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Learning Centre Newsletter
Learning Centre Newsletter
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Activities at the Learning Centre
New LC Sinks Educational / Teaching Advisor Report The Music Project The Boarders New Year’s Day – Tree Planting Project Activities at the Learning Centre
KIRSTEN PHILLIPS as a volunteer in the Learning centre (LC) Kirsten Philips is a qualified volunteer school teacher from Australia. She is teaches students learning English as a second language. Kirsten came to the Learning Centre in February to spend six weeks with us. It has been an excellent experience for everyone, and Kirsten has brought many new and innovative ideas to make teaching and learning more fun. When Kirsten applied to come and spend time with us, she made it clear that she wished to be allowed to spend as much time with the students as possible. She has been involved with every facet of our teaching program from working with the three classes of kindergarten students from 7-30am to 10-45am Monday to Saturday, to the afternoon and evening class and the Sunday program. Having Kirsten with us has given us the opportunity to hold workshops, giving our teachers invaluable experience. She has been able to share with our team new methods of teaching and learning which is always welcome. Our aim is to give the students the best education possible and to keep the students highly motivated. Our teachers have learned new ways of using songs and games to enhance their teaching. Kirsten’s enthusiasm and dedication to teaching has been contagious and we feel enriched by having her with us during this time.    Art Project with 'Boping' Suryadi a local artist from Tabanan. On Sunday, the 8th of March, we had a special Art Appreciation Program at the LC. We invited a very talented Balinese artist, Ketut 'Boping' Suryadi, from Tabanan, in the southern part of Bali, to come to the LC. Boping agreed to give a workshop and to teach the students how to paint on a canvas. We invited as many our "young budding artists" as possible, along with our 33 boarders. The aim of the workshop was to encourage the students to find ways to artistically express their feelings freely on canvas. This is something very new to most of the students. When they attend art classes at their local schools, the opportunity for free expression is very limited and in some cases nonexistent. The students rarely, if ever are given the chance to paint on canvas, with paper being the preference in schools. Through this workshop, we hope that the students will have gained enough knowledge to begin to express their feelings more freely. Boping gave artistic examples as to how each student could build on their sensitivity towards their painting, including how they look at their surrounding and the environment. It was quite amazing to watch as the students listened solemnly to Boping and then settled down to express their feelings on so beautifully on canvas. Boping moved quietly amongst the young artists and gave each student motivation and their work gentle critiquing. The pride each student showed in their work was gratifying. An added bonus that day was Boping brought along the Cleopatra Band, these young men are his music students from Tabanan. The group sang songs while the students painted. Trekking with Boarders We have found an increasing interest by some of our students in becoming eco- tourism guides. To be able to be successful in such a career they would firstly need a basic understanding of what would be involved in such a career. So on the 9th of March, a group of our students and staff enjoyed the sunny day by tracking along the village of Cengana about 20 kilometers north of the LC. Nyoman Witama, a local professional guide, was asked to accompany the group and to give the students training on how to conduct themselves with tourists while passing on information about the region and on how to work with guests and cross cultural differences. It was an exhausting day but one that will stay with the students for a long in their memories.  We try where ever possible to have special interest days for the students. We feel that it’s very important to give the students the best advantage possible to help them in plan for a brighter future. Regards, Ni Nyoman Padmadewi Director, Peduli Sesama Helen Flavel Learning Centre New LC Sinks
Ok….likely many of us would normally find it hard to get too excited about a sink. BUT, we are jumping up and down with joy and so happy that Nyoman has coordinated the installation of two new sinks, just inside the gates of the Learning Center. Why so happy? Imagine, if you will, not only all of our kindy kids (about 40), but also our Boarders (about 30), our after-school kids and 150 kids on Sundays, as well as our Team and any visiting guests, all using one sink! No more!  Syd Joseph Teaching Advisor HF Learning Center Educational / Teaching Advisor Report
 Hi! My name is Syd Joseph and I am a career teacher and educator from Canada. I live and work in Japan, where I own and run an English language school called Aurora English School. Some years ago, I started a "group" (friends/family/students) and we named it Aurora Bali Project. AB Project is a name to promote the concept that we are all connected and we can all do a part. Why Bali? Perhaps the answer to this question that I have been asked many times is another question: Why not? I first travelled to Bali 20 years ago and fell in love with it. It is a beautiful tropical island, full of warm people and an interesting culture, as many of you know! The image of Bali being "rich" due to tourism has some foundation, but out of the tourist areas, people struggle to feed, clothe and educate their children. Regardless of place, all children are deserving of education and the basic necessities of life. If we can contribute in this small part of the world, perhaps it truly is part of the bigger circle and we may be completing our part of it? Volunteerism and involvement with Foundations or groups can be an amazing journey that often evolves over time. This has been my experience with the HFFoundation. The internet has become a great forum for introducing like-minded people. Just over 3 years ago I met Helen for the first time in Bali. Through the internet, I had heard about an Australian woman who had started a foundation to educate the poor children in North Bali. After exchanging email, I visited and met Helen and Dewi (our LC director) on the site where the Learning Center was just being constructed. Sometimes things click in an indescribable way. I felt an immediate connection with both of them. Our relationship and work together has evolved from there. As many of you know, headed by Helen, there is a fantastic Team of teachers and volunteers who work tirelessly for the Foundation. I am proud to be part of the Team. I think what appealed to me initially was the focus on education and the fact that Nyoman, Dewi, and the Team on the ground in Bali are local people. The HFF is truly a "grass-roots" organization that is in tune with local needs and Balinese culture. I am fortunate to be able to make two trips a year to Bali and spend several weeks at the LC and would like to report on some of the trials, tribulations, successes, amazing people and fantastic events I have encountered while teaching, teacher-training, and working at the LC and with the HFF. Any suggestions, ideas or comments are welcome! I am also blogging at: http://www.rawtheartoflivingblog.com/triedtastedserved/tts_bali_project/ where ABProject has teamed with TTS to raise funds through a percentage of their e-book sales. Also, if you’re on FACEBOOK, you can check out our group named: TTS Bali Project / Aurora Bali Project. We have posted a link to the Do Foundation "kitchen video". It’s fantastic! Syd Joseph Teaching Advisor HF Learning Center Top The Music Project I have to confess to having negligible musical talent. Sure, I can tunelessly belt out classics such as "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" or "The Wheels on the Bus" with the best of them. In fact, after having sung those songs10 or 20 million times, sometimes I even get to go to sleep at night with them humming (still tunelessly) in my head… As many of you are aware, we have a wonderful group of "Boarders" living at the LC. (More on them later…). Shortly after they arrived and I was able to spend some time at the LC, I noticed how happy they were to pick up one of the guitars or bang on the drums that Nyoman and Dewi had provided. With the others joining in to sing, I was amazed. It isn’t only the obvious talent many of them have, but the true joy they seem to get from the music. Helen has also commented on and can attest to this. I did notice the girls hanging back a bit, so we thought to purchase an electronic keyboard. The girls (and the boys it turns out) really love it and with a music teacher coming in to teach them, we have a regular LC band! They are willing and able to put on mini concerts or perform songs and take such pride in their musical achievement! Living and teaching in Japan, I came to know an instrument known as a "pianica". Google can explain it better than I, but basically it is a small keyboard that can be hand-held or placed on a chair and is "powered" by blowing into a mouthpiece. What I love about it is that anyone can play it with basic success. The second great thing about them is that they are literally indestructible. Japanese kids get one in kindy and use it until they graduate elementary school, years later. Music…Success…indestructible…hmmm…  We had been thinking how wonderful it would be if more kids could experience more music, but one keyboard and a few guitars didn’t seem practical in any way. We have plans to purchase some beginner guitars for after-school and Sunday kids but our solution is that we have started the Pianica Music Project by purchasing 22 pianicas. We have found a music consultant to make a program for kindy, and for after-school program and Sunday program. We will have the consultant train our teachers and then we will start the program by teaching in kindy. We will then extend the music project to many children after school and on Sundays. The Boarders…
We are in our second school year of having "The Boarders" stay at the Learning Center, so that they are able to continue their schooling. It is a little funny that we are always referring to them as "The Boarders" but in fact, that is also how they refer to themselves for lack of a better term. I wanted to write an update on their progress. As some of you may or may not know, one of the problems with education in Bali, is that even though children may be able to afford to attend and walk to a local elementary school (grades 1 -6), once they reach junior high school (grades 7-9) or high school (grades 10-12), the associated costs of fees and transportation can be out of the reach of many poor families. As Helen explained in the May 2008 newsletter, The HFF found itself in this situation with approximately 30 sponsored children in danger of having to quit school. Though there is a long-range plan to construct and run a "boarding house" for children in this situation, the immediate need was critical. The response was to start "boarding" these 30 students at the LC. Though not a boarding house, the Team has done a great job of caring for these kids so they can attend school. We have an amazing "House Mother", who works tirelessly not only caring for the kids, but teaching them how to care for themselves. The Boarders help with the cooking and are responsible for cleaning and their own laundry. The kitchen and laundry area are located about 100m from the LC on a borrowed piece of land. (Please see Helen’s latest newsletter on the "kitchen situation"). The Boarders also tend a nearby garden that supplies most of the vegetables for their meals. I hesitate to compare these students to students I know and teach in Canada and Japan, but…. I’ve gotten to know these kids during my visits to the LC. The Boarders are an amazing group of kids who are truly inspirational. They have incredible spirit, are caring and thoughtful and have a mature understanding of the opportunity they have. How odd, in a sense, that a Japanese friend after hearing me speak of the Boarders, asked if I would take her son to do a "home stay" at the LC so he could experience and learn from our Boarders. I think it is a huge compliment to them!  What I noticed most about them on my last visit is the incredibly way they have grown in confidence. Under the guidance of Nyoman, Dewi and the Team, they truly have blossomed. In fact, one of the "problems" we have encountered is that they are no longer able to fit into regular after-school or Sunday programs! Their English level and confidence have grown to the degree that we have to make special classes for them in the evenings. As of the last testing period before the New Year, most of our Boarders are not only at or near the top of their classes but in some cases, their entire grade! We are really proud of them! Syd Joseph Teaching Advisor HF Learning Center Top New Year’s Day – Tree Planting Project
Working with Helen and the Team often brings magical surprises. Core to everything with HFF is the sponsorship program and the education of the most disadvantaged children. This is clear, but what is also clear is that when dealing with good hearts and minds, amazing things can happen. Obviously, we are striving to provide a basic and practical education for our children, but education and learning are life-long and all-encompassing and when we can open doors and broaden the experiences and thinking of our kids, we jump at the opportunity. The "front liners" are community leaders and trusted contacts in the villages that help Nyoman Sukadana (our Director) and John (our Deputy Director) communicate with sponsored children’s families and help coordinate many kinds of projects. One of our front liners is Nyoman Witama from Munduk Village. Nyoman’s son Willy and several other children from Munduk are Boarders at the LC.  Please check out the gallery for photos of this incredible day! Syd Joseph Teaching Advisor HF Learning Center Top |
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