17.4.3 Education for SDGs in the wider community
Learning Without Walls: SWU's SDG Education for Alumni, Local Communities and Vulnerable Groups
In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) continued to take education beyond its campuses. In line with the commitment to education for the SDGs in the wider community, with dedicated outreach educational activities for the wider community, including alumni, local residents and displaced people, SWU offered short courses, e-learning, hands-on workshops, study visits, field-based learning and intergenerational learning to people outside the University. These activities help people apply knowledge to their lives, livelihoods and communities, and they reach three groups in particular:
• Alumni, through free sustainability and ESG training and an alumni e-learning series on social enterprise.
• Local communities, through community-based learning in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, research-based knowledge transfer, life-skills learning in local schools, free mentoring for local entrepreneurs and villagers, and a learning camp for children in a riverside Muslim community.
• Displaced, conflict-affected and vulnerable groups, through health education for older people in a multi-ethnic rural community, and Thai language and culture programmes for young people from crisis-affected Myanmar and for development personnel from partner developing countries, and educational guidance for secondary students in Thailand's conflict-affected southern border provinces, and a community learning exchange with the Suhrao Ban Don Muslim community in Bangkok.
1. Educational outreach for alumni
SWU SE Training: Creating Social Impact through ESG
SWU ran SWU SE Training: Creating Social Impact through ESG, a training course on sustainable management for social enterprise entrepreneurs. SWU alumni could join free of charge. The course covered environmental, social and governance (ESG) concepts, carbon footprint assessment, social factors, corporate governance, sustainability management and ESG reporting. Participants learned through lectures, a study visit, focus group discussions and hands-on practice in preparing an ESG report, so that they could apply what they learned to run their businesses sustainably and create positive social impact.– view source
SWU BAS E-Learning Alumni Series 2025
SWU also ran the SWU BAS E-Learning Alumni Series 2025, an online learning channel for the alumni network. Alumni of the Master of Business Administration in Social Enterprise shared their experience of using business as a tool to create economic, social and environmental value, so that other alumni could learn from their ideas and practice. – view source
Together, these activities give SWU graduates continuing opportunities to build knowledge and skills in sustainability after graduation, supporting lifelong learning and capacity building for sustainable development (SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 12).
2. Educational outreach for local communities
Community-based learning in Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
SWU worked with residents and local agencies in Ban Chang and Pho Sao Han subdistricts, Uthai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, on area-based community development. Together they built local knowledge on community products, community-based tourism, public communication and sustainable area development, linking academic knowledge with local resources, wisdom and identity to support income generation, the grassroots economy and the sustainable use of resources.
On 16–17 October 2025, in a follow-up visit to the same area, SWU also brought research results directly to the community. Participants visited a model Wolffia (watermeal) farm used as a learning site, attended a lecture on products from black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, and practised making Plai (Zingiber cassumunar) herbal oil mixed with Kraduk-kai-dam (Justicia gendarussa) extract. These sessions gave residents and local partners practical knowledge they can use to develop livelihoods and community products and to add economic value (SDG 8, SDG 11, SDG 12). – view source
Mentoring and knowledge transfer for local entrepreneurs and villagers, Uthai District
On Tuesday, 19 August 2025, SWU ran a dedicated outreach educational activity for the local community in Uthai District, as part of the same area-based work. Organised under the Reinventing University project "Social Development and Community Economic Promotion through the Creative Economy for Holistic Area-Based Development", the activity offered free business mentoring and knowledge transfer for local residents and aspiring entrepreneurs, held alongside an academic network meeting on the creative economy. Local and national government partners also took part: the Pho Sao Han Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, the Uthai District Community Development Office and the Community Development Department.
SWU faculty members shared knowledge and gave one-to-one advice on three topics for sustainable development at household and community level: building self-reliant model households under the Household Lab Model for Quality of Life (HLM) of the Khok Nong Na approach, improving the efficiency of agricultural production, and processing and preserving farm produce to add value. The session helped villagers turn local resources into sustainable livelihoods and community products, and linked them with public agencies that can support them further (SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 8, SDG 11). – view source
Top: mentoring session with local entrepreneurs and villagers. Bottom: the owner of the model household shares her experience of preparing duck eggs for processing, Uthai District, August 2025.
Learning across generations in local schools
On 29 August 2025, the B.A. in Sociology for Development programme ran the academic service project “Intergenerational Learning: A Space for Learning Life Skills through Play” at Sawasdee Witthaya School and Wat Phasi School in Bangkok. SWU students and staff demonstrated warm-ups before futsal, taught correct futsal techniques, and used board games to build pupils' thinking, discussion, brainstorming and life skills. Learning through sport and games gave pupils hands-on experience in teamwork, communication and critical thinking outside the classroom (SDG 4, SDG 10).– view source
“Ton Kla Nai Tang Thin” learning camp for children in a riverside Muslim community
Opening ceremony led by the Chairman of Nurul Huda Mosque (top), a group brainstorming activity (middle) and a session on religious knowledge (bottom), Ban Phlap, Bang Pa-in District, September 2025.
From 18 to 20 September 2025, the SWU Muslim Club ran the 13th “Ton Kla Nai Tang Thin” (Young Seedlings in a New Place) camp at Nurul Huda Mosque and Ban Phlap School in Ban Phlap Subdistrict, Bang Pa-in District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Ban Phlap is a Muslim community settled along the Chao Phraya River. The participants were kindergarten and primary school pupils from the community, invited through the school and local parents. Many children in the area come from families with limited means and have few chances to learn outside school, so the camp combined general knowledge, religious and moral education, and community volunteering in one programme.
Over three days, SWU students led learning stations and group activities. The children learned the correct practice of their faith, the values of humility, kindness and good conduct towards people of other religions, and how to live well with others. In the community volunteer session they collected litter, sorted waste and learned how to avoid creating waste, and in a 5R activity they turned items they thought were useless into things that could be used again. The camp built the children's knowledge, confidence, teamwork and sense of public responsibility, and strengthened ties between the University, the mosque, the school and families in the community (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 12).
3. Educational outreach for displaced, conflict-affected and vulnerable groups
Health education for older adults at the Sisa Krabue Elderly School
Older learners of Thai, Malay, Myanmar and Cambodian backgrounds at the Sisa Krabue Elderly School, Ongkharak District, Nakhon Nayok, during SWU's health class on 30 July 2025.
Older people in rural communities are among the most vulnerable groups in Thailand's ageing society. Many live on low incomes, have limited access to health information, and are at risk of unsafe medicine use, memory loss and social isolation. On 30 July 2025, SWU ran a health-promotion class for older learners at the Sisa Krabue Elderly School in Sisa Krabue Subdistrict, Ongkharak District, Nakhon Nayok Province, under the holistic well-being curriculum of the Ongkharak Model. The learners came from a multi-ethnic community, including older people of Malay, Myanmar (Burmese) and Cambodian backgrounds, so the class was designed as an inclusive learning space across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. It covered three topics:
• safe use of medicines and the prevention of memory loss;
• the “3 Or” principle for good health: food (ahan), exercise (ok kamlang kai) and emotions (arom); and
• laughter therapy, through a talk and live demonstration, to promote happiness, relaxation and emotional well-being.
The older learners took part actively, asking questions and joining the exercises, and gained practical knowledge they can use to care for their own health in daily life. The class supports health literacy, healthy ageing and the inclusion of older people from diverse ethnic backgrounds in lifelong learning (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10). view source
Thai Language and Culture Training for Students from Myanmar
Closing ceremony of the Thai Language and Culture Training for students from Yangon University of Foreign Languages, Myanmar, 16 May 2025: participants receiving their certificates (left and centre) and SWU's Acting President addressing the ceremony (bottom).
Myanmar is in a protracted conflict and humanitarian crisis that has forced millions of people from their homes and severely disrupted education, especially for young people. From 27 April to 17 May 2025, SWU's Graduate Program in Thai, with the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), ran the Thai Language and Culture Training Programme for Myanmar Students. Twenty-eight third- and fourth-year students from Yangon University of Foreign Languages (YUFL) studied Thai language, society and culture in Thailand, gaining knowledge, skills and opportunities that their own crisis-affected education system could not easily provide.
At the closing ceremony on 16 May 2025, presided over by SWU's Acting President with TICA, the students received certificates. They also shared their own culture by performing the Myanmar water-festival piece “Thingyan Moe”, and showed their new Thai language skills in a Thai performance. The programme builds mutual understanding between Thailand and Myanmar and gives young people from a crisis-affected country a pathway to further study and work (SDG 4, SDG 10, SDG 16).
Short-term Thai Language Training for Development Personnel from Partner Countries
Opening of the training at TICA, 8 July 2025 (top), and a Thai language class for participants from Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Bhutan, Kenya and Nigeria at SWU (bottom).
From 1 July to 20 September 2025, TICA and SWU's Faculty of Humanities ran the Short-term Thai Language Training Programme, “Thai Language for Communication,” for development cooperation personnel from neighbouring and other partner countries. Fourteen participants from six countries, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Bhutan, Kenya and Nigeria, took part. The opening on 8 July 2025 at TICA was attended by SWU lecturers led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Suphak Mahawarakorn, Head of the Program.
Through active learning, participants built Thai communication skills for daily life and for coordinating development cooperation with Thai embassies and TICA in their home countries. Learning took place both in and out of the classroom: from 15 to 18 July 2025, participants studied Thailand's development approach at royal development projects, in line with TICA's work under the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for the SDGs (SEP for SDGs). They also learned through conversations with Thai people, agriculture, art and culture. The programme strengthens people-to-people links between Thailand and partner countries, many of which face conflict, displacement or fragility, and builds the capacity of the people who deliver development cooperation there (SDG 4, SDG 17).
Field learning at royal development project sites, 15–18 July 2025 (top), and participants with their certificates at the closing ceremony, September 2025 (bottom).
SWU South Side 4: educational guidance for young people in the southern border provinces
The “academic market” of study fields (top), a TCAS admission session (middle) and one-to-one advice in “Nong Prueksa Phi” (bottom), Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, 14–16 December 2025.
Thailand's southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have lived with a long-running armed conflict since 2004. The conflict has disrupted schooling and left many young people with little information about, or access to, higher education. From 14 to 16 December 2025, the SWU Southern Border Provinces Student Network Club ran the 4th SWU South Side “Phi Nae Nong” (Seniors Guide Juniors) camp at the Faculty of Political Science, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus. The camp was for upper-secondary students (Grades 10–12) from the area who are about to move on to university.
SWU students introduced the University, explained how to apply through the national TCAS admission system, and shared their own experience of studying and living at university. The programme included an “academic market” of study fields, a self-discovery activity, learning stations, recreational activities and “Nong Prueksa Phi” (ask your seniors), where students received one-to-one advice. The club also set up a contact network so that students can keep asking for guidance while they prepare for higher education. The camp widens access to educational information for young people in a conflict-affected region, supports their well-being and future planning, and builds exchange and understanding between the southern border provinces and the wider society (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10).
Learning exchange with the Suhrao Ban Don Muslim community, Bangkok
On 16–17 May 2025, the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU), held an academic capacity-building programme with Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia, and Social Value Thailand. The programme took learning about sustainable development out of the university and into a local community.
On 16 May, participants went to the Suhrao Ban Don Muslim community in Bangkok for a community learning session led by the community president. Faculty, partners and residents discussed how the community manages its social life sustainably in a fast-changing urban setting. Topics included:
• how the mosque works as a centre for community decision-making and mutual support;
• community welfare and mutual-aid arrangements that care for older people and low-income households;
• ways to involve young people and pass on religious and cultural heritage, including local food traditions;
• how the community lives alongside other faiths and keeps good relations with the city around it.
With Social Value Thailand, participants also looked at how the social value of these community practices can be recognised and assessed. The community also shared good practices in managing its local Muslim culture. Residents took part as knowledge holders as well as learners, so the session was a two-way exchange between the university and the community.
On 18 May, faculty from SWU’s Department of Sociology and from UNY met to share their experience and to develop academic and research collaboration between the two institutions.
The programme reflects SWU’s commitment to education for the SDGs that reaches beyond enrolled students to local residents. It brings community knowledge, university teaching and research, and a civil-society partner together through international partnership.
Conclusion
Together, these activities show SWU's commitment to extending education for sustainable development to all members of society. Through dedicated outreach for alumni, for local residents and schools, and for vulnerable groups, including rural older people, secondary students in Thailand's conflict-affected southern border provinces, and young people and development personnel from crisis-affected countries, SWU shares knowledge on sustainability, ESG, social enterprise, community development, life skills, waste reduction, health, language and pathways to higher education. This supports lifelong learning, reduces barriers to education, and builds partnerships between the University, communities and its networks to advance the SDGs.