KeyLight Learning 2.22

KeyLight Leaning's - (Current Project) Khmer Hands School of Art & Hospitality


Overview
Khmer Hands is a self-sustaining, non-profit, Christian values- based vocational school designed to give at-risk Cambodian youth the job and life skills needed for a secure future.

Market Need
Khmer Hands aims to support Cambodia’s large population of at-risk youth with training to fill jobs in the rapidly growing tourism economy.

• Poverty is widespread. More than half of Cambodians are under 25 years old. A total of 35% of the population lives below the poverty line. In fact, the vast majority of people subsist on slightly more than $1 per day based on GNI data.

• Education is lacking. The poverty-ridden countryside suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure and educational facilities. In fact, UNICEF data show only 17% of men and 11% of women attend secondary school, while only 3% graduate from high school.

• Sexual exploitation and forced labor is rampant in Cambodia. Uneducated young workers are often lured into illicit fields with the promise of steady pay.

• Vocational programs are few. While NGOs have set up a variety of schools and homes to serve the youngest Cambodian orphans and other children in need, few organizations target teens and young adults with job training and skills.

• Traditional Khmer arts are disappearing. Years of war and internal conflict meant many artistic and cultural traditions were lost as expert artisans were killed or fled the country.

• Tourism is booming. Cambodia attracted 2.9 million international tourists in 2011, a 15% increase over 2010, according to Cambodia’s Statistic and Tourism Information Department at the Tourism Ministry. In December 2011 alone, the country received nearly 300,000 visitors – that’s a 20% jump in just one year.

• The tourism trade is hiring. All of Cambodia’s destinations require well-trained staff in order to meet the growing tourist trade, and the ever-increasing number of hotels, restaurants, tour companies, souvenir galleries and cultural centers.

• English speakers are in high demand. With the growing number of foreign tourists, trained workers who are proficient in English will have the skills needed to gain employment in a wide variety of industries.

School & Businesses (plan for self-sustainability)

The natural beauty of Kep will attract travelers to Khmer Hands’ hotel, restaurant and tourist ventures while bringing opportunity to at-risk youth by filling a local need for vocational training.

• Two vocational programs will be offered. Graduates will target the increasing demand for Cambodian tourism workers with two areas of study: 1) The Hospitality Program will offer three areas of specialization: Operations and Guest Services, Food Preparation and Service, and Culture and Ecotourism, and 2) the Fine Arts Program will offer vocational training in both applied and performing arts.

• English will be the foundation. English language skills will provide a foundation for all study. When possible, courses will be taught in English in order to develop each student’s language and business skills.

• Student body will be small. The school aims to serve 90 students. Full-time students will complete the programs in 18 months. School directors will develop relationships with employers in the community and actively work to find rewarding jobs for each graduate.

• School will be self-supporting after Year One. The school will operate business ventures which both earn revenue to support school operations and provide students the opportunity for on-the-job training.

• Four businesses will provide revenue. A boutique hotel will consist of ten comfortable, well-appointed guest rooms built inthe traditional Cambodian style surrounding a lovely garden and pool. A restaurant serving both Cambodian and Western dishes will offer views of the surrounding hills and ocean. A
gallery will showcase student creations from the arts program
and a dinner theater will enable performance artists to display their educational progress.

• Kep will draw both tourists and students. The school has purchased land in the increasingly popular seaside destination of Kep. The city was once an resort area during the French colonial era due to its natural beauty and proximity to Phnom Penh - only 2.5 hours by car. Kep's steep limestone mountains wind through pristine rice fields until they drop to the sea and frame a gorgeous coastline. Guests can interact with students and know that they are supporting vulnerable youth and restoring cultural arts.

Leadership

Kristofer Warner’s many years of experience in the English education, vocational training, and hotel industries, combined with his commitment and passion for the Cambodian people will enable Warner to be effective and compassionate as the project comes to life.

American Kristofer Warner is uniquely qualified to launch Khmer Hands. His extensive teaching and hospitality experience combined with his love for the Cambodian people will bring Khmer Hands to reality.

• Cambodian Experience - Warner is currently the Director of the English and Vocational Training Program for Foursquare Children of Promise (FCOP), a Phnom Penh-based church orphan home. Since moving to Cambodia to take the position in 2007, Warner has developed successful sewing and jewelry design programs that have enabled resident youth to learn a trade and save for university while attending school. Warner has also trained more than 70 teachers through a variety of programs designed to build the confidence and teaching skills of the Cambodian English teachers at nearly all of the 106 FCOP church orphan homes. He has also organized U.S. book drives establishing twenty rural micro-libraries and a central library at the Phnom Penh home with more than 3,000 books.

• Teaching Experience - Prior to his position in Cambodia, Warner worked for three years as an English instructor and counselor for international students at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. He managed Aspect International Language School for three years.

• Hospitality Experience - Warner holds a bachelors degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from California State Polytechnic University. He began his career with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, working in both their Western Regional Sales Office and their corporate headquarters. For four years, 2001 to 2005, Warner founded and operated ECHO Treks, a school providing international students the opportunity to challenge their English outside the classroom on immersion trips.

• Personal Commitment - A U.S. citizen originally from Southern California,
Warner is married to Naome Pich, a Cambodian national, medical student and professionally-trained Cambodian dancer. They live in Phnom Penh with their beautiful infant daughter, Elina.

• Nonprofit Founder - In 2011, Warner founded KeyLight Learning, a fully licensed and accredited 501c3 non-profit, with the mission to bring hope and holistic health to the neglected, impoverished, and at-risk youth of the developing world through practical, self-sustaining and culturally-insightful learning and vocational training opportunities.

Financials

• Fundraising is taking place now. Funds to develop Khmer Hands will be raised by donations to its parent 501c3 non-profit, Keylight Learning. Support for Khmer Hands can be provided through the KeyLight Learning website -www.keylightlearning.org - where both one-time and recurring monthly donations can be made. Donation
progress and monthly updates can also be found on the site. Offline donations can be made by mailing a check to KeyLight Learning, 252 Ironwood Lane, Redding, CA 96003.

• Contact Kris Warner for more information. For a copy of the complete Khmer Hands project proposal, including detailed information on school programs, future growth opportunities, similar vocational programs, advisory board members, donation opportunities and financials contact Kristofer Warner at: kw.redefinethemargin@gmail.com or visit www.keylightlearning.org.

The Khmer Hands’ program will provide graduates with job skills and English proficiency – the keys to a future of secure employment. The program will be founded onrelationship building, and teach the importance of integrity, trust, and discernment. Khmer Hands will impact thousands of people by restoring cultural arts, lifting communities, and building a healthy local economy with honest, skilled, and hard-working citizens.