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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume II - 2010 Sobha Spielmann 21 for decision-making and critical thinking, - and for • Raising team spirit as well as laying down the skills for teamwork in schools and in the workplace; • Impart to government agencies and NGOs, but also a wider public, a need to show concern for others and to have them pursue matters of mutual interest. The goal of this initiative would be to encourage people to see themselves as part of a wider community and of something larger than their family or their workplace, but as important. • Undertake concerted efforts at consensus and community building; inclusion, gender equality and integration of minorities should be fostered; • Strengthen ability of forming and maintaining coherent social groups and associations above the level of family and intimate peer groups (patrons and clients or groups of classmates) that represent groupings of diverse people like parties, unions or other such associations of people unrelated by kin but linked by common interests; • In the context of a modern fast changing society with a vast array of open media and communication channels, disseminate timely information on relevant current and upcoming events and issues so as to achieve broad participation at the community level for planning and conduct of communal tasks needs be sought and institutionalized. First Steps Probably no better place to start than with the family, that assembles both sexes and several generations under one roof and thus is ideally suited to launch a renaissance and revival of traditional values and harmony, as well as a re-orientation towards communal values and concerns. A second such wave targeting strategic multipliers and change agents ought to be aimed at temples and schools, a third at the media, would target social cohesion and solidarity, so as to enhance a communal spirit. For this, parents need to be offered appropriate parenting skills via the media. Teachers should offer fresh approaches to parenting or teaching skills, via courses in a new role media practitioners. By joining forces, parents and teachers can target the youth, as well as the community and address potential crucial causal factors and high risk groups. Appropriate life and decision making skills need to be imparted too. In general, conflict resolution and negotiating skills and appropriate mediation techniques need to be extended to a multitude of stake holders. To this end appropriate