muddy house will also be held in collaboration with the Kang Tana Homestay group on October 19-23, 2006 .

For more information, please contact Bangkok Forum 104-106 Prang Bhuthon Road, San Chaophorsue Sub-district, Phranakorn District, Bangkok 10200, Tel: 662-622-2316, 662-228-1362, Fax: 662-228-1362 www.bangkokforum.net