Gap Year

Laura S.

I had a fantastic time while working with the barge team. Reflecting back on all the incredible experiences we create for the students is emotional. Thailand is an incredible country and it's fantastic to see it with such a great team. I learned a lot about new environments, the culture and was able to develop my teaching style to be more engaging. It was an experience I will truly treasure forever.

​

Laura S.
2019 - 2020

​

​

Erin Stanley

Ten years at Barge Program is quite a long time! I have seen so much in that time. I have learned, grown, and developed - as a person, an educator, and a colleague. Each year brought new challenges to overcome, and new people to meet. The Barge Program family is a unique bunch, suited to such a unique program. My ten years at Barge Program represent the first ten years of my 'real' adult life - mistakes made and lessons learned. The barge will always hold a place in my heart, as will the memories of all the adventures and experiences I have had.

​

With much thanks and love to the Barge

​

Stan (Erin Stanley)
Head of Barge (2014 - 2017), Barge Coordinator (2007-2017)

​

​

Ou

Thank you Barge Program!

Now I am in Melbourne. When I first arrived here, I knew I could not come this far without Barge Program. I still remember myself in the first 3 months - very shy, no confidence and my English was very bad. I had a chance to do what I love, to teach and learn from all of the staff and students. I had lots of fun and also it challenged me at the same time. I will always remember over 2 years with Barge Program as it is my fantastic time. (I said is because it's still like that.)

​

Thank you for giving me a chance

​

Sincerely,
Ou (2017)

​

​

May Yaemngam

Thank you so much for giving me such a big opportunity to work with Barge Program. This chance will change my life forever. Time has passed almost 3 years already and many people have said I have good English now.

​

Three years is quite a long time. I have been doing so many things that challenge me and have been to many places that I had never been before, l have learned a lot about the way to educate people, and especially I learned a lot about the Chao Phraya River. Without this job, I would not appreciate how valuable the river is. Thai people like me have never thought about the importance of this river before but now I am concerned about this river so much.

​

Thank you again for everything that you have given me.

​

​

Craig Smith

In the year I have lived in Thailand, I have not met one visitor to the country who has experienced it in as much depth as we at the Barge Program do. It’s not only the range of locations that we visit that is unique, but also how we approach each location. With sustainability always being our core focus, we are lent the gift of being able to consider sites from the perspectives of the local people and the wildlife that reside there. This gives us a special insight into this marvelous country, as well as an appreciation of its, and our, place within the global community.

​

However, the joy of a job with the Barge Program does not end with your own experiences of Thailand. We are here to educate - and in this job, that means helping others to see Thailand in the same way that we are learning to do. As we enable groups of students to delve into the forests of Khao Yai, the riverside environments along the Chao Phraya, the fishing communities of Chantaburi, or the hill tribe villages of Chiang Mai, we witness perspectives changing. You see groups’ environmental awareness developing along with an understanding of how individuals can have a positive impact on the natural world. We see changes in attitude towards people who live a lifestyle differing from their own and we share in their newfound appreciation for wealth measured beyond monetary assets. Best of all, we learn alongside the group whose personal growth we are facilitating. Without the work of the Barge Program, many people would never have had the opportunity to discover these newfound perspectives. We are helping in the development of the next generation of Global Citizens.

​

​

Prae ^^

Love the barge, where my working life started with love, joy, fun, friends, and pain. ♡

​

​

Ha

My year on the Barge Program has flown by so quickly that it is hard to believe it is now over. Working at the Barge Program has given me to the opportunity to gain further teaching experience whilst also experiencing life overseas.

Having enjoyed trips all over Thailand I have had the opportunity to visit many places - from beaches to rain forests - and that’s just with work! The prospects for travel whilst living in Bangkok are numerous and I have been happy to take advantage of this. The vast range of ecosystems that Thailand boasts makes an ideal classroom to inspire and educate students and provide opportunities that only a few are lucky enough to get.

​

Experiencing Thailand’s culture through a year's work has given me an insight into this country that would be hard to gain as a tourist and I take many great memories away with me, as well as the friendships I have made along the way.

​

​

Alissa Krenn

It is absolutely amazing how fast time flies! I started working for the Barge Program in August of 2008 as the primary intern and after my first year, I decided to stay on for another two years as the Senior Coordinator.

​

During my time with the program, I developed a new passion for teaching secondary students about the environment, which was much different from my previous degree in wildlife management and forestry.

​

This new passion has inspired me to start a new career in teaching and I am now working on getting my Master's in Education from the University of New York - Buffalo State. I was also offered a science teaching position at a school in Rayong, Thailand and, thanks to everything I learned at the Barge Program, I had the confidence to take the job and start a new chapter of my life.

​

The experiences, opportunities and things I have learned from this program will never leave me and I am so grateful and honored that the Barge was a part of my life. The Barge will always be in my heart!

​

Thanks for all the memories!