Xavier Learning Community (XLC) is a Jesuit education project helping ethnic minorities in northern Thailand. They don’t just supply education but also help their students develop moral values to become better citizens after they graduate.
I am an XLC student. I have been studying here for two years and I really love this community. At XLC, there are seven ethnic groups and we are from different backgrounds; however, there are no cultural issues because we like to learn things we don’t know about other people’s traditions.
How has the two years at Xavier Learning Community changed my life? First of all, XLC is a place that gives young people like me the opportunity to learn new things every day. I am impressed with the motto of XLC: “Growing in community, sharing with society”. The growing in the community is the first step for learning how to live with other people because we don’t live alone and separate from each other. The world is the community so that if I would like to change myself I have to learn with other people, too.
For me, XLC is like a family that may at times have misunderstandings, but in the end we are still a family that is happy and loving. Certainly! I have learnt how to improve myself through Jesuit teachings. XLC teaches me about the value of life and how to grow in my spirituality. I must know my weaknesses and find out how I can improve myself to become the best person I can be. It isn’t only knowledge but also our spirituality which is important.
Secondly, I learnt about sharing with society. Nowadays, many people are selfish and have forgotten how to share with our brothers and sisters who are our equals. We forget who are we and we forget where we are from. At XLC, we are taught how to share with our brothers and sisters with compassion and without envy and selfishness. If I know sharing can change something for the better, I will do it without being abhorrent. If I know that sharing can change the world, I will do it because I hope the world will be better.
Growing in community and sharing with society are two valuable lessons that XLC has taught me. I will not stop growing in life and I will improve myself every time.
Narongdet Chuanchuenchom is a student at Xavier Learning Community, a Jesuit institution of higher learning in Chiang Rai, Thailand.