Core Competency: job skills for rural Thai youth

Project Report | Oct 3, 2025
Closing This Chapter, Opening New Doors

By Evelind Schecter | Program Leader

Dear Friends,

We are closing this project on GlobalGiving for now, as we focus on preparing our Warm Heart students for the next step in their education. The skills development programs created through this project continue to benefit our youth.

With the loss of our lease at the Hang Dong Learning Center, it will take time before we can relaunch new programs. In the meantime, our priority is supporting students as they pursue higher education. Already, several are studying in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, with dreams of careers in nursing, agriculture, and other fields that will allow them to give back to their communities.

We are also encouraged by a new partnership. Spencer is now working with Professor Sombat, a retired professor of psychiatry who runs a trauma therapy program based on Aikido and its principles. His farm includes both an Aikido studio and rice fields, offering a safe and inspiring setting for youth. There is room for more activities here, and we look forward to exploring these opportunities as they grow.

Through this project, you gave young people the chance to practice and strengthen their interpersonal skills—writing resumes, role-playing for job interviews, and building the confidence needed to succeed. These experiences have helped them transition more smoothly into the workforce, and your generosity made this possible.

We warmly invite you to continue your impact by supporting our Higher Education Fund, which helps our students pursue college and vocational training:

Empowering Youth Through Higher Education

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are opening doors for the next generation.

With gratitude and good wishes for the months ahead,

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Family

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May 1, 2025
Learning Center Programs Take Root

By Evelind Schecter | Program Leader

Our students sell their fresh veges

The Warm Heart Learning Center is steadily evolving into a vibrant hub for community learning. Through trial and error and by engaging with a range of local interest groups, we’re finding our path toward an inclusive and practical learning space.

The center now has a fully equipped kitchen for food preparation and cooking classes, and the coffee bar is officially open for business. Outside, we’ve cleared the grounds and established test beds to compare the effectiveness of different soil amendments—plain soil, soil with biochar, and soil enriched with vermicast. The results are clearly in favor of our soil enhancers.

We’re currently exploring small, sustainable enterprises that offer income-generating opportunities while reducing waste and supporting the environment. Our first focus is vermicast production. We’re using vegetable waste from a nearby processing facility to cultivate earthworms, turning waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer. Next, we plan to introduce black soldier fly farming, as the larvae are a valuable source of protein for animal feed.

To engage the broader community, we’ve hosted two weekend farmers markets featuring biochar training sessions, along with sales of chemical-free vegetables, honey, and coffee. These events have helped us gauge interest, build connections, and test market potential.

Looking ahead, we’ve scheduled family-friendly weekend workshops where parents and children can learn together how to build and care for small vegetable gardens—an easy and affordable way to grow fresh food at home.

We’re also excited to welcome Su, a new partner from Myanmar. Su is helping us adapt our Core Job Skills curriculum for displaced Burmese youth seeking to build new lives in Thailand.

Step by step, we’re building a space where learning is accessible and rooted in real-world opportunity. Thank you for supporting us as we grow these vital programs.

With best wishes for a fun and fruitful summer,

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Family

Test beds are ready

Results are clearly for biochar and vermicast

Kitchen is serving

Saturday Market Poster

Planning activities

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Jan 2, 2025
A new year, new location, new activities

By Evelind Schecter | Co-founder, Program Leader

Warm Heart Founders introduce the Learning Center

The new Learning Center in Hang Dong, 20 minutes south of the Chiang Mai city center, was launched on December 21. It had a fresh coat of paint, the kitchen was set up for basic cooking and grilling, the coffee bar had filtered water, and all the electric outlets were in place.

Spencer found some great buys at second-hand furniture stores around Chiang Mai. Finn helped with the painting before heading out to his next adventure.

We opened the new Warm Heart Learning Center with an evening at the "Warm Hearts' Bazaar", a precursor to the weekend farmers markets in our plans. We invited Chiang Mai-based NGOs, student groups, and local vendors to launch our new center.

We had around 80 visitors from various organizations, with many talents. Several shops and restaurants set up tables to sell beautiful handicrafts and delicious food.

We had performances from several groups, including traditional Burmese dancers. We had eight sponsors from the Chiang Mai community - small businesses, and the Karen Student Association at Chiang Mai University, all interested in future partnership activities.

Our new Project Manager, "TG", is also Burmese, from the BEAM Foundation program that teaches English to displaced youth from Myanmar. They learn English and prepare for the US high school equivalency exam (GED) Their English is good enough to admit them to the International Program at Chiang Mai University (CMU).

TG has tutored in English and the GED, and is enrolled at CMU in Social Studies. He started a football (soccer) team in Chiang Mai and raised funds for teachers who were out of work due to the unrest in Myanmar. He's excited to be engaged at the start of this new venture.

The first classes started December 28, with a group of elementary school students whose parents, recent refugees from Myanmar, asked TG to start a class to help their children catch up in English and Math and learn their native Burmese.

Next, we'll be training in biochar and sustainable farming practices. As we expand our local network, we will add the core competency skills to our classes. We'll keep you posted as the schedules are firmed up.

Thank you for making these programs possible.

With gratitude and best wishes for the New Year!

Dana, Michael, Evelind, and the Warm Heart Family.

Newly painted and ready for action

The kitchen is ready to serve

Food, Entertainment, New Friends

First class in English, Math and Burmese

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