 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
History of the Foundation
The Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation is the brainchild of Tom McNamara, a local restaurateur with a vision for the future. Mr. McNamara’s restaurant group has a long relationship of support with the local Kalim School, sponsoring its sports teams, teacher training trips, etc. In the wake of the influx of short-term funds following the 2004 tsunami, which had destroyed the Kalim school, Mr. McNamara sought a means by which his businesses could support the school in the long run. The Headmaster of the Kalim School suggested that funding be secured for an English language program. Although there is an English language curriculum in schools like the Kalim School, its implementation is less than adequate and funding is severely limited. Mr. McNamara soon came to the conclusion that such a program could prove highly beneficial. He resolved to make the effort to make quality English language training available to all of Phuket’s youth. To understand why Mr. McNamara became convinced that such an endeavor was so important, it is necessary to understand the historical context to some degree. Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia not to be dominated by a European power during the age of colonization. Today, Bangkok is as cosmopolitan as any other large city in Southeast Asia and Thailand has all the trappings of the contemporary world. However, largely due to the preservation of her political sovereignty, Thailand retained a cultural uniqueness that to this day continues to make it a source of fascination and delight. English is spoken in most parts of the country, but perhaps due to the persistence of the nation’s cultural independence, it is not spoken nearly as well as in places like Hong Kong or Singapore. In fact, in a recent study Thailand ranked second to last among nations in the region in English language skills. In the last decade, Phuket has emerged as a world-class tourist destination and continues to grow at a rapid pace. The island had prospered in the past on the strength of tin and rubber industries, but tourism is now the sole economic factor for the island both in property development and the hospitality industry. Visitors to Phuket will find English signs on almost every road, and it is the language spoken by most people. However, even on Phuket, few Thais speak English very well. Demand is high in all sectors of the tourist industry for staff with good English language skills. Such skills usually outweigh other factors, such as experience, in hiring, retention and salary levels. Many foreigners have come to Phuket and opened up successful restaurants, hotels and resorts that create many jobs for local Thais. But within these companies, the higher paying jobs and upper management positions are dominated by foreigners with a far stronger command of the language. The result is that fewer local Thais can earn a salary to match the rising cost of living on Phuket. Many wind up leaving their families behind and heading off to Bangkok where they can secure higher paying jobs. The same is true in most parts of the country. It is this reality that convinced Tom McNamara that quality English language training, if done in an organized and sustainable fashion, would have a transformative effect on Phuket. With the support of the Headmaster of the Kalim School, he approached the Governor of Phuket with the idea for the program. It was decided that a Foundation should be established to make the program a possibility for all the schools on Phuket. Enter Fleur Birch-Atkinson, Mr. McNamara’s daughter and current managing director of the Foundation. Ms. Birch-Atkinson is fluent in Thai and spent a large part of her formative years on Phuket where she lived among Thai people and went to school at a local English institution. She left Thailand briefly to earn an undergraduate degree in America but returned home to Phuket where, in just a few short months, she transformed her father’s Foundation from idea to reality. A Board of Directors was established with a mix of influential Thai nationals as well as foreigners with a demonstrated talent and concern with raising funds to support various programs for youth and education. Please proceed to the next section: the Pilot Program. History The Pilot Program Board of Directors Media Coverage & Support | |
|