Building a Future in Thailand

On 21 October 2015, for the 9th consecutive year, fifty of our Sixth Form Students signed up for their Community Service challenge and headed out to Chiang Mai in Thailand. Our Aim? To ‘Give Back’ time, energy, bricks and mortar to the local community in Fang, an area in the Northern Province near to the Burmese border. Prior to departure, the students attended three teacher training sessions run by Mrs Holland, Miss Percival, Mr Beck and myself (Ms McKay). The Year 13 students also had the privilege of a special training session from Mrs Wilson, a physiotherapist with a specialism in working with students who have cerebral palsy and Mrs Williams, a teacher of children with special educational needs. An exciting part of the trip this year was the fact that we were returning to help Ban Huay Sala School, the same school we visited in 2014 when we funded and helped to build their much needed new canteen. This year, our challenge was to lay the foundations for the new GAP year accommodation and medical room block and at the same time, the Year 13 students had the opportunity to teach in the SEN classroom for 3 days. That’s not all… we also had the privilege to meet 14 of the students our school and various students and families help to sponsor; we hope to fund another 3 students for 3 years by this December. Please come and support our stall at the Christmas Fayre and help make a young Thai student’s dreams come true!

Alex Bury, Year 12 has shared his experience with you below. I hope you are moved by his words; this is really such an exceptional and once in a life time experience for many of our students. A huge thank you to the staff who accompanied the students: Mrs Holland Miss Percival, Mr Beck and Mr Williams.

A trip I will never forget. Never did I think that I could learn so much in such a short amount of time about myself and the people I was surrounded by. I am the sort of person that questions and challenges opportunities that get handed to me, I am the sort of person that receives and keeps on receiving without having the smallest thought of giving back. The young children at Ban Huay Sala School were able to teach me differently to this. When I first arrived at the school I saw enthusiastic, happy and cheerful children, As I got to know a few of them, I was able to see how grateful every child there was despite the fact that they have so little compared to the things I have available to me in my life. It made me realize how different people live their lives in the world, something I really had not given much thought to in the past. For the first time in my life I gave back. I gave my time, attention and, hopefully, I provided happiness for the children. Personally, this aspect of the trip is what made Thailand an amazing experience for myself and I know I will treasure the memories and how I felt for my whole life. ~ Alex Bury