MFLF has been conducting child and youth development through extracurricular activities since 2012.

MFLF organized the Faidee Kid’s Camp in 2013, planting the seeds of the Princess Mother’s vision and principles in the hearts of the children from the city to instill an awareness of the importance of the natural environment, and create a bond between nature and city children that their urban lifestyle could not offer them. Next was to expand into creating a child and youth development network in Chiang Rai Province and nearby areas aimed at drug prevention. The Hall of Opium Faidee Kids Camp Against Drugs targeted youth between the ages of 9-18.

Meanwhile, another workshop is held to cater to the needs of those living an urban lifestyle, with activities such as how to transform small plots into vegetable gardens, how to cultivate miniature gardens in glass jars to learn about ecology. The point was to create an awareness of nature that is actually within our reach, and find joy in cultivating and nurturing plants in our own homes.

Every single tree and every single square inch of the land in the Doi Tung Development Project is infused with a body of valuable knowledge. It is like a compilation of experiences and lessons learned in the field of Sustainable Alternative Livelihood Development that has yielded tangible results, and can be replicated in different scenarios.

Being a model project that others can learn from and replicate to address issues in various areas has led to the name “Living University”, a classroom that builds a new generation of people to carry out development work, reduce ideological and economic disparity in society between urban and rural dwellers.

Today, MFLF’s development projects, particularly DTDP, welcomes large numbers of visitors on study trips, from government agencies, the private sector, universities, international organizations as well as students. The workshops are conducted by MFLF’s own development practitioners and folk elders.

In this “classroom”, participants have a chance to get down to the nitty-gritty, go into the field and listen to the villagers, learn and experience the real world in order to help their compatriots.

Next on the agenda for MFLF is how to use this wealth of knowledge to benefit society at large, the whole country, and the world, so that the King’s Development Principles and the Mae Fah Luang Approach will continue to help humanity without end.