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Volunteer
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a volunteer do? Volunteer work falls into three categories: working with the Coconut Club, assisting in the classroom, or helping out with the organization.
How can I help the Coconut Club? Whether your interest is in sports, arts and crafts, music or some other activity, we can work with you to find something appropriate for the residential children of Kamala School. In the past our volunteers have conducted programs involving scuba diving, golf, cricket, soccer, beadwork/jewellery making, elephant trekking, photography and beach activities. The Coconut Club meets Monday to Thursday from 3.30pm - 4.30pm. In addition to the afternoon regular meeting times during the school year, we have arranged day trips during school holidays, weekends and during months when school is not in session.
What is the time commitment for helping out at Coconut Club? As much time as you have to give! In the past, volunteers have come once, twice, or three times a week for the entire year. Other volunteers, have conducted one-off programs. For example, it ranges from a day teaching the children to play baseball to an hour long craft workshop. It all depends on your availability and interests.
How can I help in the classroom? We need volunteers to help in one-on-one tutoring, run reading programs, provide support in the classroom, and with testing.
 How does tutoring / the reading program help the children?
The one-on-one tutoring targets select special needs students, by removing them from the classroom to work on achieving learning targets in an environment personalized to their needs. The reading program helps students literacy and volunteers have found that this time builds a special bond which helps build student's confidence.
I don't know how to tutor / run a reading program. Can I still help? Yes, of course! We will train new volunteers on tutoring methods and how to conduct a reading program. Sally Hughes, a volunteer at Kamala School, began a reading program last year with the Grade 4 students, which teachers found to be an immense help to students literacy and self confidence. Adding more individualized tutoring such as the reading program allows volunteers and students to build a stronger bond and lasting friendship. Volunteer Jannis de Vrij, a councilor from Holland, who spent three weeks at Kalim said, I found it most rewarding working with Grade 6 pupil, Art. Art had often acted up as a means to voice his frustration, due to his learning disabilities. But after only a few weeks of one on ones his behaviour in class really improved. The progress was evident in test scores; Arts written test score improved by 9 points over the course of the semester.
What is the time commitment for helping out in the classroom? As much time as you have to give! In the past, most long term volunteers have come one or two days a week to help out in the classroom. It is best for volunteers to come on the same day each week, so that they can develop bonds with the same students. Please consider giving us a morning or afternoon of your time to help tutor the children of Phuket. School is in session from Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4 pm.
How can I help the organization? We always need help with: - organizational support - special events - fundraising - creative services (graphic design, video editing, photography) - translation (translators with excellent skills in both written English & Thai) - IT Support (local computer experts who can provide occasional or ongoing assistance in website maintenance/design, office networking, software, general computer tech support.)
We also welcome any suggestions.
When can I volunteer? All volunteers should bear in mind that the nature of the assistance we need may change depending on the time of year. The academic year starts in May, with the first semester running through September. The second semester runs from November to March. In October and April, school is not in session and many of our staff are away on holiday. There are few Coconut Club and classroom related volunteer opportunities at these times.
I don't speak Thai. Can I still volunteer? Yes!
I am not a native English speaker. Can I still volunteer? Yes! It is important that volunteers have some degree of fluency with the English language, however we find it very beneficial to expose the students to people from all different countries and cultures.
What is living in Phuket like? Visit our Life in Phuket page to learn more.
I don't live in Phuket, but I'd still like to help. What can I do? Help spread the mission of Phuket Has Been Good to Us in your community by becoming an Ambassador. Ambassadors are friends from around the world who are interested in volunteering their time to help the children of Phuket. International ambassadors promote PHBGTU by organizing small to mid-size fundraisers like charity runs, donation drives, bake sales, dinner parties, etc. For example, Ambassador Emily Fiebiger from Australia worked with her local Rotary Club to fundraise doing book drives and promoting PHBGTU Foundation. Ambassadors are listed on our website and in our newsletter. Please contact us, if you are interested in becoming an Ambassador for the Phuket has Been Good to Us Foundation.
How do I apply to volunteer? If you would like to volunteer, please send us your resume and a 500 word statement about why you would like to work for the Foundation, what you would like to do, and what you feel you can offer us. We will also require a police check and at least two references.
Why do I need a police check? In the interests of protecting
the safety of the children we serve, and also in accordance with the laws of the
Kingdom of Thailand, all long term volunteers (more than one month) are required
to submit a police clearance check (confirmation that the volunteer does not
have a criminal record) prior to begin working with our children. No volunteer
(even short term volunteers) without a police check will be permitted to spend
time with the children we serve unaccompanied by a staff person. | |
