Participatory Cultural Creation Processes for Social Awareness

This article examines how culturally grounded creation processes can contribute to youth drug prevention in a Thai Puan community in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand. Working with Pratomsuksa 5–6 and Mattayom 1–3 students at Banbungke School, the research team combined documentary review with a participatory field study to co-develop a Lam Puan–based cultural intervention. Analysis of the project design and implementation yielded a six-step cultural creation model: (1) compile community-sourced cultural and risk data; (2) define scope and objectives; (3) select an output format grounded in community knowledge; (4) co-design and develop content and material components; (5) prototype and iterate through trials and feedback; and (6) deliver and evaluate with stakeholders. Stakeholder roles spanned school administrators, teachers, students, local leaders, guardians, culture bearers, and a university team, with community members participating as co-producers and co-evaluators. Process evaluation indicated concurrent gains in drug-risk knowledge, heritage language use, and intergenerational engagement. Implications include a portable, community-owned method for mobilizing intangible heritage as social prevention infrastructure; practical guidance for universities integrating teaching, research, and service; and a replicable template for policy actors seeking culturally responsive approaches to youth well-being that protect and revitalize local culture.