Equity Partnership School's Network

Ten Senior students recently flew to Hat Yai to attend a series of workshops at a school in Phattalung, hosted by the Equitable Education fund team and SACIT (Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand).

Students worked together with their peers from the EEF supported school to develop their product, which will be made in the local community and eventually sold via Shopee in June, July and August.

Find out more about the trip in this review written by Morry, Year 12.

After a day of travelling on Friday, we arrived in Hat Yai and checked into our hotel to prepare for the following day’s activities.

Saturday was the main focus of the field trip, which consisted of a range of educational sessions and discussion activities. The day began with a welcome speech by the school director, who introduced the purpose of the visit and emphasised the importance of understanding local enterprises. We were then welcomed with a Thai traditional dance, performed by members of the local community. which created a warm atmosphere and introduced us to the cultural background of the area.

After the introduction, we were presented with information about local products and their significance, helping us to understand how communities use available resources and traditional skills to create products that can be sold and marketed.

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was the workshop where we learned how to make products using beads. This task was much more challenging than we expected. Before trying the real technique, we discussed the idea of introducing DIY kits with a video tutorial for customers to make by themselves. However, after actually trying the technique with the beads and strings, we felt like it would be too hard for the customers to DIY their own keychain or purse. Doing handicrafts like this really needs lots of patience, as even small mistakes could affect the final product, which made us realise how much effort goes into producing handmade items. This experience gave us a deeper understanding of the time-consuming craftsmanship involved in making a product.

During the activity, we worked in groups to decide on the product that we wanted to create. After a few rounds of suggestions and voting, our group chose to design a purse. This required us to think carefully about both practical use and appearance, as the product needs to be practical while also visually appealing to more customers to purchase. Previous products consisted mainly of northern Thailand traditional jewellery and bags with traditional colours, which were mainly made by the students in the school. We found out their products were really high quality and really represent the Thai tradition. However, the target consumer group for this product is very limited, mostly middle-aged people or tourists. Due to the long production time, the price needs to be relatively high, and consumers are more likely to buy a similar but cheaper product. Furthermore, the original bags and accessories don’t appeal to young people from a fashion perspective - therefore, our goal is to make the product more youthful and practical. 

Another key topic was storytelling for branding. After listening to a speech from a bead craft artist, we learned that successful businesses often create a story about their products in order to connect with customers. This includes brand identity development where we need to think about how elements such as logos, colours and messaging create a strong and recognisable brand. 

Overall, this trip helped to develop important skills such as teamwork, creativity and critical thinking. Designing the purse allowed us to apply both artistic and practical considerations as well as providing a good opportunity to apply business concepts in a real-world setting.