“The Little Big Project” is a Volunteer Tourism competition funded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to inspire travellers worldwide to take a volunteer vacation in Thailand. This gives you an opportunity to do something meaningful while on holiday, you will be amazed how little can make such a BIG difference. You may have a life changing experience and make a better world for others.
How to apply: Choose the mission that you’d like to volunteer for from the list on the www.thelittlebigprojectthailand.com website. Submit a one minute video telling us about your plans for this mission and why you believe you have what it takes to make a better world for others. Tell your family, friends, and anyone interested in your volunteerism to vote for you online!
Period of Submission: The entry period for “The Little Big Project” competition begins on March 25th 2013 and ends on May 20th 2013 at 11:59 PM (GMT +7).
How To Win – the Judging Criteria: The ten finalists for inclusion in “The Little Big Project” will be selected as follows:
• Input from Internet voters – your family, friends or, anyone interested in your project – (40%).
• Decisions from our panel of judges – representatives from the TAT and the Media – (60%). Our Panel of Judges will make their decisions based on your passion for volunteering and your specific plan for “The Little Big Project” Judges will select 5 overseas competitors and 5 Thai competitors for the ten finalists.
Notification of the Ten Finalists: The ten selected participants (‘Finalists”, “Contestants”) who will be participating in the Competition will be notified by the TAT and/or Organizer via emails with information on your itineraries and assignments (See more on Assignment Description in the Official Rules). Announcement will also be posted on the website on May 27th 2013.
YOUR MISSION TO ACCOMPLISH IN THAILAND :Your team (comprised of one overseas competitor and one Thai competitor) will work together on the project of your choosing for 2 weeks. During your 2 weeks each team will be asked to share your daily experience with a global audience by posting blog posts, photos, videos and travel stories (in English language) using social media tools to inspire other travellers to learn more about and take an interest in visiting these destinations as volunteer tourists. Once the Finalists are selected, the template URL for each Finalist’s blog will be created and provided under the domain name www.TheLittleBigprojectThailand.com Ask your family, friends, and anyone interested in your project to vote for you, starting from the first day of the project in June until the end the competition.
AWARDS / GRANTS : The Team receiving the highest number of votes will win a grant valued at $5,000(USD) to donate to your project for continued funding and receive a Hotel Voucher valued at $500(USD) for your personal enjoyment. Both members of the Team with highest number of VDO views will receive an Apple Gift Card valued at $1,000(USD). All participants will receive a Certification from your voluntary mission.
EVENT SCHEDULE 2013:
• March 25th – May 20th Submission Period
• May 27th Finalists Announcement
• June 16th Finalists arrive in Bangkok, Thailand / Finalists briefing.
• June 17th Welcome Party / Press Conference in Bangkok / Depart to each destination
• June 18th – July 1st Volunteer Mission Period in each destination
• July 1st Finalists return to Bangkok
• July 2nd Winner Announcement
• July 3rd Finalists stay in Bangkok
• July 4th Finalists return home.
OFFICIAL RULES: Applications for “The Little Big Project” (“Competition”) is open to individual travellers (“Participant” or collectively “Participants”) at www.Thelittlebigprojectthailand.com .The ten finalists selected must participate as a volunteer in their chosen project.Each finalist will share his/her daily experience with a global audience via blog sites by posting blog posts, photos, videos and travel stories (in English language) with social media tools, media outlets and media interviews.The Competition will be organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (“TAT”) and/or any other co-organisers and Sponsors officially appointed by the TAT for this Competition.
SPECIAL MENTION OF MARINE CONSERVATION AT KOH TALU
Activity: Marine Conservation Location: Koh Talu, Prachuab Khiri Khan Province Background: Koh Talu, Koh Singh and Koh Sang are three picturesque islands located in the northwest of the Gulf of Thailand. These islands are included in a current marine restoration project. Overfishing and the use of harmful practices such as dynamite fishing and cyanide fishing have caused damage to the coastal ecosystem and affected much of the beautiful sea life and coral reef.To combat this problem organisations such as the Marine Science Activity Conservation Foundation (MSACF) and the Coral Reef Restoration Project of Koh Talu Island Resort have undertaken campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of coral preservation
.A technique for transplanting coral has been developed and used successfully for over 10 years. This is a project that is sometimes open to travellers as a volunteerism opportunity. The resort’s owner runs the country’s largest privately run hatchery and nursery for hawksbill turtles.Koh Talu Islanders have allocated an area of the island for the nursery. The Royal Thai Navy also has an active role in the program. Veterinarians from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, experts in managing hawksbill turtles, also consult and provide advice on hawksbill turtle egg laying, incubation, and nursing.
Volunteer Program Activities: These activities include making artificial coral reef ,collecting turtle’s eggs for incubation, turtle conservation, collecting trash on the island, diving and collecting coral reef branches, operating a blue crab “bank”, mangrove planting and working with hearing and speech-impaired children
Leisure Program Activities: These activities include trekking, a bicycle tour in Bang Saphan City, visiting Wat Boat Mountain to enjoy the view from the mountain’s peak, a tour of a gold-panning village and making traditional Thai ornaments by hand.
ITINERARY FOR FOURTEEN DAYS : Days 1-3: Hear a presentation relating to the fishing resource management project and various activities planned for your Koh Talu adventure. Visit an exhibition detailing the history of the Thailand Sea Restoration Project. Discover local fishing tools such as blue crab nets, mussel cultivation, and fish traps with a group of Koh Talu Islanders .Learn about and build your own habitat for fish larvae. Operate a blue crab bank, and then take a boat out to sea to place a blue crab net and release blue crab larvae back into their natural habitat. Days 4-5: Training in fundamental scuba diving skills and learn about the coral reef and the surrounding marine life.
Go trekking and collect trash on the island. Visit a coral reef cemetery and gather dead coral reef to be used as a base for restoring new sets of healthy reef. Scuba dive down to a staghorn coral nursery plot and collect branches that are strong enough for restoration then plant them along an existing natural coral reef. Learn how to observe and enjoy a coral reef without destruction. Days 6-7: Survey the habitat of the hawksbill turtle, and scuba dive to look at its natural food sources. Collect seaweed, sponge coral and sea grass to feed young hawksbill turtles in the nursery.
Learn about the Hawksbill Turtle Nursery including food preparation, feeding, determining abnormalities in young turtles, treatment and maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Collect turtle’s eggs and relocate them to nests prepared for incubation. Release older turtles back to the sea. Days 8-10: Study rare species of plants and animals while trekking in the Area’s mountains. Participate in the Clean Phang Daeng Beach Project. Bicycle touring in Bang Saphan City and learning about the lives of Bang Saphan locals.
Visit Wat Boat Mountain and enjoying the view from the mountain’s peak. Plant various floras at Mae Lam Pheung Mountain. Days 11- 13: Travel to a gold panning village to learn its history and try your hand at striking it rich! Plant and harvest popular fruit products of Bang Saphan, including coconuts and pineapples. Learn how to process pineapples, and how to process mulberry fruit fibres to make beautiful mulberry paper. Make ornaments by hand from coconut shells. Participate in activities and present gifts to speech and hearing-impaired children at Thepparat School. Day 14: Return to Bangkok.
Accommodation: Stay Thai style with individual toilets. Food: Buffet Style.Accomplishments: Learning best practices for sea restoration and sustainable fishing management in Thailand. Participating in the everyday lives and culture of the Koh Talu island people. Repairing coral reef habitats for the Gulf of Thailand’s delicate marine ecosystem. Increasing the growth rate of blue crabs. Improving the survival rate of the endangered hawksbill turtle.
