- A Broadgate Initiative 10 The hub is a youth club situated close to Hualampong train station in central Bangkok, run with the mission to protect children rights and provide support with whatever needs they may have. I’ve been invited to come along on a fieldtrip with the purpose to learn about family planning. I arrive at their location where I’m being welcomed by their friendly staff and before I know it I found myself being the one helped out and served instead of the other way around, since my intention was to come and offer myself as a volunteer. I asked them what I can do to help out and they put me to work serving food to the kids. Although the assignment I’ve been given, gives me the impression I might be more or less considered an obstacle between them and their food, I also know that they live under simple conditions not asking for much. I feel my simple presence is being appreciated providing them with a few smiles by the perplexing impression I give from behind the dining table. After lunch we take off in their special designed van, decorated by the children themselves, to a nearby Museum. Khun Noth and Khun Gem are the two leaders with me on the trip, which is a kind of educational trip they try to do on a weekly basis, Khun Noth tells me. Today’s activity, along with everything else that the hub offers, is totally optional for the children to attend. By leaving the choice of attending to them it also increases their involvement in the activities at The Hub, feeling they’re not being forced to do anything. With a range of five to thirty kids and teens coming and going at The Hub, eight of them with the addition of two older “veterans”, decided to join the trip today because even though The Hub is primarily for youngster between 5- 18 years, Khun Noht explains that if they a have place over and more people want to come it’s usually no problem. The day at the museum goes well and everybody leaves with good spirits along with some new insights about family planning. Once back at the Hub I get the opportunity to have a chat with Ilya Smirnoff, executive director of The Hub as well as being involved in the Childline Thailand foundation, which is the network handling the coordination between the different child-support centers around Bangkok. He shares his knowledge about what problems children in the poorer areas of Bangkok face. Child abuse, violence and other violations of the children’s rights is a problem that occurs in many of these areas. The issue isn’t that there is no regulation or laws’ prohibiting the abuse, but rather the lack of awareness about these laws and wrong practices, or what actually is classified as abuse. Many violations, such as child molestation or exposure to pornography is occurring because people are unaware about it being illegal. A lot of the foundations work is therefore aimed at raising this awareness in targeted areas. Something which is being done by simple educational means, such as putting up stickers and posters illustrating what is considered as abuse, things that are easy to hand out and easily understood, even by people without reading skills. A DAY AT THE HUB! Khun Gem (to the left), me and Khun Noth (to the right) posing outside The Hub