- Makes the topic of clean energy, natural resource protection and rehabilitation accessible to school teachers and students through art, in line with the 4C strategy
CKPower Public Company Limited (SET: CKP), one of the region’s largest producers of electricity from renewables with one of the lowest carbon footprints, is going ahead with its efforts to create value for society in line with its corporate CSR strategy of Competency, Co-Creation, Cooperation and Connection. In a bid to share knowledge on renewable energy and natural resource and environment conservation through art teaching for youth, the company has kicked off the ‘Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art’ project in collaboration with Klangjaturat Art Gallery of master teacher artist Samarn Klangjaturat and a network of artists. The project aims to promote the development of art teaching competencies of school teachers in the provinces (over 90 percent of whom are not trained art teachers). This initiative will equip these teachers with basic skills in different art disciplines, such as drawing, the use of watercolours, coloured pencils and acrylic paint, clay sculpture and artistic invention from natural materials, so they can use the knowledge gained to improve their in-school teaching plans and learning materials to make the topic of renewable energy and natural resource and environment conservation easy to understand for school children through art. This, in turn, will enable the students to share their knowledge with local communities and society on a sustainable basis.
Mr. Thanawat Trivisvavet, Managing Director, CKPower Public Company Limited, said, “Building know-how on renewable energy includes fostering a positive attitude toward protecting natural resources and the environment, which is one of CKPower’s most important missions. Our collaboration in the ‘Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art’ project, initiated by Klangjaturat Art Gallery, uses art as the medium to not only enhance art teaching skills for school teachers joining the project but also encourage the teachers to be knowledgeable and capable of sharing the knowledge gained from CKPower’s engineers and volunteers with students, children and youth as well as wider community members. This aligns with CKPower’s strategy of Competency, Co-Creation, Cooperation and Connection which aims to impart knowledge on renewable energy to 20,000 children and youth while making 10,000 of our employees, children, youth and community more knowledgeable about the protection of natural resources and the environment in five years of implementing our social value creation framework (2022-2026)”.
In the Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art project, CKPower has leveraged its clean energy expertise to build social value under its 4C strategy as follows:
- Competency: The company promotes art that integrates knowledge of renewable energy and the protection of natural resources and the environment.
- Co-Creation: The company builds on and connects its activities to use the art medium in different dimensions in ways to promote learning about renewable energy and the environment.
- Cooperation: CKPower’s employees and school teachers play their parts in passing on knowledge to youth regarding renewable energy and the environment.
- Connection: The company promotes networking with Klangjaturat Art Gallery, schools surrounding power plants and allied schools nationwide.
“In addition to passing on knowledge about renewable energy and the protection of natural resources and the environment, CKPower also wants to play its part in supporting the development of competency for art teachers in rural areas so that they will have more knowledge and understanding and are well trained in artistic skills to effectively impart this knowledge to students in their schools and to be their role models. This is to fulfill the wishes of master artist-teacher Samarn Klangjaturat and the group of artists in the Klangjaturat Art Gallery network,” said Mr. Thanawat.
Mr. Samarn Klangjaturat, master artist teacher and founder of Klangjaturat Art Gallery, said, “More than 90 percent of art teachers in provincial schools are not art school graduates, yet they must teach art to students across many school grades. Consequently, it is challenging for them to pass on to their students know-how or to create model art pieces. Our Klangjaturat Art Gallery and network artists, therefore, hold workshops for school teachers to study art and create art pieces during school breaks. We have worked with many parties, including CKPower. Our collaboration in the Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art project receives good support, allowing Klangjaturat Art Gallery and network artists to pass on knowledge and build on our work in art. Meanwhile, CKPower’s engineers and volunteers share knowledge on renewable energy and natural resources and environment conservation, allowing teachers to perfectly blend the knowledge gained with art learning and then pass their knowledge and understanding on to students and people in their local communities in a creative and accessible way.”
Mr. Prasit Jansen, a teacher from Ban Nong Lang Chang School in Nakhon Ratchasima, one of the schools located in the vicinity of CKPower’s Bangkhenchai Solar Power plant, who was invited to a workshop, said, “Due to a teacher shortage, one teacher has to cover many subjects. I am a science graduate but have had to teach art, which is not my expertise. So, I looked for opportunities to learn various subjects. When I received an invitation from CKPower and Klangjaturat Art Gallery to join a workshop as part of the Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art project, I immediately accepted. Apart from the knowledge and understanding of renewal energy through art, the project was an excellent start for building a network of teachers from different regions. Going forward, the teachers will use the knowledge gained to further enhance their skills and create better opportunities to pass on their knowledge to students, fellow teachers and community members.”
A total of 180 teachers have participated in workshops under the Empowering Clean Energy through Thai Art project, a major connection point in merging science and art to disseminate renewable energy knowledge through art pieces. The first step of the project provides a platform for the next important step. CKPower and Klangjaturat Art Gallery will soon hold an in-school children and youth art contest to build on their efforts in promoting knowledge and understanding of renewable energy and natural resources and environment conservation.