The Moken (also known by some people as “Sea Gypsies”) are indigenous communites that spend up to eight months of the year on the open sea. Near Phi Phi Island in southern Thailand, the local Moken community was severely affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in December 2004. While the island’s tourist places have recovered quickly, the Moken community has hardly seen any development since then. The government has had difficulties to integrate the indigenous community into the larger population, a fact that aggravates the problem. The Moken rely almost exclusively on fishing and other ocean-based products to make a living, yet the lack of knowledge of sustainable practices puts this at high risk.

The Regent’s School is an international school working with over 40 local communities, among them the Moken community. It operates the Phi Phi International Community Centre (PICC) that promotes environmental conservation, sustainable development, cultural preservation and the sharing of local knowledge. PICC aims to provide a place of education for the Moken community (particularly for women and children) and eventually employment and business opportunities on site.

The goals of the internship are to create more opportunities for young people to become involved with the community by learning about the Moken. They will be interacting with them by giving them learning and business opportunities. Interns will create activities for local students and community members involving English and IT courses or enviromental action like beach cleanups or sustainable gardening. Interns will also create cultural preservation programmes for locals in order to enhance the use of the centre as a cultural space. The promotion of the centre itself and local enterprises will also be tasks of the interns.

Interns should have good knowledge of the living conditions and necessities of indigenous cultures and the effects of natural disasters such as the Tsunami on local economies and communities. Working experience with community volunteer projects is an asset. Good communication skills and a high level of intercultural sensitivity are essential.

The period of the internship will be 3 months between July and October 2012. Training and preparation seminars prior to the internship will be held in English. The tandem will be formed by an Estonian participant and a German/Swiss participant.