August 19, 2021

24 Participated in the Workshop Organized in Paro

Last week, 21 students and three faculty members of Paro College of Education (PCE) participated in a five-day community mapping workshop in Paro organized by Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD).

“I learned how a strong community can be attained. I realized that instead of pushing the responsibility on each other, if we cooperate and work together, we can address any issue and that there is already a lot of knowledge and skills within a community that can be harnessed,” said Chimi, a first-year student at PCE shared,

As they completed the workshop and mapped assets and issues in different localities in Paro, participants shared that they felt inspired and empowered to engage in their community’s development and planning.

“The lesson I’ve drawn is that mind your own business is not always the best solution. It might hinder us from establishing a strong community. Therefore, let us engage ourselves in community issues and build a better society. Let’s mind our community’s business,” said Kedar Nath, a first-year student of PCE.

Participants were divided into three groups, each guided by a faculty member of the College. In the following months, these three groups will continue to map their local communities, and design and carry out an intervention with some local action plans to address an issue they care about. There will also be a town hall meeting in the coming weeks where the participants will present their project proposals to town hall members.

This project is a part of a Project Mikhung implemented by the BCMD with support from the Bhutan Foundation.