Volunteering with MSEP

Change your life! Commit!

Sometimes life calls you to embrace a deep and rich experience of service in the world beyond tourism. Take a chance…

Apply NOW for the
Mae Sot Education Project
A unique volunteer opportunity for Bishop’s & Champlain students, working with Burmese refugees and migrants in Mae Sot, Thailand.

NEW Application deadline:
January 5, 2024

Information sessions for the project will be on the Bishop’s-Champlain campus on October 3rd and again in early November. Watch for announcements on the BU Daily Dish, the Champlain electronic announcement board, Facebook and Instagram or contact us for details on dates, times and places.

To learn more about the project, students may contact:

l

Application form for the Project

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Recruitment Information Brochure

u

Application and Selection Process

Why Volunteer with MSEP

Video by Emily Prangley Desormeaux (2017).

How to Volunteer

Project volunteers are selected from among students at Champlain College – Lennoxville and Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. They must:

  • be aged 18 to 26.
  • have good spoken and written English.  Because we are based in Quebec, some of our volunteers will be native French speakers, but they too must have good English skills.
  • be independent, self-reliant and resourceful, show maturity and good judgment.
  • work well in a team.
  • be adaptable and sensitive to different cultures.
  • care about social justice issues and world affairs.
  • be effective and energetic in working with children.
  • have a desire to learn about the situation in Burma and the problems of displaced people and of the Thai and Burmese communities in Mae Sot.

Before going to Mae Sot, volunteers prepare themselves by:

  • taking classes in how to animate activities and lessons for English teaching.
  • learning elementary Thai.
  • raising funds to help pay for their stay in Thailand and to help partner schools.
  • learning about political and economic conditions in Burma and on the Thai-Burmese border.
  • learning about Thai, Burmese and Karen cultures.

While in Mae Sot, volunteers will:

  • help children and teachers with English and lead activities in schools for migrant and refugee children from Myanmar.
  • provide some materials and financial help to partner schools (as much as we are able to raise).
  • learn about the cultures in the Mae Sot community and share some of their Canadian culture.
  • write articles and send them to Canadian media to inform people in Quebec about the situation in Mae Sot.

On return to Canada, volunteers will:

  • give talks about their experience to community organizations and schools.
  • write articles and give interviews for media.