Coconut Club offers a programme of on-going leisure and education development activities that provide after-school, weekend and inter-session experiences to the 200 residential students of Rajaprachanukroh 36 School in Kamala.
It serves the additional function of supporting the Foundation’s language programme by supplementing our classroom English instruction, offering additional opportunities for Thai children to practice their conversational English outside the classroom in a more relaxed social environment. This is an essential aspect of re-enforcing and developing the language skills they have gained in the classroom. Coconut Club meets four times a week, Monday to Thursday 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm. During the week, the teachers, volunteer staff, and visitors plan arts & crafts, sports, team building games, music lessons, and even cooking classes! We always tailor the activities to the interests of the children.
What the students have to say
What the students have to say
The 200 residential students at Kamala School are there for circumstantial reasons. Either their parents live too far from the school, their family is unable to take care of them, or in some cases, they are orphans. Before Coconut Club, these students rarely had the opportunity to leave the school grounds or engage in any activity outside of their routine school lives. Coconut Club enhances their English language skills, stimulates their imagination, and strengthens their experimentation and independent thinking abilities. It provides a safe and comfortable developmental environment, which raises their self-esteem and confidence, allowing them to use and apply what they are learning in their English class to their everyday life. Additionally, since we involve interested visitors on vacation in Phuket, it is an opportunity to interact with a diverse range of individuals from many different parts of the world and exposes the children to different accents and ways of speaking English. Beyond this, the activities often connect the children to their community and raise their awareness of issues specific to Phuket Island. For example, the children learn about environmental issues during beach cleanups.
The name Coconut Club was inspired by the Phuket Has Been Good To Us logo, the coconut tree. The logo was designed by Co-Founder Fleur Birch-Atkinson. When Fleur first moved to Thailand as a little girl, she and her father, founder Tom McNamara, planted a coconut tree in front of their house on the beach. Her father told her that “all you need in life is a coconut tree.” It has so many uses; food, water, shelter, transportation, oil to produce heat, and much more. The logo is a reference to tropical Phuket, and to that tree, but also is a metaphor for education. Just as the coconut tree provides the basics of life, education gives children the basic tools they need to succeed in the world.
The name Coconut Club was inspired by the Phuket Has Been Good To Us logo, the coconut tree. The logo was designed by Co-Founder Fleur Birch-Atkinson. When Fleur first moved to Thailand as a little girl, she and her father, founder Tom McNamara, planted a coconut tree in front of their house on the beach. Her father told her that “all you need in life is a coconut tree.” It has so many uses; food, water, shelter, transportation, oil to produce heat, and much more. The logo is a reference to tropical Phuket, and to that tree, but also is a metaphor for education. Just as the coconut tree provides the basics of life, education gives children the basic tools they need to succeed in the world.
Volunteer your time! You don’t need to speak a word of Thai. Whether you’re interested in sports, arts & crafts, music, cooking, or some other activity, we can work with you to find something appropriate for the children. In the past our teachers and volunteers have conducted programmes involving snorkeling, golf, cricket, soccer, bead-work / jewelery making, elephant trekking, photography and beach activities.
You can also donate! We rely on monetary donations to cover the cost of teachers, and supplies. You are always welcome to sponsor a specific trip or activity. In-kind donations such as arts & crafts supplies, educational toys or games, sport equipment, or cooking utensils can be used for our Coconut Club activities. If you would like a more specific idea, please visit our Coconut Club Wishlist. Check out Facebook pictures of previous Coconut Club experiences!