October 2017: GVI Phang Nga

Advanced Adult Education Class

Objectives:

To allow our adult students to learn and practice their English in a fun atmosphere with
other like-minded individuals.
To increase the English level of our students, allowing them to further their careers and find
new job opportunities.
To give our volunteers an opportunity to interact with English-speaking adults from our
community, and allow for a more complete cultural immersion experience.

This October, GVI Phang Nga held adult education classes for our fourth year in a row - with
some of the same students who attended these classes four years ago! Due to the school holiday period,
we held an advanced English class and a beginning English class from mid-September to late October for
an hour daily, with approximately 4-10 students attending. Our advanced adult education classes focus
on teaching and perfecting the finer points of grammar, as well as English/regional slang, pronunciation
practice, and interacting with tourists. Our beginning English classes focus more on the basics of English -
simple greetings, occupational vocabulary and phrases, and the basics of interacting with tourists.

These adult classes are a great way for us at GVI to get more involved with our community - held
at the Ban Than Namchai Foundation in Ban Nam Khem, we were happy to introduce teachers we see at
our daily kindergarten classes to our adult beginning English class! We had long-time students Pong, Ploy,
and Oy back as well, all of whom have been attending GVI-held adult education classes since they began
in 2013! All of them have been taught by generations of GVI staff and volunteers at the Takuapa GoSoNo,
and its always great to see them attend our advanced English class!

These English classes align with GVI Phang Ngas goals and objectives as well as the U.N.s
Sustainable Development Goals. One of our long-term objectives here in Phang Nga is to increase skills
for local people to assist with equal employment opportunities in our communities. By offering these
English classes to anyone who wants to attend, regardless of race or religion, we are helping increase the
skills needed for employment in the tourism sector as well as most global corporations. As well as
aligning with GVIs objectives, we are tackling UN SDG numbers 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 4
(Quality Education), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Learning English helps with finding new
and lucrative jobs in the booming tourism industry, helping these people live comfortable lives free of
poverty, hunger, and discrimination.

Written by Community Projects Coordinator Max Bauer