SNAPSHOTS & PROFILE: Dasing and DARE-ing
Date: 20 Nov 2015 Source: Bangkok Post-GURU
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BY Mika Apichatsakol
FACTBOX
Pattaris "Pie" Chaipromprasith is a 19-year-old Thai national in his final year at Kent School, a private college preparatory school in Connecticut, where he is a member of the swim team, enjoys running and playing the flute, and is the president of the Buddhist Club. As if that's not enough to win seals of dating approval from parents everywhere, Pie is also a passionate advocate of D.A.R.E., an organisation that promotes youth drug resistance.
Tell us about D.A.R.E.
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was founded in the United States. It involves police officers visiting schools and teaching children how to say no to drugs by using their field experience with the dangers of drug addiction. Thailand adopted this programme in 1998. So far there are 8,000 police officers involved.
What got you personally involved in D.A.R.E.?
My friend's death from a drug overdose forced me to ask why the anti-drug programmes we are surrounded by have so little impact. I started researching antidrug messages and programmes in Thailand, and I came to the understanding that, to make a difference, there would have to be major changes.
How are you planning to reach out to young Thai people?
I found two main reasons D.A.R.E. had not gained any traction in Thailand in recent years - its outdated image and total lack of online presence, specifically in social media. I knew I would need to re-brand D.A.R.E. in Thailand, and that would require everything from creating a new logo to generating social media integration and conversion.
Why social media?
First, the cost is very low. I want to start something that doesn't cost much, but is very effective. Second, it speaks directly to the programme's target audience, young people and the new generation. Social media isn't one-way, but two-way communication. I believe that to successfully communicate with the target, we need to listen to them.
What are your plans after graduating?
Right now I'm applying to several colleges in the US. For my profession, I know that it will be in the field of communication, which I feel is my strength. I wish to communicate internationally and act as a thought leader in Southeast Asia. I dream of one day helping to turn the intensely multicultural Asean Economic Community (AEC) into a geopolitical organisation more closely resembling the European Union. This is why it's vital to learn what changes need to be made to the power structure of the Thailand and the AEC, and how they should be made through communication to build the bridges of understanding that will one day bring the nations of Southeast Asia closer together.