Core Competency: job skills for rural Thai youth

It's October; the students have completed their mid-term exams and are taking a break for a couple of weeks.  We had a successful series of classes in June-September with students at Warm Heart and a local Lahu Hill Tribe children's home. We split the Warm Heart students by age group and tailored the classes accordingly.  In addition, Finn held small 1-2 person English classes with shopkeepers in Phrao and remotely via Zoom. Our college students often reach out to him to help with their English projects.

August-September is harvest time, so the Adult Ed students were off in the orchards and fields.  Therefore, we focused on our rapidly maturing groups of Warm Heart children.  We have 20 teenagers at the children's home, including 10 in high school  Hence the focus is on building their English and self-awareness, starting to set life goals. 

Finn set up a range of activities for each group, keeping them energized and engaged.  Balance and focusing exercises for the younger children.  Confidence building for the older ones.  Finn started to track the progress of each student, so we could address any issues and keep them motivated.  One little boy was resisting doing homework and settling into class.  A promise of ping pong lessons after class got him focused and participating well in class.

The Lahu Hill Tribe children's home is a small organization on the other end of Phrao District.  They asked for assistance to give their students and staff some English and competency skills. Finn headed over there twice a week to train the staff and work with the children.

With the students on break, Finn is taking a youth leadership training class and will plan workshops for the next term in Phrao.

We see the impact of these programs as our high school students plan for their next phase of life.  We see students from the first cohort in the fall of 2021 continue to pursue their goals. - Faa has moved from barista to a position in the local government sub-district office.

Thank you for your continuing support as we adapt to the changing economic environment and community needs!

Best wishes for this fall season!

Dana, Evelind, Michael, Finn, and the Warm Heart Community

We're well into June. With the start of the rainy season, the weather has started to cool down enough for students to sit through their classes.   

The "Upskills" classes started earlier this year with shopkeepers in the town of Phrao and the adult education centers are restarting.

The middle and high school students at Warm Heart and a small hill-tribe boarding school across town are engaged in practicing their English while exploring ways to develop their emotional intelligence, initially focusing on self-awareness and social skills.

We're delighted to have volunteers from the UK, Canada, and India to assist with the classes in addition to their projects in the community.

• Shopkeepers With the start of the new school year in mid-May and early June, schedules are gradually settling down, allowing our group of shopkeepers to allocate time to improving their customer service skills while practicing English. Finn brings his experience in restaurant management and hospitality to the conversations and the role-plays he uses to teach the classes. As the COVID restrictions ended shopkeepers have been having many more visitors, often foreigners, coming through their shops in Phrao. Everyone delights in a smile returned by a customer.

• Young Adult Education Students tend to be younger, many recently out of 9th grade or coming back to school after a few years working.  They enjoy conversations engaging their social skills and brushing off their rusty elementary school English. They are learning practical skills while continuing to mature and find their path in life.

• Middle and High School Students Our Warm Heart students are stepping up to the anticipation and responsibilities of a new grade, with the majority in their teens. The older students have each been paired up with a younger student to act as a mentor.  They make sure their charges get their chores done and help the new students get settled in the children's home routines. The first workshops centered on awareness of the importance of the role of a mentor.  Next, they worked on dealing with bumps in the road - how to recognize and deal with emotions - their own and their mentees as they ran into resistance or issues that needed to be resolved.

• English Practice The workshops are designed to find fun ways to practice English while building these social and emotional intelligence capabilities.  Students are divided into groups according to age and grade to target the activities.

Looking ahead, the following plans have been scheduled for the upcoming months:

Adult Education Classes: The adult education classes will continue offering practical training in customer service skills and English language proficiency. These classes will be tailored to the needs and requirements of the participants, providing them with valuable skills for personal and professional growth.

Continued Practice for Students: Middle and high school students will continue their English practice and core competency skill development throughout the upcoming months. Additional activities, such as public speaking events, and community engagement projects, will be incorporated to further enhance their skills and confidence.

We continue to evaluate this program and adapt it to the needs identified by our community.  We will keep you posted as the groups progress.

Many thanks for investing in this program.

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart team.