STA Travel Community Project in Thailand

Why did we choose Thailand and this project?

	The Place - Koh Phra Thong is a stunning island where the tourism industry is growing rapidly without careful planning and without thought for the future. The Environment - By teaching the local community and STA volunteers essential conservation skills; we can help build positive attitudes towards the local environment about saving and preserving it for a sustainable future for everyone.
	The People - The community is in real danger of loosing itself as it is caught unprepared for this tourism wave, many locals don't have the necessary skills to find work in the tourism and conservation industries.  As holidaymakers flood the island, the concern is that this warm welcoming community will loose it's own individual culture.
	Global Accessibility - Thailand is the most accessible place for all countries where STA Travel is located meaning that as a global company STA Travel can really support this project.  Popularity - Thailand is one of the most popular destinations with you (our customers) and our staff think Thailand rocks too! So we want thought it was about time to give something back!
	STA Travel and STA Volunteers will be helping to: - Build a Community Centre and Tourism Training Institute - Create environmentally-friendly jobs - Conserve the local environment - Empower local people and communities to reach their goals - Teach local youth the importance of education and the environment
	Our Goal! - To raise $120,000, through fundraising efforts and donations.  Every donation that you make, STA will double (up to USD30k annually)!  You can donate through the Planeterra website or if you are going on a tour with Gap Adventures then you can add on the DOLLAR A DAY PROGRAM where all donations go direct to Planeterra, and are matched by Gap Adventures.

What do we get for the money we raise?

$250 will...

• Sponsor a community youth group to attend a 3-day long camp with other local students, including job training and hands-on conservation.
• Provide windows for the Phra Thong Island Community Resource Centre, enabling sea turtle conservation to take place.

$500 will...

• Build an interpretive trail through the mangrove forest.
• Train a group of 10 community members of all ages in successful community tourism business.
• Provide a space for women's handicraft development.  

$1,000 will...

• Support a youth group and their teacher for 3 months of conservation work including: monitoring water quality and river health, surveying and protecting sea grass beds, and saving an endangered Lily from extinction. 
• Provide solar panels and rainwater catchment for the Phra Thong Island Community Resource Centre.
• Allow a village-to-village exchange among 30 people for a better understanding of sustainable agriculture, cultural empowerment, and alternative livelihoods. 

$5,000 will...

• Protect the habitat of endangered and threatened species through community monitoring and conservation programs on the tsunami hit island of Koh Phra Thong.
• Develop an international volunteer training program to assist in the creation of environmental education and habitat conservation programs.
• Provide environmental education and tourism job training for 100 youth through a series of network meetings.

$10,000 will...

Create local youth Conservation in Action groups that will provide young people the skills with the skills needed to create sustainable development; and take an active role in matters that will affect their futures. The program will actively support six youth groups, totalling 240 school children and teachers, and will include training and ecological monitoring of;

• Water quality and flow of their respective local rivers.
• Extent and quality of sea grass beds. 
• Rehabilitation of the Water Lily species endemic to the region.

or Provide Phra Thong Island Community Resource Centre

• 5,000 will provide windows, repair the roof, protect the building against the monsoon and provide a covered walkway between rooms.
• An additional 5,000 will allow for a solar-powered learning centre, rainwater catchment systems, and facilities for volunteers.
  

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